July 2009 – Ives Color Wheel
Colors to use: Pure – yellow, magenta, and turquoise
Most of us learned that the primary colors are yellow, red, and blue. A color wheel using these three colors as the primary results in blends not nearly as beautiful or dynamic as the yellow-magenta-turquoise combination used in the Ives Color Wheel. This color wheel is named after Herbert Ives, an important figure in the scientific study of photography. The Ives Color Wheel is the specific color wheel used in fabric dyeing and therefore creates the most powerfully beautiful colors in the world. Pure colors are the most intense, undiluted hues, they are "pure". Pure colors are brilliant and clear and are often the dominant colors in dramatic art and quilts. Pure colors remind you of summer when you see natures colors in their purest form. If you want a quilt to look summery choose fabrics which are pure in colors to dominate your work. Each pure color on the color wheel is the parent of dozens of closely related hues in its own family. Besides the pure hues, each color family consists of the hues from the tint, shade, and tone scales (more about these in the coming months). We will be using the three primary colors from the Ives Color Wheel: yellow- magenta- and turquoise for our first block of the month, these are the only colors you will need. Have fun!
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