© Paper Pieces® 2020 1

Month 7

Do you believe in magic? This month’s instructions are going to have you rubbing your eyes in wonder as we magically “change” a color by carefully selecting the neighboring colors. We’re revealing our tricks and explaining the effect so you can use this technique in your own quilt, conjuring up new colors and making it seem like you have more fabrics than you actually do!

We hope that you’re enjoying our color conversations so far, and that it is helping you “think outside of the box.” Our favorite part about hosting a Quilt Along is that we get to see your work. Please share your finished blocks on the Lost and Found Facebook page! Have a question? Don’t be afraid to ask! Just like a quilting bee, you’ll find an online community of quilters here to share your ideas and learn new skills with.

Welcome to Month 7 of the Lost & Found 2020 Quilt Along!

Month 7 Concepts: Color Illusions, Simultaneous Contrast and the Bezold EffectColor illusions can be exciting to use in quilting because used correctly, they can enhance your fabrics and designs. True color illusions are tricks that are played on your brain. No matter how intelligent you are, or how sensitive you are to color, your brain is unable to override the illusion.

The relationships we have looked at so far have allowed us to work within a specific prescription for colors, and while it is important to understand those, it is equally important to understand the profound effect that colors can have on one another.

In this month, we will be looking at two very similar illusions, simultaneous contrast and the Bezold Effect.

Fig. 1

Analogous Monochromatic Complementary Tetradic

© Paper Pieces® 2020 2

Month 7

Simultaneous contrast is the phenomenon that occurs when two adjacent colors influence one another, changing the perception of the colors and taking on the hue and brightness of the surrounding colors. Colors placed next to one another can have varied results, either enhancing or diminishing specific properties (i.e. value, intensity. We know this to be true from previous months instructions, where complementary colors enhance one another and become more vibrant and analogous colors become less vibrant and more harmonious. The same is true for other specific properties, including intensity and value. This effect is about comparison between colors rather than describing properties of a color in isolation.

To demonstrate this effect, we are using the light pink color found in the Aboriginal Dot fabric in Pear, as it is the print shared between Block 13 and 14, and comparing the colors with the purple and orange that are found in the other fabrics we are selecting, as shown in Fig. 2. In this instance, the center light pink color appears approximately the same hue, but the brightness varies in relation to the colors surrounding it. When converted to grayscale, the value shift is still apparent, with the contrast between the darkest and lightest combination having the most pronounced effect, as shown in Fig. 3, making the light pink (light gray) appear brighter and the purple (dark gray) appear darker.

The Bezold Effect differs from simultaneous contrast through observing that surrounding colors can actually change our perception of a hue. This is where our color magic really happens, and we can make our prints look like different colors by combining them with other neighboring colors. The trick with the Bezold Effect is to break up the colors when they are combined with other colors. Are you ready for color magic? Here we combine the same four colors from above, this time breaking the prints into stripes and inserting the light pink color into each stripe pattern as a star, as shown in Fig. 4.

The impact of this effect is so pronounced that it makes you question whether it is actually a lie, and that the colors have been replaced by a variety of light pink hues. As you can see in Fig. 5 though, it’s all the same color of light pink.

Are you ready to try this in your blocks?

Simultaneous Contrast and the Bezold Effect

Fig. 2 Fig. 3

Fig. 4

Fig. 5

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Month 7

Share Your W�k!Share your progress using

#LostAndFoundQuilt-and-

#PaperPiecesProjects

Join the Conversation!When we play around with our fabric colors, sometimes we can find some magical color changing results! It’s to try new combinations and see the impact that intentional color use can have on multiplying our fabric stash without having to buy any additional yardage!

Which fabrics did you choose to use for your blocks? Check in on the Facebook page to see what others are making and to share your completed Month 7 Blocks!

Happy Stitching!

Block #13: Complementary Color Scheme

Fig. 5Block #13Complementary:

Purple and Yellow-Green

Block #14: Analogous Color Scheme

Fig. 3

For this block, we selected the Aboriginal Dot print in Pear and combined it with the Lotus Leaf print in Red. Using the color wheel and the Lotus Leaf print as a guide, we selected orange and light pink solid hexagons to work within an analogous color scheme.

Our tricks are shifting slightly in this block, and instead of changing the color of the light pink dots, we are instead influencing the background of the Aboriginal Dot print, making it seem more yellow than green. Refer back again to Fig. 4 and examine the appearance of the yellow-green and purple block with the yellow-green and orange block. The color temperature as well as the tint is effected by the combination.

For this block, we selected the Aboriginal Dot print in Pear and combined it with the Dahlia print in Succulent, fussy cutting a green bloom. Using the color wheel as a guide, we selected purple tinted fabric for the solid hexagons to compliment the yellow-green colors found in the medium and large hexagons.

From the previous months, we have already learned that using a complementary color scheme will make our colors appear more vibrant. Using simultaneous contrast, our light fabrics appear lighter and darker. The real magic in this combination though, comes through our perception that the light pink dots are now purple tinted from a distance because our eyes allow the dots to take on the hue of the surrounding colors. Refer back to Fig. 4 and examine the proportion of light green, purple, and light pink. Increasing the proportion of purple to light green causes the light pink to change to a more purple tint.

Block #14Analogous: Red to Yellow