Every Shade of Blue
For one of my exhibits, I created an instructional display comparing 27 commercially available dark to mid-tone blues to show the sheer variety and complexity of fibers available. Each was felted by hand using a 38-gauge triangle needle.
As felting has become more and more popular, a wide variety of fiber types, microns, and colors are readily available on the market.
When I began needle felting, I may have had five different blues of coarse batting. Now, I have well over 60 different colors, tints, tones, and shades in all fiber types. I began making color reference cards to keep track and help when I was ready to order more. I have already used them countless times, and the six cards shown don’t fully represent all of my samples in those colors.
In color theory, tints are created when color is mixed with white to increase lightness, while shades come from mixing with black to increase darkness. Tones result from combining a color with gray or blending tints and shades.
Source: Wikipedia
My quest for dark blues and teals began with “Fading Light on Gunflint Lake.” I gathered over 50 samples ranging from black to blue to teal. Some I already had on hand and others I ordered. Many vendors had the same color names, e.g., Midnight and Tuarag, yet there were distinct differences when placed side-by-side on my reference cards. Vendors may source their fiber from different dyers or use their own dye mixtures.
I began experimenting with color blending, trying to find the perfect deep dark blue mixture for the top of the sky. It took many blending attempts before I was happy with the result, and each subsequent layer of color required a unique blend.
That experience taught me much about color and how the variations in fiber type, tint, tone, and shade can significantly affect the outcome.
