Color Distribution

The video for this lesson will take some time because I need to finalize some new rug pattern designs that I want to use for this lesson. I will notify all students when this is ready.

After you’ve gone to all the trouble of doing a value study, you still have to apply color. Your value study will guide you where to place the values, but you also want to distribute the colors throughout your rug.

Floral Rugs

I use this method most often for traditional floral rugs. Often on a complicated pattern, you can get lost in all the lines. Where are the leaves, where are the flowers? The simplest method is to color in all the leaves. I use a simple green highlighter. Neatness is not real important. Shoot for good enough.

Once you have all the leaves identified, the flowers are more obvious.

Chessboard Method

Some patterns are best figured out using a method I call the Chessboard Method. Color distribution is important and sometimes using markers just does not work. By the time you get half the pattern marked up, you notice a problem and have to start over. You need something more mobile.

Cut up small pieces of differently colored papers or use poker chips, coins or beads– anything that is easy to see. At a glance you can tell how many times and where you put each color. It is not important that the markers match perfectly with the wool you are using. You’ve already decided [hopefully] that the colors you are using work together. Now you just need to decide where they go.

Move the beads or other markers around the rug until you have a pleasing balance. Once you have what works, mark the locations permanently.

At a minimum take a photograph. A picture is worth a thousand words, but is especially valuable if a wind knocks off all your paper slips before you can find the safety pins.

Use a Sharpie or other fabric suitable markers. I’ve used the “Stained by Sharpie*” colored markers and they work well for this type of marking.

You may discover that you need to adjust the number of wools you use for a repeating pattern. If it does not work out evenly using three try four or five wools to get a pleasing layout.

Summary

Whether you use colored markers with ink or colored markers that you can move around, you can save a lot of time and frustration by planning in advance where the colors will go.

When to use this method

This method is perfect when you are trying to lay out a repeating pattern. It is easy to move the little pieces around your pattern until you are happy with the layout. I love the process of using a simple highlighter to block out all the leaves on a complicated floral. It really clears the confusion so you can see where the colors go.