Color Theory, the Series! Part VI: Shades

 

I couldn't resist!  Who doesn't love a good Maggie Smith meme?  And indeed...the SHADE of it all.  Because this week is all about Shades.  

We've finally made it to the chocolatey center of the Tootsie Roll Pop that is our trusty Color Wheel:

Now... you may have already guessed...but Shades are Hues plus Black.  We often use the word "shade" colloquially to denote the different colors within a color (shades of pink, shades of blue, etc.) that aren't necessarily dark, light, or mid-tone, but I'll be the party pooper to say that's not technically correct.  But then again, since when are colloquialisms technically correct?  But we're talking about Color Theory here, not linguistics, so here a Shade is simply the dark versions of a color. 

Just like with Tones, because black is multi-colored, the effect can be wide ranging, from intensifying the color to a dark, rich color (for example, mixing red with a red-based black), or to counteract the warmness/coolness of it (for example, mixing a red with a green based black). Shades can range from just slightly darker than mid-tone, to almost black, depending on how much black is mixed with the original color. 

hades are great for pairing with brighter colors to make them pop, or pairing with other shades to create a sense of depth and richness. They work very well in masculine quilts and contemporary quilts, and are prevalent in reproductions and Primitives.  

Here's a gorgeous example of Shades and Tones together.  There's nothing boring about this quilt even though it's in a range of Shades - the colors are just beautifully rich. 

Have you made a quilt with all shades?  Would you ever consider it?  Post your response in the comments below!