The Principles of Art (in Quilting!) Part II: Contrast

Contrast is one of my favorite aspects of a quilt to tinker with (aside from color).  It is the visual difference (or lack of difference) between portions of a work.  When we think of Contrast we often think about opposites in color - like Black and White.  

Make a quilt in black and white and you will have a high-contrast, highly graphic finished product.  But Contrast is more than that!  You can have contrast in texture, value, and block size.  Use varieties of those to draw attention to a certain area of the quilt.  Keep in mind, the greater the Contrast, the more dynamic your project will be.  Contrast also doesn't solely focus on the extreme visual differences...you can also use it to create quiet places, a sense of softness or calmness.  A popular style of this are the low volume quilts.    

Contrast is a good example of how it takes more than one Element or Principle to make a quilt pop.  Let's say you're making a quilt and you just fell in love with a line of blenders. You use a variety of colors but for some reason, it just looks flat - why?  Without a little bit of contrast in the prints' texture, there is little visual contrast despite the variety of color.  The quilt will still be beautiful, but it won't have very much depth as compared to a piece with a variety of textures.  

Here's a few examples of how to play with Contrast:

Do you prefer working in high contrast, low contrast, or are you more strategic?  Let us know in the comments below!