Add Sparkle to Your Quilts with Value Contrast

Overview

The following article describes how you can create sparkle in your own quilts by implementing M.E. Chevreul’s first law of simultaneous contrast which I referenced in the first article: 

When two juxtaposed colors are not of the same value (i.e., different lightness or darkness), the darker one appears even darker, and the lighter one appears even lighter. 

Searching for the Secret of “Sparkle”: Value Contrast

I believe every quilt has something to teach me if I’m willing to pay attention and work through the problems they throw my way.

Take, for instance, Devil’s Due. Throughout its construction, I would pin a new section to my design wall to determine if it worked with the rest of the composition. When the last piece was pinned, I stood back to evaluate.

To my disappointment, the quilt just hung there, flat and lifeless. The drama and sparkle I was hoping for just wasn’t there. Confused, I returned to the image of the original gemstone that had inspired the design. What I discovered changed everything for me.

When I compared the image to the work pinned to my design wall, I realized that I had placed fabric of a medium value in spots where the original image showed splashes of pure white light. 

In other words, I had ignored the brilliance – the “bling” – of the diamond! By not honoring the pools of pure white light, I had robbed the work of its sparkle, its brilliance. 

When I replaced the medium values with facets of pure white fabric, BAM! My quilt suddenly popped with drama and movement. The lower point of the gemstone – the focal point of the piece — suddenly came into view in a forceful way.

Another insight quickly followed: the dramatic difference in my quilt’s appearance was achieved, not only because I replaced the medium value fabric with pure white fabric, but because the pure white fabric was placed next to the darkest fabrics in my design. 

In that moment, Devil’s Due taught me the power of “sparkle” and how to achieve it in my designs. The key is value contrast, the interaction of light and dark colors. Once again we see the wisdom of M.E. Chevreul’s thesis: when two juxtaposed colors are not of the same value, the darker one appears darker, and the lighter one appears lighter.

The Power of High Value Contrast

If you take a blank white piece of paper and place it next to a black and white chess board, the white areas on the chess board will look brighter than the blank sheet of paper. This sounded odd to me, because clearly the blank piece of white paper had a greater quantity of white than the chess board so, obviously, quantity was not the determining factor. The impact has to do with the contrast of the black and the white.

“Bling”: The Importance of High Value Contrast in a Diamond

A few definitions are in order here. To understand the concept of “brilliance”, I’d like you to envision a diamond as a set of windows and mirrors. The top of the gemstone, also known as the crown, can be thought of as a set of windows. The bottom of the gemstone, also known as the pavilion, can be thought of as a set of mirrors.

Light enters a gemstone through the windows, the facets in the crown. If the gem cutter has done a good job cutting the stone, light will hit the bottom interior of the gem (the pavilion facets) and ricochet throughout the stone until it explodes through the upper windows back to your eye. When the light hits your eye as pure white light, that’s called “brilliance.” 

Equally important to the creation of brilliance in a gemstone are the dark bits. They play a role just as important as the white pools of light. Why? 

You know the answer! The juxtaposition of the lightest lights and darkest darks emphasizes the essence of the other. The lightest lights make the darks darker, while the darkest darks make the lights lighter.

The image here shows a gorgeous diamond Look closer. Do you see where the white and black facets are positioned? Right next to one another! This creates a dramatic brilliance or “bling” in the stone.

The secret to creating “sparkle” in your quilts is to place the lightest and darkest fabrics right next to one another. And depending on the arrangement of lights and darks, you can create a variety of dramatic effects in your quilts. Let’s talk about some of those specific arrangements next.

Put Value Contrast to Work: Shimmer, Focal Points & Visual Movement

You can harness the power of high value contrast, regardless of your inspiration. Mine happens to be diamonds and colored gemstones, but yours might be landscapes, florals, portraits, abstract designs, or any number of infinite design inspirations. Regardless, you can use high value contrast to create different kinds of drama in your design. Let’s talk about three effects here: 

• Create a shimmer effect.
• Create dramatic focal points.
• Create movement to enhance visual excitement.

Shimmer

Imagine you’re gazing across a lake while the sun hovers over the horizon. See the millions of tiny sparkles shimmering on the water? The combination of the bright light and deep shadows creates a shimmering effect, much like the brilliance of a diamond. 

By juxtaposing the lightest lights and darkest darks in a symmetrical fashion throughout your quilt design, you can achieve the same kind of shimmering brilliance in your own work. This is a powerful effect that is best used in quilts that aren’t intended to have a defined focal point. Many traditional block quilts fit this category. 

Years ago, I made a pinwheel quilt for a friend using clothing that belonged to her late father. I intentionally placed the lights and darks next to one another to create maximum sparkle across the top. 

Focal Points

Another way you can harness the power of high value contrast in your work is to create dramatic focal points. An area of high contrast – lightest lights and darkest darks next to one another – draws the eye to it. Much like a spotlight, this stark combination of light and dark demands our attention. 

Eclipse 2020 demonstrates the power of high contrast to create a dramatic focal point. I purposely placed a single white triangular facet of the black diamond next to the black table facet to create a dramatic focal point.

Visual Movement

You can also use the placement of light and dark to move your viewer’s eye across the quilt. These areas of light and dark act like traffic lights, helping your viewers visually navigate through your composition.

Pathways of lighter-colored areas invite your eyes to move across them, while deep pools of darkness slow down your eyes’ trek across the composition, giving them a chance to rest and rejuvenate. As a result, your quilt comes alive with movement.

As an example, I fell in love with the little peach zoisite pictured here. I loved its color, shape, and the beautiful river of light that flowed across the center of the stone. 

This little gem ultimately inspired several quilts, including Char #4. In this design, I specifically wanted to emphasize the river of light that flowed through the gem, hoping that my viewers’ gaze would also flow throughout the design. 

Do you see where I placed many of the darkest facets? Adjacent to the lightest facets! The gem sparkles because of the placement of light and dark. In addition, that placement also encourages your eye to move across the design.

Playing With High Value Contrast

Exercise #1: June is one of my favorite times of year because the fireflies come out to play. Can you use what you’ve just learned to describe why the image of fireflies seems to sparkle? (The second article in this series explains why the fireflies in the image below appear to glow.)

Exercise #2: In the image below, identify at least 10 places where high contrast produces the “bling” effect. 

Conclusion

I hope this has given you a new perspective on how to use high value contrast to create sparkle in your own quilts. Next week, we’ll explore ways to create effective transparencies in your quilts. Until then, be well and shine on!