RugHookingArt.com

WORKSHOPS at Beal Cottage

with Sandra Brown

FINDING YOUR OWN EYE FOR COLOR

Check back for 2025  (3 day)

Developing your own sense of color is key to creating satisfying rugs that are a pleasure to work on.  Although color wheels (and there are many) provide a handy map of color progressions and relationships, they can never replace your inner guide that tells you what works and what doesn’t.  

We explore the reasons why and see how easy it is to develop the gift you already have through dye sessions, painting with dyes, color planning patterns you've brought along and critiquing a variety of art and textiles.  Students leave with a journal of color plans and a new appreciation for their own color sensibilities.  This is an OPEN class and hooking a current project while in class is encouraged.

"You have such an eye for color!"  

Dress form with some of the dye swatch systems we'll be working with: Prisms I & II; Jewel Tones,  Ragg Tyme, and dye books from Barbara Sleeper, Pris Butler, Laurice Heath and Karen Schellinger.  

Particulars:  

Arrive 3pm Monday, July 17 - Check in, introductions & social hour, dinner (included), discussion of color preferences , patterns needing color planned, and uses for Color Wheels. Begin color exercises including "what is your color season?"

Tuesday & Wednesday, July 18 & 19 - Color planning using watercolor dyes, creating custom color wheels, creating color journals, dye sessions incorporating student color creations.     Breakfast and lunch included, dinner out at a local restaurant (dinner not included)

Thursday, July 20 - Wrap up with projects, wool selections and questions, breakfast included, departure 11am

Cost: $485 + $60 materials fee (includes 1/2 yard each smooth and textured wool + 1 yard fine linen), class fee, double room, breakfasts, lunches and dinner the first evening. Send check to address below:  $200 to reserve, and balance of $345 by June 1**

ORIENTALS - #3 to #6 cut

April 19-22, 2024   (3 day) This was wonderful! See photos on FB: Sandra Brown Rug Hooking

Hooking Orientals is a multi-step process that begins with determining Contrast and general color preferences and ends with a bevy of beautiful wools that the rug hooker feels confidant will produce a one-of-a-kind finished piece.  It’s not just a matter of picking the perfect color, it’s understanding why certain hues, values and intensities are indicated because of their role in the overall design. 

Class discussion will include dye techniques recommended for Orientals, including “abrash,” “floating” for color dimension, various spot dyeing techniques and use of gradation swatches--all wools which will be available to choose from from the teachers substantial inventory . Slide presentations will aid discussion of Contrast, Balance, Intensity and Adjacency during the color planning process with plenty of time for hooking and concentrating on technique throughout.  

We work to perfect our eye for color—a gift we already have—knowing that the satisfaction of hooking can be entirely dependent on having chosen colors wisely.  This class will provide the framework for color planning either traditional or modern interpretations of Oriental rugs.