First lessons in batik

by Gertrude Clayton Lewis

Still another group of color harmonies must be considered. This is the harmony of related colors. By this is meant the harmony of all colors of which blue, for example, forms a part. This group runs all the way from the purplish blues formed by adding red through all the different blues to blue greens made by adding yellow.

This grouping is especially useful in dyeing, as we can dye in one such group very effectively, starting with the yellow found in the blue green and working toward the red found in the violet blues.

For dyeing purposes we can really make just two color groups—the blue just given and the red. The red group starts with the red violets, which contain, of course, red and blue, and goes through the red group into the orange, which is red and yellow.

A center panel of a Javanese Batik

PLEASING COLOR COMBINATIONS

The following table of harmonizing colors is inserted as a guide for those who do not have a scientific knowledge of Color and its many harmonies:

• Black harmonizes with crimson, lemon, yellow.
• Black harmonizes with scarlet, blue, green.
• Black harmonizes with citrine.
• Black harmonizes with olive.
• Black harmonizes with salmon.
• Black harmonizes with primrose.
• Black harmonizes with corn color.
• Black harmonizes with orange.
• Black harmonizes with gold.
• Black harmonizes with white.
• White harmonizes with cerise.
• White harmonizes with scarlet.
• White harmonizes with orange.
• Violet harmonizes with scarlet, blue, orange.
• Violet harmonizes with scarlet, gold.
• Violet harmonizes with corn color.
• Violet harmonizes with gold.
• Violet harmonizes with citrines.
• Violet harmonizes with yellow.
• Orange harmonizes with violet.
• Orange harmonizes with blue, scarlet, green.
• Orange harmonizes with purple, scarlet.
• Orange harmonizes with crimson, blue.
• Orange harmonizes with brown.
• Orange harmonizes with violet.
• Orange harmonizes with blue.
• Dark Green harmonizes with crimson, blue, gold.
• Dark Green harmonizes with gold.
• Blue Green harmonizes with orange.
• Green harmonizes with russet.
• Green harmonizes with scarlet.
• Green harmonizes with red.
• Yellow harmonizes with violet, scarlet, blue.
• Yellow harmonizes with brown.
• Yellow harmonizes with deep crimson.
• Yellow harmonizes with blue.
• Yellow harmonizes with violet.
• Crimson harmonizes with black.
• Crimson harmonizes with violet.
• Crimson harmonizes with corn color.
• Crimson harmonizes with orange.
• Crimson harmonizes with gold.
• Crimson harmonizes with yellow, green.
• Scarlet harmonizes with blue, grey.
• Scarlet harmonizes with violet.
• Scarlet harmonizes with blue.
• Scarlet harmonizes with blue, green.
• Red harmonizes with white.
• Red harmonizes with grey.
• Red harmonizes with blue.
• Red harmonizes with gold.
• Red harmonizes with green.
• Blue harmonizes with brown, crimson, gold.
• Blue harmonizes with orange, green.
• Blue harmonizes with orange, black.
• Blue harmonizes with black.
• Blue harmonizes with white.
• Blue harmonizes with chocolate brown.
• Blue harmonizes with neutral grey.
• Blue harmonizes with salmon.
• Blue harmonizes with straw.
• Blue harmonizes with corn color.
• Blue harmonizes with gold.
• Blue harmonizes with orange.