Contrasting Backgrounds

[Guest]

(Chris thinks it's easy to come up with a tip a day - it AIN'T! )

 

This 'tip' comes to mind based on the recent move of the United Fly Tyers from a well lit meeting place to one that could give you a headache while trying to see what you're tieing, without your magnifiers and sidelights. I hardly thought I'd need to bring my white and colored backdrop cards to visualize against; was I ever wrong! Also, if you struggle to tie against a wood stained furniture color, you'll quickly learn there's a better way.

 

Over time, most of us suffer deteriorating eyesight. For some, it becomes increasingly more difficult to see color breaks and profile definitions. From personal experience I've learned it is easier to tie some fly styles and color patterns if I use a contrasting colored backdrop - even a white backdrop doesn't always give me the profile or contrast I need or would like.

 

I've resorted to using colored construction paper- either bonded to matboard, cardboard, foam-core, left to flop around on the desk or what have you. At home, WHEN I TIE!!! (just to throw that in there for the troublemakers, lurking, waiting, ready to pounce on me at a moment's notice! ) I will set up against a full 8.5x11" sheet of some contrasting color; it's almost impossible to make out lines and color breaks against a cherry stained table.

 

Now, for use in the new venue UFT currently meets at, I will construct a coat-hanger wire 'easel' to fit on the stem of my vise, or to be set on the table, which will hold either a full 8.5x11" sheet or some reduced size piece of background material to backlight and help me see my pattern more clearly.

 

Tan and brown contrast against shades of pink, lighter green or white. Try your own color choices to see which you think works best for you.

 

Colored paper is available at your local craft store. Coathanger is available in your closet

[GHow 0]

This is an excellent tip. It is so important for your eyes to be "comfortable." Colored paper was my solution just laid over the desk. My supplier is the grocery store. I'll have to try the easel.

[Guest]

Hell no, it ain't easy!!! Why do you think I asked you to contribute some of that vast, but otherwise useless, knowlegde you keep to yourself?!

[Guest]

QUOTE (Big Daddy Hubbard @ Jan 19 2004, 03:13 PM)

Hell no, it ain't easy!!! Why do you think I asked you to contribute some of that vast, but otherwise useless, knowlegde you keep to yourself?!

Pog mo thoin!

[Guest]

okay, buddy , that's your ass just as soon as I figure out what that means!! LOL

[Dble Haul 0]

This is timely information for me, and something that shouldn't be taken lightly. I've always tied with a white background, and I have just recently begun using glasses for reading, computer and lab work, and fly tying. While adjusting to my new "vision" with the glasses, I have noticed the need for different background colors, depending on the colors of materials that I'm working with. As usual, Dave has given excellent info here.

 

The combination of glasses and correct background colors have reduced my eye fatigue, and I believe that they have also been a part of greatly reducing the number of bad headaches that I have recently suffered from.

 

Timely stuff!

[Joesmax 0]

I use a lap tying bench I purchased at the somerset NJ show 2 yrs ago...make that my wife got me....anyways they are made by a school wood clase ....the use left over tan formica pieces , it has brass rods for tying thread and holes on rails for tools...it sells for about 35 bucks!!! If any are interested let me know I have the address and im goin to the Somerset NJ Fly show this weekend for my birthday.

Hey you can watch the game while tying also.......

[Guest]

Joesmax-

 

those are very adequate tabletop or lap benches. The man who makes and sells them teaches in a Mass. school, as I recall, and some return of the sales goes back to school programs or the kids' benefit or some such; he buys booth space in shows around here as well. I'm sure you could make a easel that'd fit nicely.

 

To add to what MingtheMerciless said- when my eyesight first started to give out, my Ophthalmologist- THE!!! 'eye doctor' for Harvard University sports teams, emeritus teaching fellow in the Harvard medical community and a bunch of other worldwide renowned ultra-venerable worthiness garbage, made me start wearing rose colored glasses. The percentage of tint in the glass was measured to counteract the then green/black or green/gray terminal screens, which gave me some really aggravating headaches.

 

Now that we deal with color screens, it's easier on the eyes except for glare, pretty much. Now my glasses have a anti-reflective coating so terminal and overhead light glare don't piss me off to the point I destroy the office.

 

When we go "looking" for fly patterns- in our books, in the Internet, at the shows, we see them against a few limited color backdrops. If you think about it, color actually makes our eyes 'work'- we have to focus on it, it makes different rods and cones in our eyes flick on and off to see it; color MAKES color stand out!

 

When we were young and it didn't matter, we never gave it a thought- we'd color our coloring books, read our comic books, paint our bikes and grubby looking carved wood plugs and cork poppers without a thought except what they looked like- MAYBE we cared about contrast for contrast' sake.

 

So, even you little whippersnappers can benefit from contrasting your backdrops. You might just save yourselves some aggravation down the road.