Too dark?
 

I am planning a batik stained window quilt for a 40ish male. I pulled 42 batiks and have them ready to go, but the stack looks too dark, even without the black 'leading'. I can't post a picture right now because I've having camera battery issues. I have mostly blues, greens and a few browns with a little yellow and orange for sunshine and color. Is it best to just go ahead and start blocks and throw them on the design wall? Part of the problem may be I'm not a fan of blue except aquas. I actually am thinking of adding a few aquas to lighten it without adding the pinks and purples that would make me like it better.

Can a batik quilt be too dark?

I don't think it can be too dark for a guy quilt. If it were me I'd just start making blocks and see how it goes. You can always decide on a lighter "lead" color or add in some lighter blocks.

Sounds like great colors for a man-quilt !! Overall darks can be subtle and dramatic and masculine. I would stay away from the lighter colors and pastels for this one.

I would like the darks for myself.

Well I have made several quilts using black ALL with men in mind and used some colors that may help you - I included pink, purple, blues, and browns. While the pink may be a bit extreme I hope it helps but I say just start making squares!

http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...r-t221088.html
http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...d-t238245.html

Those are beautiful. I didn't pull any of my reds, but that may be a way to liven it up, too. I know his laptop is red so he must like it a little. I do want the black leading. I am auditioning a solid black and a tone on tone to see which I like better. I'm betting on the solid for this one.

Check out some of these Google images to get an idea of how the batiks/black work together. If it were mine, I'd use a solid black and avoid any fabrics that are very dark like navy blue or dark brown because you will lose the design if there isn't enough contrast. A punch of red would look awesome along with a little yellow and orange.

https://www.google.com/search?q=batiks+on+black+quilt&rls={moz:distributi onID}:{moz:locale}:{moz:official}&source=lnms&tbm= isch&sa=X&ei=cV6IU4bLOPTSsATctIHYCg&ved=0CAgQ_AUoA Q&biw=1138&bih=508

sorry, for some reason I can't get the link to work. If you right click and open the link it works.

Just because the quilt is for a guy does not limit the use of color. Think about the person and what they wear. Add a little of those colors into the mix.

I think auditioning is helping you. Don't limit yourself. If I couldn't audition when choosing fabrics, I would give up quilting. Thinks of what a stain glass window looks like with the sun shinning through it. Hope you get your battery issue with your camera resolved because I really want to see a photo.