Choosing The Right Mat Board Colour For Your Art Work

The framing industry has no books, no set theory, not hard and fast rules on how to pick colours. There are some personal opinions from various writers but that's all they are. However it is not as hard as you may think.

The obvious starting point is to go for a colour that's in the picture, then vary the shades from darket to lighter to see which suits best.

An Inner mat is the smaller window just surrounding your art work and it is usually used to sharpen the image. Darker inner mat will increase the contrast between the light and dark areas of the picture, making the image easier to see. Therefore, adding an inner mat is both decorative and functional.

An outer mat is a bigger window closest to the glass, and sitting just on top of the inner mat. There is one or two rules I can give you for choosing the outer mat. Always make the outer mat border at least 2 1/2" (60mm). 2" mats do not work. The wider the mat the more you see the picture. The other rule relates to the surroundings. The colour of the outer mat you choose should have NOTHING to do with your taste or the colours in the room. If you do your job correctly you should see the picture, not what surrounds it. Many people make mistake by starting to use their personal taste or decorator themes in framing.

You can practice choosing the right mat board colours using the Smart Framer program on our web site. Upload some of your own digital photos and frame them.

With more than 30 years of experience in the business of picture framing, Gary Leete is the owner of Melbourne-based FrameCo Picture Framing Supplies, a company that specializes in DIY framing tools, start up kits and framing accessories. For further information on FrameCo products and services, feel free to email frame@frameco.com.au

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Crafts-Hobbies Information:

Related Articles

Family Fun on the Rails
Imagine your are five years old. As your family arrives at the train station, your hand slips free of your Mom's and you dash over to the tracks.
Making Your Own Bird Feeder
There is estimated to be over 100 billion individual wild birds on earth, and each one needs to eat certain amounts of food on a daily basis in order to survive. That's where we come in! Birdfeeders are fun to make and are essential in order for birds to live.
History of Kokeshi Wooden Dolls from Japan
Little is known of the early history of Kokeshi Japanese Wooden Dolls. One school of thought believes that Kokeshi dolls have their origins in the practice of spiritualist religion.
Depression Glass Patterns
Collectors of Depression Glass find not only its beautifulcolors fascinating, but its patterns, as well. With manyglass producers making this type of glass, as you canimagine, many patterns resulted, creating a wide array ofpretty, practical, and inexpensive glassware affordable toevery American household in that lean era of history andmaking Depression Glass one of the most collectible itemstoday.
Embroidery Thread Tips for Better Machine Embroidery Sewing
I have some tips for you to get better results with using your embroidery threads in machine embroidery sewing.1.
How to Invest in Antique, Vintage, or Modern Jewelry
As Antique Jewelry is 'Really' based on the 'Collectability' and Style of an item, it is hard for clients to appreciate the 'Craft' involved in Handmade work, as they only see the Gold value or Diamond Value fluctuate over the years.If Gold goes up or the older something gets, the value increases, right?No.
Depression Glass Trivia
Depression glass facts make for interesting conversation,especially when you're at a convention or talking amongstother Depression glass aficionados. So here are a few itemsto get you started so you, too, can have some meaningfulknowledge to put on the plate when you and your Depressionglass collector friends gather 'round and chat.
Woodworking Tools: Right Selection And Care Will Save You Money, Part 4
Woodworking: Tools Of The Trade, Part 4 - Tools For ShapingA civilization's maturity and intelligence is judged, in part, by the diversity and sophistication of its tools. When it comes to woodworking, the human race is quite advanced.
Easy Crafts for Kids - Help with Learning
According to the research on child cognitive development, making use of basic easy crafts for kids can stimulate their mental growth and enhance the learning process. Since early times, mankind has always known that early crafts for kids taught some important lessons.
Jewelry Insurance - Hints and Tips So You Dont Get Ripped Off
As crime and drug use increases, the risks involved in having Antique and Estate Jewelry just lying around your home seem to treble. It becomes a nightmare and you find you are just not sure what to do.
The Proper Use of Comic Book Supplies Will Help You Maintain a Top-Notch Collection
If you want to keep your comic book collection in tiptopshape, comic book supplies will become part of yourcollecting life. As soon as a magazine is printed there arenatural environmental forces going to work to try anddestroy the ink and the paper.
Easy Steps to Scrapbooking with Young Kids
Kids grow up so fast and if you don't try to capture some of these wonderful memories through some means, they'll all slip through the fingers just in a snap. And scrapbooking is a fabulous way to preserving those memories, by combining the photos and journaling of your kids.
Genealogy - Why You Should Get Involved in Your Family History
A few years ago I read a statistic that said that genealogy was the second largest hobby in the United States - second only to gardening. It was no surprise to me as I have been finding and documenting my family tree for almost 30 years.
When It Comes To RC Airplanes You Can Choose From Ready to Fly, Almost Ready to Fly or Scratch Built
Soaring through the air, watching the clouds and the birds fly by. No, you are not flying your own private plane, but you are doing the next best thing.
Embroidery Designs and Thread Colors for Machine Embroidery Sewing
I wish that I had a nickel for each time I've been asked forthe "exact" colors I used in aan embroidery design or for a conversion chart for specific embroidery thread brands - I would be a very wealthy woman!Everyone seems to think that someone is going to knock on their door with a search warrant if they don't use the exact colors a designer used in the test sew out or the color numbers used in the stitch directions.Not so - if you don't "think outside the box" and use colors that you enjoy, or just prefer, you are really missing the real fun of machine embroidery! Come to think of it, I don't believe that I've ever used the exact color on any design I've ever stitched in 6+ years-some because I didn't have the exact color & others due to a dislike of the colors used.
Use Newspaper Clippings, Graphics, Kids Art, and Clipart to Enhance Your Scrapbook
A popular addition to scrapbook pages is newspaper clippings. Newspaper clippings of birth announcements, team photographs, or favorite celebrities add a personal touch to scrapbook pages.
Ribbons and Lace, Embroidery Cotton, and Hemp to Spice Up Your Scrapbooks
Ribbon and lace are by far the most common, and most beautiful, border embellishment. The flowing nature of both materials encourages a touch of softness and elegance.
The ABCs of Ceramics
Ceramics can be delicate and decorative or unrefined and utilitarian. Bone china, porcelain, stoneware and earthenware - this month we'll review them all.
Jar Lid and Jar Candle Decoration
Supplies Needed:Most items can be found around the house or in a craft store.Jar Candle with lid - with removable plastic bottomCraft GluePaintScissorsDecorating Candle Jars and Lids is a fun and easy project for all ages.
Cleaning Silk Bouquets In 3 Simple Steps
How To Clean A Silk BouquetA Silk bouquet can last a lot longer than a bouquet made of real flowers, but it will still droop, and get dusty, over time. Fortunately a little bit of preventive care can go a long way towards keeping your bouquet looking like new.
>