Simple Color Matching

When you begin scrapbooking, it may be very difficult to match colors in your layouts. You may find yourself getting frustrated, buying more and more supplies that just don't look 'right'. But there is a very simple way to have 'an artist's eye' for color.
A color wheel is very simple. There are three Primary Colors- Red, Yellow, and Blue. All other colors (except white, black, and pastel) are mixed from these three. The easiest way to see this is with cheap kids' paints or clays from the dollar store. Try to mix equal parts first.

• Red and Yellow make Orange.
• Red and Blue make Purple.
• Blue and Yellow make Green.

Okay, so you've played around a bit, mixed Orange, Purple and Green, which are Secondary Colors. Now, it's time for some fun...

• More Red than Yellow makes a fiery Red-Orange, while more Yellow than Red will make a lighter, brighter Yellow-Orange.
• More Red than Blue makes Violet, more Blue than Purple makes a royal Purple.
• More Blue than Yellow will make a Blue-Green, while more Yellow than Blue will make a Spring Green.

Ahh, so you are beginning to understand the mixing of colors, now if you prefer pastels, get White paint ready to mix in to the whole lot of colors.

• Primary colors match well, they make each other stand out. Red, Yellow, and Blue are great for kids' layouts, as well as circuses, birthdays and sports layouts.
• Secondary colors also match well, and Purple, Orange and Green are nice in Summer, girl, and Halloween layouts.

• Complimentary colors are pairs of colors that make each other more dramatic. They are Purple and Yellow, Red and Green, and Blue and Orange.
• Consider using shades of the same color, such as Red, Red-Orange, Orange, Yellow-Orange, and Yellow. The Reds- Yellows would match well for Fall or Summer, as well as Sunset photos. Red, Violet, Purple, Royal Purple and Blue are quite regal for a winter Wedding, a boy page, or city skylines. Yellow, Spring Green, Green, Blue-Green, and Blue would be nice for a water theme, nature, summer camp, or botanic gardens.

Every paper has an Undertone of color. There are Blue-Greens, True Greens, Spring Greens, and Gray-Greens. You can mix Gray- Greens by adding a touch of Black to see how it looks. Grayed colors are nice for beach scenes, antique or Black and White photos.
Try playing with color.

• Rose, Gray-Green, and Dark Red are very Victorian and regal, nice for old photos, garden, or baby photos.
• Black, White and Red work well for weddings, proms, anniversaries or cityscapes.
• Yellow, Red and Brown are nice for Fall, Halloween or Rustic pictures.

Scrapbook paper can be bought as loose sheets easily if you keep in mind what matches well. Paint samples can be found at your local hardware store, and can be matched up to papers at the Scrapbook Store. Slabs have many co-ordinating pages in one package, so it is easy to match up your layouts.