Tips for Choosing the Right Mat Board for Your Artwork
Even the most beautiful piece of art can still benefit from the proper color of mat board. When art is framed the mat board works to help set off the colors of the painting, draw the eye into the painting itself and add another layer of depth.
When you choose the right color of mat board for your painting the results can be beautiful. On the other hand, choosing the wrong color of mat board for your painting can ruin the look and feel of the painting and make it less beautiful. That is why it is so important to get the color of the mat board right. Here are some tips for choosing the right color of mat board for your paintings.
When choosing mat board for your painting it is important to leave your personal decorating tastes out of the equation. Do not make the mistake of trying to match the mat board to your room. Instead, strive to make the mat board match the painting instead. When a mat board color is right it should enhance the painting and draw the eye in so that all you see is the painting and not the mat board.
Most paintings are framed using two mat boards - an inner mat board that lies right next to the painting and an outer mat board that surround the outside edge right next to the frame. Typically the inner mat is a darker color and the outer mat is a lighter color, although that is not a hard and fast rule.
When choosing the inner mat you should choose a color from within the painting itself, but typically in a darker shade. Using a darker inner mat board will help to bring out the contrast in colors in the painting and really make it pop.
You can try laying various shades of darker and lighter mat board right next to the painting to see what color is going to work best with it. By pulling a starting color from the painting itself you will be complimenting the painting and ensuring that it will look beautiful when the mat is on.
For the outer mat board, choose a color that is very neutral and does not detract from the painting. Keep in mind that your mat board should never overpower the painting, but instead set it off and make it look as beautiful as possible.
The outer mat board should never be the same width as the frame since this makes it looked too planned. Instead, vary the width of the mat board to make it different from the width of the frame.
In general, for both the inner and outer mat board you should choose color that compliment the painting, but that are less intense in color and lean more toward neutral. This will allow the eye to be drawn into the painting itself instead of focusing on the mat board or frame. After all, you didn’t buy a beautiful painting just so people would look at the mat board around it, right?
Comments
Leave a Reply