Mixing patterned paper
 

Do any of you have some techniques for selecting and matching patterned paper for a nice layout? I know certain paper lines put out complimentary patterns that work great, but when you want to break out and buy a few individual sheets, are there any "rules" or "tips" you follow to make sure what you bring home will look good on the page when you're done?

I struggle with paper selection a lot. I have a ton of papers that I loved in the store when I saw them, but now that I have them I get stumped on how to best utilize them.

Susan

mixing patterned paper
 

The main thing I have learned about buying patterned paper is to buy a solid that matches at the same time you get the patterned. Too many times I think I have something to go with a pattern only to find out the shade is different than what I thought...........Also, from experience, I have learned to always buy 2 sheets of everything. It never fails, if I only buy one I will need the second!!!

Many years ago when the "fad" of mixing stripes and prints started, I hated it. To this day I do not mix patterns well, so I use only one pattern and then sometimes several solids with it. I have seen, in the gallery and elsewhere, combined patterns that are stunningly beautiful, but so far nothing I have tried has worked out to be anything other than confusing or just plain ugly!! I too buy at least two sheets of patterned and solid of anything I buy. Let's just say I have way too much paper.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
 

I can't say I have ever seen any actual rules in terms of mixing patterned papers. I know I try to match the colors like if there is a prodominent color in the patterend paper like pale pink then I have to find something with that same shade of pink or something very very close to it. I also just put papers together while I am at the store and see what looks good together. I have noticed that the patterned papers that are super busy are harder to match. You will have to go with something really toned down to compliment it. When I mix a really busy paper I tend to use less of it so it's not quite so obnoxious and doesn't stand out.
What the other ladies said is also a very good tip. Always get 2 of everything and try to get some matching cardstock at the same time.
Remember it's what you like that counts. :)

That really helps! I had the same question. I have bought all these single sheets of dp in the store and guess what? they are sitting in my drawer because I thought they would match. No more!

Trying something
 

Susan,

I'm glad you posted this question! I struggle with mixing patterned paper as well. I was going over some of the favorites I have saved last night and realized there are some beautiful cards here with multiple pp's on them.

So I purchased some of the Miss Elisabeth paper sets at the dollar store and am going to 'practice' with some of these. Since they are supposed to be matched sets, I am thinking that will help (we'll see....). Plus, since each set is only a dollar, if they turn out awful, I'll only be out my time, not that much $.

Maybe if I can get this down, then I can turn to the hoard of pp I have (and I do mean hoard, lol) collected from when I started scrapping and be more comfortable using some of those beautiful papers.

Plus I just keep studying the cards in the gallery to see if I can case the layout, even if not the exact paper.

Rachael

i'm no artist, and certainly no expert, but one thing i personally like to do when i mix patterned papers (besides trying match up the colors) is to have a large print with a small print. it seems if the sizes of the patterns are the same, they kind of all run together, and not in a good way, but if there's some contrast in size....

i also like to mix stripes, or hard lines with circles, or softer lines.... kind of a ying and yang......

I have most luck when I use paper from the same company on the same project...the colors and designs are more likely to match and coordinate, boring, but it's the easy way out for me.

I got that huge pack of paper from Costco last fall and found I didn't use it like I thought I would. Then on this card, I found it wonderful because with all the small squares of paper, they had lots of different patterns that were all color coordinated. I guess the key here is to get papers that are color coordinated if you want to use more than one pattern.

I like mixing patterns, but I always seem to reach for the ones in a coordinated pack. What I have learned to do is take my cardstock to the store and match the papers to them. I can't color match by memory. This has helped me a lot.

Love that card! What a cute little horse!

Ann,

Love your card! What a great idea using the sqares, I am going to have to case this idea.
TFS,
Rachael

I subscribed to TJNL because of the Designer Tile technique!!! My hard copies came in today's mail :mrgreen:

I mix patterned paper all the time. It generally is easier to do so when the paper is part of a set by the same company, because the colors will coordinate across the patterns. Here's a card I made using 3 papers from a Basic Grey collection. Notice that one pattern is bolder and has a larger design (top right corner), one pattern is more subtle with a petite design (lower left corner and bottom), and one is more or less a solid (top left corner). The card base is a Bazzill paper and you'll notice it is not exactly the same blue in the DP. But it still works (in my opinion-LOL!) because it's simply a darker blue in the same family. That is, it's a blue with a black/gray undertone, vs. a blue with a red or violet undertone. Know what I mean? :confused:

But you don't necessarily have to buy packs of coordinating papers all the time. I made this card using scraps from 3 different companies. The colors may not have exactly matched, but they were all in the same family and therefore they work together. Again: one had a larger more dominant pattern (left side and the piece with the 4 on it); one had a smaller pattern (script pattern in top right corner), and one is more or less a solid (bottom right).

If I'm at my LSS and buy some DP, I do try to pick up some coordinating Bazzill cardstock to use as my card base. I don't necessarily worry about the colors matching exactly, as long as they coordinate. And one of the best purchases I ever made was a pack of 160 sheets of Bazzill cardstock, 40 different colors, off QVC. It included colors that I wouldn't necessarily pick out myself, and had so many different colors that I usually find something that works with my DP.

For example, I just made this Christmas card with two patterned papers from a Basic Grey collection. The plaid is the larger, bolder pattern. The dotted paper is a more subtle pattern in the same color scheme. I went to my Bazzill stash and found a red and green that work well with both.

I suggest you stay with one company for all or each project you do. I have mixed-match color sensitity and spent 3 days looking for the right color yellow to go wih a project.That made me a stampinup demonstrator and have been making happily coordinated projcts since then. You need to choose one company's products that coordinate otherwise your projects are frustrating .

There are some excellent tips posted. I, too, buy solid card stock to match the patterned paper I buy. One cost saving tip I use sometimes, is to make the basic card out of white (I buy it in quantity from SU! or in big packages at Michael's, Hobby Lobby, etc.) and then cover the top with other papers. Stripes and dots are great mixes - just pick the same or totally constrasting color families. (i.e. something with same shades of pinks or predominately pink stripes with a black and white polka dot or lime green polka dot). I, too, tend to mix bolder patterns with smaller patterns on the paper. Florals I think mix well with abstract designs (swirls, zig zags, fleur de lis (sic), etc.) I tend to stay in the same color families with those. Not all the colors need to match just pick the predominant color of the floral or the most subdued color of the floral and match that with an abstract or plaid design. Double sided paper is also a great "cheat sheet" to use, then if you want to add a third paper you can use solid or follow their color scheme. I also tend to lay out papers I want to coordinate at the store (on the floor, in the cart, on a shelf, etc.) and stand back to look at them. I feel like you get a better view from a distance (kinda like paint, wallpaper, carpet, etc. you'd do at home). The bottom line is do what you like.
I view scrapping and cardmaking as art so just express yourself!
I hope this helps a little!
I hope this helps. The bottom line is mix what you like!

Subscribing .... I am no pro at mixing and matching patterns.. colouring is my big thing - and while I keep a lot of solids and patterns on hand.. I usually find that sometimes once I have created a coloured image - I go out to purchase paper to go with it... or else I have papers that I think look good together - and use that as my starting point for my main image..

But I sure could use some new ideas!

What wonderful tips -- it is great to have my questions answered before I even think to ask them LOL... Gerry:)

I love pattern paper, but don't often use them because I don't do it well. The samples by stamps and cars and missowis81 are very helpful. Thanks for sharing.

Mixing Colors and Patterns
 

Hi Everyone,

Your dilemma is one that is epidemic, so don't feel so badly. The color groupings that are sold as sets are great to a point. But what about the leftover colors, and what about when they don't have just the "right" shade or print.

I am notorious for buying large amounts of paper on sale. I get $0.75 -- $1.00 sheets of card stock and print paper for anywhere from $0.3 to $0.15 a sheet. Stores like Michael's and JoAnn's often change their suppliers and if the paper comes slightly differently (like with a tear of tab, sticker, etc.), they have to get rid of all their paper before they can stock the new. This happens more often than you know, so keep an eagle eye out!

That said, you can imagine the assortment of paper I have. Trying to find something that matches can be a headache, and sometimes I wonder what ever possessed me to buy some of the stuff I bought. (At $0.03 cents, it's a amazing how beautiful an ugly piece of paper can become LOL.) BUT... I digress. (Get used to it LOL.... I do it all the time!)

I thought I saw something on the home page about color solutions. Was that a referral to another site or did someone here already post a tutorial about color? If not, I would be willing to do that for the group.

I'm a newbie but having managed to work my way up to seriously middle age, suffice to say that I�ve been scrapping and stamping for ... well ... a looooooong time. Over the years I've developed many techniques (involving paper, using stamping mainly as an embellishment... nothing like the gorgeous projects I've seen on here!).

I�ve had the chance to do a lot of teaching and I've written mini tutorials, some of which will soon be appearing on my not very helpful web site (right now, anyway.... give me a little time. And I�ll post it when it�s up and running and "helpful" again! ).

One of the demos I work with and teach for on occasion (she's a regional bigwig for a craft company) nagged at me to write a book about my techniques (which are... different - she says so, anyway, and I sometimes wonder HOW she means that LOL). I found the suggestion underwhelming to say the least. Where do you start with a project like that?

Long story short, eventually she was able to onvince me to do it. I started it earlier this year and I'm two thirds of the way done with it. Wahooooooo~! All of the text is done.... I just have to finish completing and photographing some of the projects and do some serious photo editing.

I have devoted an entire chapter to understanding color and how to make color choices that work. I show how to use a couple of different types of color wheels as well as cues from nature to come up with a palette that draws you in and complements either your design or your photograph. This was primarily geared to scrap work, but the basic information can be applied to anything. My husband gets tired of me telling him that his tie has too many green tones to go with pants that have a subtle undercurrent of red.

The chapter is lengthy because it describes the history and evolution of color, how colors relate to one another, and the role of white, black and (yes) gray. There are lots of examples included. I wouldn't want to post the whole thing. It would put you to sleep for sure, and you�d wind up not submitting any more challenge projects!

What I would be happy to do is to condense it down a LOT and develop a mini tutorial that includes the most important information in the chapter plus a handful of examples. I would of course include the color charts and guides that you would be able to print out and post over your paper stash.

Things I don't know and need some help with:

Has this already been done, and if so, is there a place on here that we all can be directed to?

Is this something that the moderators, owners, rule makers, etc. want me to share?

Would I just submit it as a post like this, as a response in this forum?

If not, where would I post something like this and in what format? I have it in Word right now which is helpful as I have it formatted -- I am worried that trying to copy and paste it will make a mess of the formatting.

I would have to include pictures, in color. I think I can do that in a post, but can I just copy and paste my whole tutorial or would the formatting be ost? And would I need to embed each picture individually?

What forum should it be put in? This one? (Since this is where the question is? If so, how would people find it?

Sorry for being so rambling and long, and sorry also for seeming so ill-informed and unfamiliar with this web site. I have been gradually learning my way around, finding all sorts of fabulous things that I'll never find again LOL.

Okay, All for Now! Have a nice evening everybody!

Cathy,
I can't answer your questions, but I for one would love the information you have offered to provide. I have been doing paper crafts for 10 years now, have a color wheel and several scrapbooking books on using color and still find it to be challenging! I chalk it up to growing up when everything in your outfit had to match, no mixing of patterns of any kind. But whatever the reason, I just find this topic of color really tuff! I have learned from this thread already and save cards on here that use multiple patterned papers and am certainly more willing to try than I ever have been. I appreciate your offer and maybe one of the ladies can answer your questions.

Rachael

Wow I hadn't seen this thread -

Cathy your book sounds great already- I think (but it could be trial and error) if you want to post a chart on here the best way to go would be to put it in .pdf format (there are free sites on the web) this should keep the formatting and it keeps people from "editing" your work and claiming it as theirs IYKWIM - oh and place a little copyright on it with a personal use tag.

Miss Iowa thanks - that's what I have been told throughout life too when combingin pattern - big pattern, little pattern and solid and make certain the three have a common color. I know this and I still don't combine pattern very often! :lol:

One thing I have to add- if you want to experiment - if you have papers you want to go together but don't quite you can always apply a light coloured ink wash over them to get them to tone together more. (might want to practice on scraps first)

Dear Rachael and RiverIsis:

Thanks so much for your interest and encouragement!

RiverIsis, your suggestion about using pdf format and adding a copyright note are great, especially since the color charts are definitely proprietary material. You can't just go copy one off the 'net (other than for personal use).... you have to make your own if you want to publish it as your own.

Having had chemo yesterday, I was up sick for much of last night so I began working on a brief condensation of that chapter. It'll take me a few days since I won't be at the top of my game much before the end of the week. By then, maybe someone will have been able to answer my other main questions (does something like this already exist somewhere on this web site, making this redundant and superfluous) and where should it best be posted?

I can give you some basic ideas here � general rules of thumb � that can help you to find your way though the paper stacks! My first suggestion is when color and patterns, and especially when mixing blended, "designer" colors, try to find colors that have the same underlying "notes" of primary colors in them, in amounts to be noticed (affect the shade).

For example, sage green and peach work well because they both contain yellow mixed with a primary color (blue and red respectively), and they both contain enough gray to modify the shade.

If you use two colors that more often than not tend to clash if used together in large amounts, make one color the primary color, one color the accent color, and include either another color that complements both or a neutral to help diffuse and balance them.

An example is dark red purple and bright aqua blue. The red purple is a combination of a lot of red and blue (both primary colors) and it�s a dark color to boot � mixed with a little bit of black. Aqua is a combination of blue with a little yellow and a lot of white (to lighten and brighten it). I would pick up on the pure blue and the white for a background.

If this was my palette and I was mixing patterns, I�d use a navy gingham check, pin dot, stripe, or plaid as a background. It would need to be a dark, pure blue - not a slate, colonial, or sky blue, but a blue with enough black to stand well with the dark red purple, and pure so that it didn�t clash with the aqua. Use the darker red purple as a primary color, and use the aqua in small amounts as an accent color to compliment, not compete with, the other color.

Since the red purple is a dominant color, I would feel comfortable using a dark red purple floral print and then match the prominent green in the flower print for leaves and stems if you are assembling flowers, carrying that green to any other flowers you add. I would try to find a green that has more yellow than blue in it - avocado vs. forest green, for example, and you'll find that because of the yellow note, aqua and avocado green are a very eye-appealing combination. In fact, avocado, peach, and aqua are another favorable combination for the same reason - they are all underscored by the yellow.

Once you have the colors down, then choosing the prints and blending them is less problematic - look for prints in the exact shades of the colors in your palette and then choose a large, busy print, a smaller print that will complement and not clash, and either a solid or patterned background print, light or dark, depending on your other colors. Another second and almost easier way to handle it is to choose a print you love and work off that for colors (vs picking colors and then looking for prints that fit the bill).

And a third way is to simply rely on Mother Nature: use blue and green, or green and brown as accents and background (and it can be a pale green, green check, dark blue pin dot, whatever � it can be any light intensity), and then use any shade of any color that you find in nature � growing as a plant or vegetable. But the formulas for basic pattern blending are these:

1. neutral background (and by that I mean something that has only one or two colors and is simple � it doesn�t tax the eye or the brain to figure it out. It can be a solid color, a plaid, check, pin dot, or very tiny but not horribly busy print. Add a large print (or solid) � can be floral or any other theme including plaid � that the background will compliment because of the color relationship. Then add a smaller print or solid or pattern in a complimentary or contrasting color.

2. Or, you can do the reverse: Use the strongest, boldest pattern as the background and then mate it with smaller prints and solids in the exact colors pulled from the background. Keep in mind, however, you want to pull out the prominent colors. For example, if your pattern has mauve, blue, and a couple of shades of green � maybe avocado and lime green, on a white background, I would stick with white backgrounds and fine prints that pick up on the mauve, blue and white, and I would not use lime green in any big way. I would opt for the prominent green. But mating those colors with a subtle stripe or checked background for example, would be great.

Hope that helps!

Colors and Prints
 

One other thing I've found -- and it can be OH SO maddening -- is that colors look "different" in different lights. In my work area, I have a special bulb for matural light. But honestly, on a cloudy, dreary day, colors I thought went perfectly together clash in a big way when you look at them in true natural light. I pick my combinations and if I have any question, I step outside with them and see how they look in true, natural sunlight.

I'm convinced that the folks at some of the stores I shop at think I'm totally nuts:confused: . I'm always asking pemission to take fabric or paper outside to see the true color. They've always been accomodating even if not enthusiastic, but it's saved me from having them cut 5 yards of the wrong color fabric!

HTH,

Thanks Cathy!
 

Cathy, I am sorry to hear you are dealing with chemo, no first hand experience but have had loved ones dealing with this. Please take care of yourself and only share more when you are rested, as I know this is important! Thank you so much for what you have already shared, what you said really makes sense and will help me approach this challenge in a whole new light. I have some blue flowered paper I bought recently that I love so I am going to try to use your notes and match it with some paper this evening and see how I do. Luckily I have several pages of it so I can experiment! If I have any success, I will upload the card by tomorrow and you can let me know what you think when you are feeling better.

My prayers are with you as you go through your chemo.

Rachael

Mixing papers
 

Rachael,

Thanks for your kind thoughts. I'm feeling better today, baby steps... I'll even go sit in the garden for a while today.

You can choose papers based on the colors in your blue patterned paper - I'd pick a background that is something neutral like a strip or pindot in one of the stronger colors in the paper, and then perhaps a small floral print or solid in colors from the original paper.

I'm sure it will be beautiful!

Cathy:)

Subscribing! This is a great thread and I hope more will be posted - I am also challenged when it comes to mixing patterns.

Marsha

I've had a rocky week following chemo on Tuesday, but I'll try to finish up a condensation of that chapter with pictures showing how to do that. (I already have most of the pictures anyway, so it won't be such a headache!) I just need to be feeling a little better before I can concentrate on that kind of a project.

Well, it took me much longer than I expected, but I finally finished a card I am happy with. (Had to stop and can nectarines with my mil on Monday!) The link is here:
http:////www.splitcoaststampers.com/...&ppuser=182382

The background paper was the one I wanted to use and I ended up combining 2 other pp's from the same collection. The name of the collection is 'thrift store" by foof-a-la. You may not be able to see it, but there are actually 2 pp's on the center strip, a light blue and creme in the background and the pink flowers in the front.

The stamp I originally planned did not work at all, I decided, too modern. It was from the Inkadinkado Birds galore collection. I had seen this hat at Big Lots and went back to see if it was still there and got the last one! This was not even something I had considered, that the stamp also needs to match the 'style' of the paper! But I think this stamp works, what do you all think?

I welcome any and all comments on the card, I learned alot from this card, really feel like I 'stretched' myself on it and owe it all to this site and this thread particularly. That's a good thing!
Cathy, I hope you are feeling better soon and I welcome your comments when you are up to it.

Rachael

Great thread indeed, I realize now that I still have a lot to learn about this.

Vintage Hat Card
 

Rachael,

It's absaolutely beautiful! You don't need me! You're doing just fine on your own!

Cathy:-D

Thanks Cathy!
 

Thank you, Cathy, for the kind words. I am going to keep practicing, because this was not easy. I would like to be able to make a card like this in less than a day, lol! Plus, I had to opt to use paper that came in a collection together. I, like a lot of other posters on here, have so many patterned papers that I bought seperately and want to be able to get to the point where I can mix papers from different companies and still have it look good. I sure had fun playing though!!

Rachael

Rachael,

There is nothing wrong with using coordinating papers from a collection for a project like this, but I know what you mean about all of those other beautiful papers you have in your collection!

I am both an artist as well as a crafter and I am fortunate to have been blessed with an "eye" for color, but I totally understand your dilemma. I experience it myself all the time! As I mentioned in an earlier post, I buy paper as a hobby – when stores are changing over stock, I have a field day. The end result is that I have literally hundreds of sheets of paper, mostly purchased by the sheet, and most NOT from a coordinated collection.

One of the things that I have found enormously helpful has been the way I have organized my paper. Having a daughter who was a Rainbow Girl for many years served me well. I divided my paper according to the colors of the rainbow - pink, RED, burgundy, ORANGE, peach, YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE, INDIGO, lavender, purple, VIOLET, beige, brown, gray, black, white.

I divided the paper into solids and prints, and arranged it, first the solids, followed by the printed papers, along the color spectrum. In some cases, when I had a special collection, I kept it together separately, but 95% of my paper is organized this way. It makes it easy to grab a batch of solid papers and print papers and then to select half a dozen or more that contain the same shade of a color or match solid colors to a print sheet I might want to use.

The biggest issue for me is matching the shades of a particular color. There is such variety between brands and manufacturers – I probably have 4o different shades of blue. The only significant pearl of wisdom I have here is to look at it in natural light wherever possible, and try to determine what other pigments have been introduced to affect the hue, and then look at how the tints, shades, and tones relate to one another. If you know that the colors don’t work but you don’t know how or why not, that’s great! It means that you have a sense of color, you just don’t quite know how to put it together, but if you know what doesn’t work, learning to fine tune what does work is really very easy. (Stop shaking your head and rolling your eyes – it really IS easy!)

I meant to try to distill some basic information about color theory and in particular, the effects of black, white and gray on colors, but life has thrown me several curve balls over the past week and I've just not been able to finish it. (I'll keep at it, I promise!)

In the meantime, if you want to do a little research on your own, I would encourage you to Google the Munsell color system. Munsell established a panorama of colors using gray to modify the hue and this has given order to many "designer" colors. If you download and print out one of Munsell’s charts, you’ll see how many tones of different colors work well based on the amount of gray tones that have been added.

Until I really studied the science of color I didn't appreciate the importance or the profound effect of gray on hue. Once I understood this, it made searching for color combinations so easy. I printed out a color globe based on Munsell's theory and it is an excellent little "cheat sheet" for choosing colors that coordinate - based on the amount of gray in them (colors like slate blue, sage green, apricot, dusty rose....).

I think the easiest way to explain it is this: if you take complimentary colors from Newton's color wheel and add equal amounts of gray, the resulting colors will be likewise complimentary. The effect of gray makes the colors more subtle and subdued, and as a matter of personal taste, I prefer them to the more vivid colors on Newton's wheel.

Anyway, this is a pretty simplistic explanation but it really isn’t that complicated – it just seems that way when you have a hundred pieces of paper sitting in front of you. If you do exactly what you did with your hat card – choose a bold print, then a smaller, more delicate print in the same basic colors (in this case, with a very light background to contrast), and the prominent solid colors, (or a neutral/solid pattern such as a tone on tone stripe or check, or a gingham check, or tone on tone pattern), you can’t go wrong.

Now, hopefully tonight I can finish up some projects I’m working on and get some things posted into a gallery to share!

Congrats on a lovely project!

Cathy,
What you are saying makes sense. I have read several color books I checked out a couple of years ago from the library and I do understand much of what you are saying. Of course, it was a blue I was trying to match and I knew the other papers weren't right and I knew it had to due with the hues and that there was a lot of grey in the blue of the flowered paper (at least that is how it looked to me). I do have my paper sorted, not quite as finely by color, but the major catagories. I do have a couple of collections I have kept whole to use for this purpose, lol. Off to find the Munsell system and read some more!
I really appreciate your help and information and am keeping you in my prayers that you will overcome the health challenges you face!

Rachael

Thanks so much for your kind thoughts. Last week was more difficult than I'd expected but this week, it's getting easier and easier. And the BEST news is that my chemo will be ALL DONE on 11/4/08 - which is when I get my last dose. This has been a four year protocol and I am READY to be done with this!

I had hoped to complete some projects tonight but I just dabbled in a whole bunch of different things and didn't finish ANYTHING. At this rate, I'm a poor excuse for a role model LOL! But I DID manage to put together a dozen color combinations for some beautiful scrap book pages to finish up a wedding album I'm making for some friends.

The pages are done with every paper craft imaginable and qite a bit of stamping too -- which is unusual for me for that kind of a project. I'm going to share some of those pages -- they really came out better than I'd hoped. I had purchased a DCWV paper stack called "Once Upon a Time" and I used several pages from that to anchor the book, but embellishing those pages, which were already pretty ornate, took some thought! I'll try to upload some of what I came up with tomorrow -- Friday for sure!

What wonderful information ladies! Thanks so much for sharing! I keep coming back to this thread, always something to learn!

For those who are following this thread, I found a wonderful site that explains the Munsell system Cathy referenced in her thread. The link is here:
http://www.applepainter.com. I found it after googling the Munsell color theory. I am still reading and digesting all of the information on this site!

There is also an explanation on Wikipedia, which references one of the color books I read a few years ago, the Book of Color. There is actually now a Book of Color II. I may just have to break down and buy these two as I have checked them out from my local library twice now and they have a section in the back that has all sorts of pages of complimentary color schemes. The Wikipedia link is here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munsell_color_system
Just thought I would share with anyone who might be interested.

I am off to play more with the myriad of patterned papers I have. I would love to have anyone else link their try at this, too. Pick one of your favorite papers and give it a go. No criticism, I would just love to see what others are creating, too.

Rachael

Great find, Rachael!

The whole idea of putting together colors based on a mathematical formula probably scares a lot of people, but as you can see, you can actually "eyeball" it pretty well. Munsell's basic color wheel is identical to Newton's..... it's what he does with it that makes it so helpful.

I'm wondering... can pictures be inserted in these posts? That would be a great (and quick) way to share some combinations....

Color Theory
 

This is a great thread and maybe if I could understand color a bit better, then I can use up my stash of non-SU paper! Believe me since I joined a SU card club, I have saved hours trying to find colors that go together. However, I always want to know the science behind choosing color. I tried to make a color wheel using SU paper and my goal is to use color theory to pick my colors.

I learned that triads will coordinate (red blue yellow; purple, orange green) and so on. So will complements, but I wouldn't use the same value. I would try adding white or grey to one of the colors. I was amazed to find out that adding black or grey to a color changes it immensely! I never knew that adding grey to yellow would produce moss "green" or that adding black would produce olive! There is a wild combination called a double compliment!!

I was dismayed to find that there are 2 color wheels out there: the Newtonian with primary colors red, yellow, and blue. Artists usually use this one. Then there is the color wheel that printers use with primary colors: red, blue and green. Secondary colors and cyan (blue), magenta (red), and yellow (green). Cyan is a bright turquoise and magenta is a bright red-blue. This wheel is used by web designers.

I found that the Newtonian color wheel didn't produce a true purple, but the other one does (magenta and blue). The problem with the web color wheel is that it is really difficult to name the colors.

I don't know which color wheel is appropriate for picking paper colors, but I think either would work. The Newtonian is the easiest to use. Maybe I will just make my life simpler and buy the color coach. It may be a worthwhile $10.00!!!

stampnut52,
What is the color coach? Is this an SU product? I am looking for all the help I can get, but have not taken the SU paper plunge, due to the verrry large collection I already have. I do love their stamps though and have purchased several!

Rachael