A lot of us know, or at least think we know, what a monochromatic color scheme is. Monochromatic color designs make use of a single color that varies in lightness and saturation. This type of color “combination,” if you will, is easy to achieve with some of our favorite Close To My Heart products. Take our two-toned Bashful cardstock, for example. We have Bashful on one side and light Bashful on the other. Because they are two tones of the same color, when used together they are considered monochromatic. Second generation stamping, where you stamp an image a second time without applying more ink to get a lighter image, is another way to play with monochromatic colors in your art.

Sometimes, a piece of artwork that we may think is monochromatic is actually following an analogous scheme, which is just a fancy way of saying that the featured colors are next to each other on the color wheel. One color is typically dominant while neighboring colors are used to enhance the design. In our example layout above, we make use of both monochromatic and analogous colors.

If we visit our CTMH color wheel, you can see that the four colors we used throughout our layout, Bashful, Pixie, Blossom, and Raspberry, are all adjacent to each other. This layout would’ve worked in much the same way with Sapphire, Pacifica, Crystal Blue, and Peacock.

The ideas that we discuss in this series of posts are what really matter—not the technical names or scientific reasons why they all work. The end goal is to know how to, time and time again, choose colors that will work well together as you create beautiful art worthy of preserving your memories.

So, here’s what you need from this post for your color scheme toolbox: when you’re choosing colors for your artwork, start at the color wheel. Pick a dominant color and then look at the colors around it. Make use of these colors with your papers, inks, Complements, and accessories and you can’t go wrong! 🙂

For more color combination ideas revisit last month’s color theory post:
Complementary Colors and How to Use Them

Recipe:

12″ x 12″ What I Love About My Home Layout
C1709 My Acrylix^® Chelsea Gardens—Cardmaking Stamp Set, D1728 My Acrylix^® What Matters Most Stamp Set, B1572 My Acrylix^® Banner Love Stamp Set, A1182 My Acrylix^® Etched Alphabet Stamp Set, D1733 My Acrylix^® Splash of Color Stamp Set, Z3350 Whimsy Fundamental Paper Packet, Z3351 Adventure Fundamental Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5941 Bashful Cardstock, X5984 Pixie Cardstock, X5973 Blossom Cardstock, X5974 Raspberry Cardstock, Z3360 Bashful Glitter Paper, Z3238 Gold Glitter Paper, Z2819 Bashful Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2844 Pixie Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2810 Blossom Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2812 Raspberry Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z891 VersaMark™ Ink Pad, Z3388 Picture My Life™ Cards—The Story Begins (Baby Girl), X7227C Make Waves Complements, Z3369 Bashful Pearls, Z3381 Heart Clips, Z2066 Princess Gold Embossing Powder, Z4252 Heat Tool (US/CA only)

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