I love art – and have always been a fan of painting murals on my home walls and as a side job for friends and family. Discover some fun, yet simple key points when picking out your wall color for room transformation.
You decided to remodel your room and now you’re browsing through the multiple color cards in the paint department. I know I have been in this position many times, and it can be slightly overwhelming. Many people may pick a white or off-white, but we live in a world of color, so why not explore it a little.
Selecting a color scheme is simple: you choose one color, and you are able to view the other colors that are used with it. Why is the color wheel important?
1. The color wheel illustrates the relationship between primary, secondary, and tertiary colors.
2. The colors that are in the band between the white small rings are known as “pure colors.”
3. The colors closer to the very center of the wheel are known as “tints.”
4. The colors at the very edge of the wheel are known as “shades.”
Think about it for a moment. You are redoing a room with a beautiful scenic landscape as a background. Is this scenic picture for an adult in a bedroom setting or is this wall art for a child in his or her playroom?
For example:
For adults, the setting would probably consist of several colors from shades and tints that are dimmer and more realistic. For a children’s scenic background, the scenic picture will probably be bold and bright using the pure colors. Colors can make a huge alteration in projects. Understanding the difference between them will make a large change concerning the outcome of your painting job (and maybe make a huge difference in your pocket as well).
Now let’s take a look at what primary, secondary, and tertiary colors are:
1. Primary Colors: Made up of red, blue, and yellow.
2. Secondary Colors: Consist of any two primary colors.
3. Tertiary Colors: A combination of secondary and primary colors.
4. Complimentary Colors: If you look at one side of the wheel, these are located directly across those are the colors that “compliment” one another.
To an art enthusiast – it is extremely important for me to discern colors, as well as know how to mix colors.
For example:
You want to paint a large portrait on your wall in your bedroom. You may be able to buy paint matching the main color of a person on the portrait, but to shade different areas of your painting you would not want to buy another can of paint. Instead, it would be more economical to use the colors that you may already have to create the tint you need. A color wheel in this situation is definitely handy. It always’ works for me and is a great tool to teach art techniques to my children.
Here are a couple of reminders when you are on your way to choose a color for your remodeling project.
1. Remember that color principles apply to pure colors and their lighter and darker shades.
2. If you want a color to look more vibrant, use its complimentary color.
3. If you are making a room over, use one main color, and then accent colors in small amounts.
4. What is the best combination of colors for a room? Use two colors plus white…
Color principles do not only have to apply to wall painting or wall art – they can be applied to other art projects as well. For me personally, besides using the color wheel to remodel a room, I found a couple of other fun uses, such as my crochet projects.
For example:
You want to make a new throw pillow for your sofa. You can make your homemade throw pillow more vibrant by using its complimentary color of yarn to crochet with.
I hope you enjoy my tips – and my last piece of final advice is: Have fun.
An additional article published by this contributor:
Paint Your Room the Right Way!
