Experiencing Joy Through Art

  Happy Friday! In some of my previous blog posts, I have shared with you some tips and tricks for using complementary and analogous colors in a design or room décor. Today I’d like to talk about a third color scheme…Monochromatic color.

   Boiled down to its simplest form, monochromatic means using only one color. But it’s really more complex than that. To simply use one color for everything would be boring.

   The key to making monochromatic color work is to use variations of the base color in both value and intensity. Value means light or dark and intensity means bright or dull. 

   Below is an example of the range of values and intensities of red. Color chosen from any point on these illustrations could be used in a cohesive design.

   Why use monochromatic color? The advantage is that since you are using a single color in your design, you are already off to a great start in making sure you will not run into clashing colors. Color harmony is almost built-in to the design to begin with. While it takes a bit of practice to master any color scheme, a monochromatic theme removes some design elements, making it a simpler process. 

   You will often see paint color chips displayed this way in stores like Home Depot or Lowe’s. The colors on the cards are usually different values of the same color. Choosing three colors from the same card already has you on the right track.

   Monochromatic color is also used in art and paintings as a way to solve color harmony problems. If you want to add art to your room decor, the same principles would apply. Choose a painting that is done in differing values and intensities of the same color that matches your decor.

   The photo below shows a possible palette for a room done in blues ranging in value, intensity and pattern.