Changing The Color Of Picture Mat

Different colors and textures of mats do different things to set off your art.

Changing the color of picture mat. When it falls more toward black it s a shade. Whenever someone tells you that the only way to mat your art is with a white mat or a black mat they probably haven t seen matting done right. Add a second coat if the original mat color is a dark shade. When it falls more toward white it s a tint.

A color s value is where it falls on the white to black ladder. More paint will make the color darker and less transparent and vice versa. Dip a paintbrush into a surface primer. Unfortunately the mats did not.

Some people like drama some like soft low contrast looks and some like color unity. In matting it therefore shades should dominate. If it does not work you can still buy new mats. I used 1 tbsp of water and a few drops of paint to get the color for my photo frame.

I was ready to take it to my new framer for updated mats when i thought why not try to change the mat colors with a coat of gesso and paint. They coordinated with the old decor of the past 2 homes we had. Mix a little bit of your water based paint into the water. Steps to create a watercolor picture frame mat.

Allow 2 hours for the primer to dry completely. In between are tones.