Begin Your Collage With Less Headache

Starting a collage does not have to be a headache.  Just decide on your color scheme and take the pressure off.  If you have favorite colors that you like to work with, then your decision is already made.  If you are open to many colors, then you may feel confused and procrastinate.


Collage: using a bone folder to glue papers onto background

You can quickly identify different color schemes by using a color wheel.  I have one like this inexpensive one always on hand.  It's a good starter color wheel with primary and secondary colors.

A good free online color scheme generator is Color Scheme Designer.  It's easy to use and quick, so play around with it.  I understood it in a few minutes, so I believe you will too.



Collage: complimentary color scheme papers adhered to background

As an example, see how I chose the complimentary color scheme of blue and orange for my Scarfed Lady collage?  Notice the orange is represented in tints and tones of peach, apricot, red-orange and yellow-orange.  The blues range from light blue to sky blue to marine blue.  The brilliant compatibility of complimentary colors includes all of the tints, tones and shades of both colors, in any combination.  The hues of my two foundation colors didn't have to be exact, just close as possible to the families of blue and orange.




Blue Scrapbook/Specialty Papers at Amazon

   

Warm Colors Lokta Paper Pack available at Amazon

When you begin to see beyond basic complimentary colors, such as primary blue and orange, you'll understand the wide range of matches available.  You won't feel so overwhelmed when choosing a color scheme for your collage.

Good color variety ephemera pack available through Amazon

Fiskars Traditional Bone Folder
Collage Adhesives