Changing The Color Of Picture Mat

The picture of blueberries is comprised largely of shades.

Changing the color of picture mat.

Mix a little bit of your water based paint into the water. Do this slowly a little at a time until you have the desired color you want. In between are tones. I used 1 tbsp of water and a few drops of paint to get the color for my photo frame.

More paint will make the color darker and less transparent and vice versa. When it falls more toward white it s a tint. Add a second coat if the original mat color is a dark 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.

If it does not work you can still buy new mats. Some people like drama some like soft low contrast looks and some like color unity. Brush the primer over the entire mat but ensure that you don t over apply the primer as it can leave dried lumps of primer on your mat. They coordinated with the old decor of the past 2 homes we had.

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. Unfortunately the mats did not. A color s value is where it falls on the white to black ladder. When it falls more toward black it s a shade.

Dip a paintbrush into a surface primer. Allow 2 hours for the primer to dry completely.