Take it from us. Picking your mat board colors is really fun.
You’re able to express your creativity, find color combinations that’ll make your art jump off the wall, and when you finally see it all come together, the final product can’t help but put a smile on your face.
It is a great feeling.
But with so many colors to choose from, it can be confusing to figure out what you want.
Which is why we put together this guide to help you get started. Here are some guidelines that can help you choose a matting color.
Contents
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1 Black and White Mats
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2 Dominant Color
- 3 Complementary + Split-Complementary
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4 When to Double Mat?
- 5 Black Core
- 5 8-Ply
- 5 Wrap Up
Black and White Mats
Black and white mats are the most commonly used mat boards. They provide a simple, professional finish for your artwork. If you are planning to sell your artwork, black, white, or variations of black and white are the way to go (most of the time). The reason for this is because these colors are the easiest to match with decor and frame choices. White and black makes it easy for customers to imagine the artwork in their own home and the sale that much easier.
White + Variations of White

- Soft colors (pastels, chalk, etc)
- “Muddy whites” or whites that aren’t as bright

Dark vs Light/ Highlights vs Shadows
To illustrate the difference, here’s a comparison of an off-white mat board and a black mat board.

Matting Black and White Photos
The same logic applies for black and white prints as well. When matting your b&w prints, mat with the lesser of the two colors.


Increasing Depth with Black Mat Boards
One caveat with black mats or mat boards of a darker shade is that they increase depth. They pull the eye in.
Dominant Color
Matting with a dominant color from your artwork is also very common. The mat board will blend in seamlessly, making this great for accentuating elements that don’t share the same color. PS. It doesn’t have to be the same exact color. Just choose something that is close enough, monochromatic or analogous colors work fine. The contrast is beautiful when done right.

Complementary + Split Complementary Colors




https://www.colorhexa.com/ is a great resource that’ll give you exactly what you need. Just type in the color you’d like to match with, and the website will feed you the colors you’re looking for.
When to Use Double Mat
What is a double mat? A double mat is when a top mat board is layered over a bottom accent mat. By double matting, you can introduce a splash of color to your matting selection, create more depth, offset the brightness of a white mat or the darkness of a black mat, and draw more attention to your subject. Here’s how you accomplish that.
B&W/W&B
If you’d like to mat with a black mat without weakening your shadows or if you’d like to mat with a white mat without weakening your highlights, you can do so by double matting.
Another Level of Depth
By double matting, you can introduce another layer of depth to your project. You can use this to enhance the depth that is already there or to give some depth to artwork that is flatter.

Drawing Attention to Your Subject

For Splashes of Color
Sometimes top matting with a bold color is too much. Maybe it will clash with your decor. Maybe it will clash with your frame. Maybe you’d just like to tone it down. By double matting, you can still introduce some color without it being overpowering. The same guidelines still apply so we’ll just demonstrate how complementary and split-complementary colors look when double matted.Complimentary Colors

Bottom Mat—Bottle Blue Crescent #BW334, Dignity Blue Economy #NS141, Dynamic Blue NS#138)

Bottom Mat—Maroon Economy #NS124)
Split-Complementary Colors

Bottom Mat—Bottle Blue Crescent #BW334)

Bottom Mat—Old Gold Economy #NS143)
Black Core
Black core mat boards are mat boards that have been dyed black on the inside. When cut, the beveled edge will show black instead of white or cream. The black isn’t nearly as dark as a black mat board and the reveal is much less than double matting. What you get instead is just a hint of black. This is a great way to add a cinematic flair to your finish.
8-ply
8-ply mat boards are twice as thick as regular mat boards. The extra thickness of 8-ply mat boards can help create depth and a sense of drama. This heightens the “importance” of the artwork and looks great with portraits or other serious artworks.
Wrap Up
Each artwork is unique and will have its own color palette that works well with it. But as a starting point, these guidelines will point you in the right direction. White Mats
- Great in almost every situation
- Use a variation (off-white, ivory, ivory turret, etc) when pure white is brighter than your highlights
- If you’re hanging a show, go with white or an off-white
- Looks great when paired with black dominant B&W artworks
- Great for accentuating highlights
- Can diminish the shadows in your artwork
- Looks great when paired with white dominant B&W artworks
- For artworks that feature a lot of depth, black mat boards help it jump off the page
- Matting with the dominant color of your artwork allows the mat board to blend in
- If the color appears in the foreground, the background is accentuated and vice-versa
- Can be analogous or monochromatic colors. Close is good enough
- Bold and striking. For something more soothing, try a split-complementary color for your mat color
- https://www.colorhexa.com/ is a great resource to discover these colors
- B&W
- Offset the brightness of a white mat by bottom matting with a black mat
- Offset the darkness of a black mat by bottom matting with a white mat
- Another level of depth
- Draw attention to your small subject by bottom matting with its color
- For splashes of color (complementary and split-complementary colors also work well here)
- Adds a cinematic element to your artwork
- Dramatic finish, great for portraits or “serious” artworks
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