Build Interior and Exterior Paint Color Combinations on Your Own

Enhance artwork and beautify interior decorating by building color combinations based on a time-tested color theory tool called the color wheel. Control the mood of a room or piece of art by opting for color combinations thought to affect the mood of the person who is viewing the colors, and ensure maximum impact on signs and posters by determining the ideal colors to use to get your point across.

Step 1

Plan which media you will be using to create color combinations. Determine the available choices and what factors might limit the colors you can choose. Use this information to determine how many colors you intend to use.

Step 2

Sketch a layout that shows where colors will be placed. Allow the layout of color areas to guide which color combinations you build.

Step 3

Choose a main color. The main color can be a major color already present in the piece, or you can choose a main color based on your color preference or theme of choice.

Step 4

Locate your main color on the color wheel. Center your color on the wheel and place a ruler across the color wheel so it splits the shape into two halves. The color on the other side of the ruler, directly across from your main color, is the complementary color. A complementary color is used to create dynamic and attention-getting color combinations.

Step 5

Look at the colors adjacent to your main colors, directly on the left and right of the color wheel if you turn the wheel around. These colors are called adjacent colors. Since adjacent colors usually have colors in common, using them creates a softer look that works well for relaxing atmospheres, but they won't work as well for high-energy or legibility from far away.

Step 6

Try out a few color combinations on scrap paper to determine whether you like the way they look. Color theory can be a guide to help you in the right direction, but in the end, you will make the best color choices based on how you and others experience them.

Stuff to have on hand:

Color wheel

Ruler

Scrap paper

Remember:

Each type of color and print media will bear its own limitations with regard to available colors, color intensity and how different colors interact when they mix. Test mixed colors on a scrap surface before applying them.

When combining color for a business, understanding color psychology may help you choose which colors to use. Relaxation-centered businesses, such as spas and massage therapy offices, should use cool, soft colors like light blue and violet to create a calm mood. Food-related or high-energy businesses should choose warm colors, such as red and yellow--colors that stimulate the brain and the appetite.

Warnings:

When choosing color combinations for the Internet, ensure that you check the web-enabled color options before choosing colors. Choosing colors that are not web enabled means that the colors can show up incorrectly on the user's screen.

Painting over dark colors can require many coats, so if you have to repaint a surface, consider avoiding deep colors like black, red and dark blue.