Matting Colour?

As I look around for frames and matting, it seems as though 99% of all matting is sold only in white... I have always felt that my images look better displayed with black matting. Am I way out to lunch on this?

From your experiences, is white the best colour to use for matting? Or am I better to just have custom matting done in whatever colour works best? Let me know your thoughts.

I've only ever chosen a custom matte color/texture that went with the image and frame for my few items of custom framing. I think white is a standard choice for less custom jobs because it's neutral. While black or gray would also be neutral, I think white is less bold, most people are just used to white, and it would be the most popular choice. (I'd guess this is largely because people would choose a matte based on how it looks in the room - not necessarily based on what makes the image pop.)

I use mattes that are color complementary to the image.
Just trying to think outside of the black/white box, I reckon.
Note that I don't sell photos outside of a small sphere.

When you are going through the different choices for matte colour do you do so in Photoshop to see how it works with an image?
I imagine that this depends largely on the image itself but I ask anyway. Do you typically look to use a colour that is rather subtle in the image or do you matte with the predominant image colour?

I'm in the same boat as John. When I'm matting/framing a print I look for mats and frame that complement the colours in the photo with the goal of creating a whole, a cohesive piece of art; not just a print in a frame.

For whatever reason, photographers seem to have trouble thinking outside of the black frame.white mat box. There are lots of places that sell coloured mats. Dickblick.com does, I believe. I'm in Canada but I buy my mats at Curry's Art Supplies. They have a great selection of mats in a variety of colours. For b&w prints the black frame/white mat may work but even there, a double mat of white and dark grey (as opposed to black) is something a little different and adds visual interest.

Another trick that can add some visual interest is to use a small spacer between the two mats. This gives an enhanced sense of depth to the piece.

Jeff, I've used all of the above suggestions but for most of my work I use matte colour that compliments the picture. I spread the image out and use Matte corner samples to determine what matte to use. You can order the corners from Cresent or a dozen other matte companies. Remember that the Matte you pick will have a large influence on the sale of the picture. I try to stay as nuetral in color as possible. Another consideration is Framing. A quality frame can bring you a greater profit and enhance your final product.

Jeff,

As most often the case, the answer to the question is: it depends. I don't mind a black matt, but it would always depend on the image itself. Personally, I would think black matting would go along more with b&w images.

A couple of things to consider. I used to select a nuetral outter matt and then the thin double-matt would be a color that I wanted to pull out of the image. AFter a few years of doing that, I simply got tired of the tedious and painstaking work of trying to pick out that complimentary color. Then, later, when I did my first art fair, it was pretty clear that only a consistent color combination would look best when you have a bunch of images close together. And now when I look at all the prints hanging in my house (about 21) and all the different color combinations... I've now gone to a simple double white matt with the outer matt having the black core.

Anyway, just some thoughts.

Lon

I'm only guessing here, but I think that one reason for matting with white is that the mat then forms a buffer between the print and any wall color that the owner of the print might have. If you hang prints against a white wall, then any color mat that compliments the colors of your image would work.

Dave

I have a framing business and have taken classes in mat design and color. Here are a few guide lines for framing.

The mat should not be darker than the darkest part of the image or lighter than the lightest part of the image. If the mat is too dark, it seems to constrict the image. If the mat is too light, the viewer's eye goes to the mat.

The top mat should be close to the dominant background color. This helps the subject stand out. The bottom mat should match colors of the subject or highlights.

Mat widths should be wider than the frame. I usually go 1.5 to 2 times the frame width. This helps the viewer's eye to focus on the the art.

Frame for the art first. Secondary considerations would be the wall color, furniture or drapes.
If the owner repaints, moves the art to another room, or moves to a new house, the art will always look good.



These are just some basic framing guide lines. For bin work, a white or neutral may be best for show. Don't sign the mats. That gives the buyer the option to change to their liking and bring it to a framer, which is good for me.

Ron, I understand your point on the mat/frame dimension but I'd disagree that this applies in all cases. If you're using a wider frame (e.g., 3" or so) and you put a 4 1/2" to 6" mat inside that, the print can get lost unless it's quite large.

Robert, My comments were meant to be basic guide lines, not rules. There are many variables that can take the design in different directions, including personal preferences. That's what custom framing is about. In the case of a small print with a wide frame, the frame color, mat color, and shape comes into play. A wide frame with a scoop or slant shape leading into the image can look quite nice with a narrow mat. This look would be simular to what you see with paintings on canvas that have a liner inside the frame.

Thanks for the insight Ron.