This is it, the last of our color theory posts! In our final installment of this series, we’re going to highlight tetradic (or double complementary) color schemes and show you how to create them on your own.

In a double complementary scheme, we use a combination of four colors that, as the name implies, is made up of two complementary color pairs. (Remember, two colors are complementary if they are opposite each other on the color wheel.) To make it even easier, this kind of color combination is also known as rectangular colors because when the four colors are connected on the color wheel they form a rectangle.

Because the four colors have to form a rectangle to fit this scheme, there are really only so many combinations that you can form. Six, to be exact:

1. orange, yellow, blue, violet
2. yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-violet, red-violet
3. yellow, green, violet, red
4. yellow-green, blue-green, red-violet, red-orange
5. green, blue, red, orange
6. blue-green, blue-violet, red-orange, yellow-orange

Once you’ve chosen one of these combinations, jump on the Close To My Heart color wheel and pick from the exclusive colors that fall into each category.

Download here.

Another way to approach color choice, like in previous color schemes we’ve discussed, is by starting out with a color you want to use, like Eggplant, and then drawing the rectangle from it to determine what the other three colors could be.

This card uses Close To My Heart exclusive colors that fall within the orange, yellow, blue, and violet combination—Goldrush, Canary, Sapphire, and Eggplant.

The page above makes use of the yellow-green, blue-green, red-violet, and red-orange combination—Sweet Leaf, Crystal Blue, Thistle, and Poppy.

Tetradic colors tend to be quite vibrant and can even be jarring if used in equal amounts. To avoid creating artwork that is hard to look at when using this type of color scheme, choose one dominant color and use the other three to accent. Including neutrals in your designs, like we did with white in both of our examples, is an easy way to subdue the effects of this bold combination.

After reading, reviewing, and applying the color principles that we’ve been discussing these past few months, it’s easy to see that making harmonious color combinations isn’t so hard. Keep that trusty color wheel close by and pick your colors with confidence!

Recipes

12″ x 12″ Summer Page
X7233B Beautiful Friendship Paper Packet, X5977 Crystal Blue Cardstock, X5963 Poppy Cardstock, X5980 Sweet Leaf Cardstock, X5976 Thistle Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X7231C Central Park Complements, Z4177 Documented Dots, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles

4¼” x 5½” Life with Friends Card (Horizontal)
D1779 My Acrylix^® Beautiful Friendship—Scrapbooking Stamp Set, X7233B Beautiful Friendship Paper Packet, X5962 Goldrush Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2843 Canary Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2847 Eggplant Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2823 Goldrush Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4177 Documented Dots, Z4196 White Ribbon

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