One-hued wonders: the beauty of monochromatic. 10 project ideas

I love using different shades, tones and tints of a single colour on my projects. Tints are achieved by adding white and shades and tones are achieved by adding a darker colour such as black or gray..When used in the right proportions, a monochromatic scheme can add depth and definition without detracting from the star colour. Here are 10 project ideas.

For the love of gold

1. Go for gold. 

The base of this monogram was first painted silver, then topped with a gold glaze to give it more depth. The pearls were actually white with a yellowish tint but when set against the gold background, they looked gold.

Pretty blue tag

2.  Baby blues.

The patterned paper base already had some light printed patterns so I created a little more interest by stamping some swirls in white ink. The lace was white but when set against the baby blue, it looked like really light blue.

Dream big mixed media canvas

3. Snow white.

The cool gray is a perfect backdrop to showcase the white and clear elements. The stamped swirls helped to guide the eye across the dimensional elements.

The black gift box

4. Black, silver and shiny.

The black box was given a little dimension with The Crafter's Workshop stencil and Liquitex black lava medium which dried shiny. The black and white washi tape at the edges gave the box a little more depth. A silver chipboard, black satin bloom and bing create an interesting textural cluster.

When elements appear to be unrelated

5. Shades of brown and cream.

Varying shades of brown and cream can look good together. The brown grounds the elements and the different textured elements help to guide the eye across the canvas.

The embellished black wood monogram

6. Play with textures.

If you intend to go dark, play with textures. There are 5 types of materials here - leather, lace, sequins, glass and metal. The leather is matte, the metal charm is shiny, the glass creates a reflective surface, the lace gives a soft, feminine touch and the sequins add drama.

For the love of purple

7. The colour purple.

Given that purple is a mix of blue and red, there are so many tones you can play with. Here I only used one mist colour for the background and the gauze. The background looks much lighter because the modeling paste absorbed some of the colour. 

Black and white mixed media canvas for LESSology

8. The contrast of black and white.

There are actually many shades of black and white you can play with without getting into gray territory.

The story about the blue monogram

9. Aqua, silver and translucent elements.

The silver trim and embellishments help to ground the tone-on-tone elements.

Making a statement out of neutrals

10. Yellow and cream.

This card base with residual mist was in my stash for a really long time because the colour was so baby poop-ish. Adding some modeling paste with a stencil proved to be a turning point because it toned down the colour and pointed me to the cream-coloured elements to complete my card.

There you have it. 10 monochromatic projects. Which one is your fave?