Colour Theory In Mosaics

Creating a mosaic is a one-way process and very difficult to undo, so when choosing the colour and style it requires alot of thought and planning.

Colour can be regarded as possessing four basic qualities; hue, tone, intensity and temperature.

Hue - is the term given to a colour in its purest form in the colour spectrum (primary colours)

Tone - is the lightness or darkness of the colour. Different hues can have the same tone; for example red and green can have the same level of darkness making them tonally matched. Dark toned tesserae will make it even darker if placed next to light toned tesserae.

Intensity - refers to the relative strength or weakness of a colour, whether it is bright or muted (pastel).

Temperature - appearance of warmth or coolness. Generally reds, oranges and yellows are warm, while blues, greens and violets are cool. A cool colour is warmed up if it contains traces of a warm colour.

Changing the colour of the grout will have a huge effect on the mosaic.

 

White grout can be very harsh - it will draw the eye to gaps rather than colours, giving the mosaic a Mediterranean feel.

Dark grout is very effective for highly coloured mosaics but will dominate pale coloured tesserae.