Stripes Can Make Your Colors Pop

When working with subtle motifs, it can be a good idea to add some stronger colored stripes as an accent.

Think of it like dressing a table for a fancy dinner: The table cloth is white, the silverware and glasses shiny and the bone china sleek, but everything lacks color.  The only thing left to do is pick an accent color to make it pop.

Working with muted designs can bring about rewards, but sometimes you can have too much of a good thing.  Rather like adding a red charger to put behind the dinner plate, adding a bolder color to frame an image can put on the finishing touch.  The result here is a little formal, which I like for this pattern, but you needn’t make your stripes formal — using wavy lines, neon colors, or gimmicky stripes can add some fun back to your work.

My advice:  Don’t just rely on the same basic repeat styles, but try to make your work unique.