When I make large sandblast signs I usually choose my colors from a Sherwin Williams color swatch thingy and get them to mix the color. But, when I'm doing a small sign and need only a pint or so I like to mix it myself from paints on hand.
Sherwin Williams now has some really bright blues, reds, and yellows in waterbased acrylics which would be good for this. Then when I need a little dab of a certain color, I can mix it.
My question/s:
Though the process colors for printing are Cyan, Yellow, and Magenta along with true black and white, what colors do I need for paint?
I want to be able to mix my red and blue to get a violet or purple that is .....violet or purple, blue and yellow for green and so forth. Right now I need to mix some yellow, white and black into some blue for an olive green border.
For your reference, I have a small chart with some Pantone colors. Some old Sparcal charts, Oracal charts and Avery. I know how to mix my colors to get close matches for virtually any color but, which of these colors are closest to true blue, yellow, and red for mixing my paint? Am I making any sense? Thanks
[ April 16, 2002, 03:32 PM: Message edited by: Wayne Webb ]
Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :
I know it was a dumb question but, my problem has been solved. Seems I can only get DTM yellow in "Safety Yellow". Blue options are Hyper Blue, Safety Blue, and Blue Chip. Red will have to be Safety Red, Real Red, or Stop Red.
I should be able to work with those.
Posted by bronzeo (Member # 1408) on :
Wayne, Years ago I took bright yellow oil based and bright red oil based, mixed together hoping to get bright orange. I got peanut butter. I asked the paint store owner whatsssup? He told me that sythetic colors were used in these premixes and would not mix properly to the eye. Over the years, I have had much the same problems with even sign enamels. A for instance; you can't attain the same green using Reflex blue and Chrome yellow, by mixing lettering One Shot and Ronan Bulletin. The Ronan is much more muddy. It may be the base causing it, I don't know. The only reason that I'm rattling about this is to let you know that some paint types and/or colors, will never mix correctly. On latex I usually just go buy some straight pigment from the paint store and add it like that.
Posted by Steve Burke (Member # 2674) on :
spraying or rolling?
Matthews can match many colors...someone around you with a paint station may help.
mixing paint is a different animal- you could drive yourself around the bend trying to mix and match.
Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :
Thanks Jack and Steve
Jack, I know what you mean about getting weird colors. Even though I'm using bright red, yellow and blue,black and white I'll be mixing them for various earthtones or adding a color to it's own complement, etc. I like to mix a little green with red and drop in some purple, white or add orange or yellow to purple etc. Stuff like that. I use various shades of tan, olive green, browns, taupe, slate blue, plum, but like to use waterbased paints for several reasons. Maybe these new SW colors will work for me. I just don't understand why magenta is used as a process color instead of "bright red"
Steve, I brush, roll and spray.
Posted by Jean Shimp (Member # 198) on :
I took some small empty baby food jars to my local paint company and bought straight pigments - yellow, blue, red, etc. They are great for mixing a wide range of colors.
Posted by Glenn Taylor (Member # 162) on :
I wish the ColorTone charts were still available. They were great for mixing lettering enamels.
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
wayne..you ever do any "oil painting"? like on a canvas.... ok go to your nearest hobby shop and buy a set ACYLIC PAINT. this is water soluble, will mix into any latex paint you got and these colors are..true colors...TITAINIUM WHITE is white white, CADNIUM YELLOW,ALIZARIN CRIMSON, IS RED RED, PHTHALO BLUE, VERDIAN HUE IS GREEN GREEN, YELLOW OCHER, BURNT SIENNA, BURNT UMBER will get you almost any color in the spectrem. you can buy these colors in big tubes seperatly....and its almost the same stuff that the guy in the paint store adds to BASE WHITE to make your colors..
Posted by Rick Sacks (Member # 379) on :
We buy these squirt containers of Universal Tints that can be mixed with enamels or latex.
Posted by Steve Robinson (Member # 2215) on :
I used to run touch up trucks, and we were able to match the color of vehicles by eye after we learned the basics of colors...there are two reds , a yellow red and a blue red...there are two blues a red blue and a green blue...and it goes on from there, that's why when you mix two colors to make what you think will turn out to be one color it will be just the opposite,(example)you can't make a magenta with a yellow red, it will kick it orange.
Posted by Kimberly Zanetti (Member # 2546) on :
quote: there are two reds , a yellow red and a blue red...there are two blues a red blue and a green blue...
Exactly Steve...they are usually refered to as "warm" or "cool" colors - the red/yellow/orange end of the spectrum being the warm and the blue/purple end being the cool. You can even have a warm or cool black or white.
I have very vivid memories of playing color mixing games with my father in his studio when I was young. He'd show me swatches and ask me to tell him how to mix that color. I loved doing that, probably because I got pretty good at it.
Posted by Steve Robinson (Member # 2215) on :
warm or cool...I can't draw and I don't do any canvas painting ...but I can match colors.As far as colors go... I see potential here for an argument... and I don't want that,but the way you presented your comment is like an accent...let's say I speak spanish with an english accent...it's still spanish, I don't know the artist lingo, but what I stated was fact, and you found fault with it. Maybe I'm taking this the wrong way...Please I don't want to fight, but you outlined what I said and and tried to make it wrong...it's not wrong it's stated in simple terms.
If you want to go the cool and warm strategy.. you have a problem, it goes back to what I said before...if you have a yellow red the warm would be a fire red, the cool would be a peach. If you use a blue red , you would have blue red as the warm and a pink. If you have a green blue, it would be warm and a mint would be, if you have a red blue, you would have a sky blue etc. etc.
I made my post in the spirit of helpfulness, not to argue...so please take it as that...PEACE
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
you took it the wrong way....now be nice and say you misunderstood.....hehehehehehehe what i see she was just explainin warm and cool ..not hing more.....
[ April 19, 2002, 05:26 PM: Message edited by: old paint ]
Posted by Steve Robinson (Member # 2215) on :
I misunderstood...sorry
Posted by Steve Robinson (Member # 2215) on :
Wait a minute...!I just looked at her web site... sha's a culinary artist! Oh well I guess you have to make colors on cakes...HAHA This is fun isn't it? I wish you could see if I were smiling.I am.
Posted by Raymond Chapman (Member # 361) on :
She also happens to be the daughter of one of the most respected and admired sign artists of the last fifty years...so she probably knows what she is talking about.
Posted by Kimberly Zanetti (Member # 2546) on :
Hey guys! I sure didn't mean to cause a commotion!
Steve, I was just trying to phrase it another way - I was COMPLETELY agreeing with you.
Ray, Thanks for what you said. He'd sure appreciate it, as do I.
Now, everyone go have a nice weekend and play nice. Posted by Steve Robinson (Member # 2215) on :
Mr.Chapman...I'm working towards peace here... and to be honest, your post is sideways! First she told me I was wrong, then you make a post that her dad was great, so your taking sides that I'm wrong. Maybe her dad was great, and I respect that...but prove me wrong!My initial post was in the spirit of helpfulness, now I'm ****ed!Prove me wrong!
Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :
Thanks Joe, I'll check into that next time I'm in Dothan.
Rick, where do you get those universal tints?
Posted by Raymond Chapman (Member # 361) on :
Steve, I don't believe that Kim was indicating that you were wrong - just applying a generally accepted term to what you were saying. You are both saying the same thing, I believe, just using different words. My remark was just to reinforce that Kim's terms were universally accepted and had been learned at the feet of a great man.
You are right and Kim is right. Just because you use your own description does not make you wrong...or me right.
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
Wayne...most good paint stores have them...here in California, CalTint is a popular brand.
Posted by Mark Yearwood (Member # 2723) on :
I just got a catalog from Sepp Leaf Products in New York. They sell universal tints called MIXOL that will tint almost any paint or coating. They are binder-free and will not dry by themselves but must be mixed with paint. It forms no skin or lumps and stores for years.
Contact sales@seppleaf.com
Mark
Posted by AdrienneMorgan (Member # 1046) on :
I agree with Steve and Kim...and I prefer to mix my own colors in most of the paints I use...
I've used Universal tints for years, always got them at Home Depot...now they've discontinued them Does that mean they are discontinued, or has Home Depot discontinued them?
I picked up several bottles of black and yellow ochre a while back at 50 cents a bottle when they were clearing them out.
A:)
Posted by Rick Sacks (Member # 379) on :
Most paint stores that market to contractors rather than do-it0yourselfer's sell the tint tubes. I keep mine in a rack that holds 16 tubes. Remnants from working the movie studios. We always got 'em from Paramount Paint in L.A.
Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :
Thanks everyone, I have a Sepp leaf products catalog and will check with my Sherwin Williams store about buying some of their pigments.
Posted by Sue Avery (Member # 686) on :
Here is something I learned the hard way but it has helped me immensely.
When mixing your oun colors from paint you have on hand, mix it by the DROP instead of even tiny cans or cups at a time.
For instance, 2 Drops White + 1 Drop Yellow + 1 Drop Orange produces a lovely Light Gold.
AND by mixing in drops and making a note ea. time I try a different variation, I have a RECIPE.
Saves having a lot of little jars of glop.
Til later, Sue
Posted by taurus signcraft (Member # 572) on :
i noticed a long time back that some folk have a 'feel' for mixing paint and others dont
one fella we had working for us used to make huge amounts of mis-tints when ever he tried to mix any colour, he was a good tradesman, just didnt have the eye for colour mixing was all
if he had a pms chart he was fine mixing to formular but if it was anything else he just couldnt get the handle on the bases used to make most of the tin colours
in the end he would call me to mix what he wanted cause it was safer than me yelling at him for 6 coffee jars full of the wrong colour when he was only needing a teaspoon of the right one
i know that people see colour differently... (i think is was one of jack's posts that talked about the receptors in eyes?)
the other week i did a paintjob which had a dk grey metalic base over which i threw just a hint of purple pearl, then the artwork. devo couldnt see the purple even in the bright sunshine, the owner couldnt see it either.... his wife could and so could my eldest daughter strange eh
cheers gail
Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :
Thanks Sue, That's a very good idea. I think that I have a bit of a knack for it but even then I sometimes mix a little too much
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Does that mean they are discontinued, or has Home Depot discontinued them?![[Eek!]](eek.gif)