Posted by frenchicfinland Admin
Color recipes and tips for mixing colors!
A symphony of shades!
One of the most fun and inspiring parts of a painting project is trying out different shades side by side, as well as mixing your own unique shades.
Sometimes the idea starts with a vision of the end result. For example, with the ice cream earrings in my own product range, the goal is to get a shade that matches the color of strawberry ice cream, chocolate ice cream, or even an orange ice pop as closely as possible.
Orange ice pop:
- 5/10 Mcfee, Al Fresco
- 3/10 Hot Mustard, Lazy Range
- 2/10 Dazzle Me, Al Fresco
Strawberry ice cream:
- 7/10 Dusky Blush
- 3/10 Dazzle Me
Chocolate ice cream:
- Pickle, Al Fresco
- A “touch” of Spitfire and Dazzle Me to tone down the reddishness.
A surprise made from leftover paint
Sometimes, when there’s only a little paint left in a few cans, it’s interesting to see what happens when you mix them together.
That’s how I created a shade that I’ve used to paint a coffee table, a rocking chair, and a small cabinet in my own home.
I combined the leftovers from the cans of Blackjack, Salt of the Earth, and Steel Teal, and the result was pretty nice. If the result doesn’t quite hit the mark at first, you can always add more shades until you’re happy with it. When mixing, you quickly get a feel for how each shade behaves with another. Of course, new combinations always bring a touch of surprise, which is quite an exciting feeling.
The table and cabinet shade is mixed from the following shades:
- Steel Teal, Al Fresco
- Blackjack, Al Fresco
- Salt of the Earth, Lazy Range
A dedicated painter’s shelf always has the go-to shades
There are quite a few cans of paint on the shelf in my workshop. I always make sure there’s a can of white paint there, such as Dazzle Me from the Al Fresco-sarjan or Whitey White from the Lazy Range.
There are usually a couple of shades of gray there too, which you can use to make an already beautiful, soft shade a little more “misty.” For example, City Slicker from the Al Fresco range works well for this. All Frenchic paints can be mixed together.
Please remember, though, that different paint ranges have slightly different properties. For a custom-mixed shade, for example, durability should always be considered according to the range with the least protective additives.
The next picture shows painted plywood squares, aiming to create fresh, summery color combinations. The Sweetcheeks shade in the upper-left corner is the original shade, while the others are mixed.
Green:
- Constance Moss, Al Fresco
- City Slicker, Al Fresco
- Whiter than White, Trim Paint
Lilac:
- 9/10 Parma Violet, Al Fresco
- 1/10 Plum Pudding, Lazy Range
Yellow:
- 8/10 Hot as Mustard, Lazy Range
- 2/10 Whitey White, Lazy Range
Pink:
- Sweetcheeks, Wall Paint
The secret to turquoise
This picture, in turn, features a wonderfully vibrant turquoise.
Turquoise:
- 5/10 Dazzle me, Al Fresco
- 2.5/10 Steel Teal, Al Fresco
- 2.5/10 Victory Lane, Al Fresco
The top edge of the plywood boards in the picture also shows the shades Swanky Pants, Al Fresco, and Sweetcheeks, Wall Paint.
Finally, a couple of tips if you decide to mix your own shades
If you're painting a piece of furniture that will get heavy use, for example, it's worth setting aside enough paint to save some for possible touch-ups. Remember to close the tin carefully.
It's also always worth writing down the shade names and amounts so you can mix more of the same shade if needed. This is something I sometimes forget myself, by the way. Let's not tell anyone that our rocking chair and coffee table aren't quite the same color, even though that was the plan.
Feel free to mix your own shades, and it would be lovely if you shared the results with us on social media, perhaps in Frenchic's Inspiring Painting Group on Facebook.
All the products in Minteri Design's own product range, as well as the upcycled items for sale, are painted with high-quality Frenchic paints. When it comes to shades and different color combinations, the only limit is your imagination.
Wishing you all wonderful painting moments!
Anni, Minteri Design
