Part 1
# Color mixing guide: For artists, painters, decorators, printing pressmen, show card writers, sign painters, color mixers. Gives color mixtures by parts ### By King, John L.
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[Illustration:
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY COLORS ]
All colors in this “color chart” are made from the primary colors, yellow, red and blue.
[Illustration:
SECONDARY AND TERTIARY COLORS ]
Overlapping plates on this sheet are printed in full color. Tints are avoided in order to show secondary and tertiary colors in full strength.
To lighten secondary or tertiary colors add more of the lightest color of the combination. For example, if a lighter shade of primary green is more desirable, use more yellow; to deepen, add blue; to use as a tint, add white.
[Illustration:
The above plates illustrate the primary and secondary colors broken up with light. ]
Color Mixing Guide FOR ARTISTS, PAINTERS, DECORATORS, PRINTING PRESSMEN, SHOW CARD WRITERS, SIGN PAINTERS, COLOR MIXERS GIVES COLOR MIXTURES BY PARTS
About three thousand colors and shades can be made from yellow, red, blue, black and white. This little Color Mixing Guide is worth many dollars, as it shows you exactly how, without waste of time and material.
Compiled by John L. King
NEW YORK; J. S. OGILVIE PUBLISHING COMPANY 57 ROSE STREET
No possession can surpass or even equal a good library to the lover of books. Here are treasured up for his daily use and delectation riches which increase by being consumed, and pleasures which never cloy.
JOHN ALFRED LANGFORD.
[Illustration]
Copyright, 1923, J. S. OGILVIE PUBLISHING CO.
WHAT IS COLOR?
Color is an effect caused by the reflection of certain rays of light. In order to understand this statement, it is necessary that we know what light is. Science teaches us that light is a form of intense vibration which reaches the earth direct from the sun. These vibrations affect certain nerves of the retina of the eye, causing the sensation known as color.
In the study of color, or in practice, it is necessary that we have a standard. The standard colors are those seen in the spectrum or in the rainbow. These colors are selected as standard colors because they are the true colors as reflected by pure light and they never change.
In dealing with pigments the primary colors are yellow, red and blue. They are called primary colors because all other colors are produced from them, and because they can not be produced by mixing other colors. In other words, they are the original colors from which all other colors are produced.
WARM AND COLD COLORS
Cold and warm colors: Red warm, blue cold, yellow bright. White, which is also a cold color when added to black makes a cold gray. Yellow added to red forms a warm orange.
MEANING OF COLORS
White is said to mean purity; blue, fidelity or truth; red, love or sacrifice; green, envy; pink, modesty; violet, innocence; yellow, jealousy; black, sorrow or distress, and lavender, passion.
ART OF COLOR MIXING
Mixing colors is an art in itself. With a combination of the chief colors—red, yellow, blue (and black and white), thousands of shades and hues may be produced.
Mixed in various proportions, either in twos, or all three together, these three colors produce every hue in nature or in art, every tint that is physically possible.
The primary colors are yellow, red and blue.
The secondary colors are orange, violet and green.
The tertiary colors are citron, russet and olive.
The secondary colors are made as follows: Yellow and red make orange, red and blue make violet, yellow and blue make green.
The tertiary colors are mixed from the secondary colors as follows: Orange and violet make russet, violet and green make olive, orange and green make citron.
Black, white and gray are natural tones in which no color is apparent: White pales but does not brighten any color. Yellow is the brightening color and always stands out strong and advancing; to deepen a color, use its complementary color; to deepen yellow add purple; to deepen red add blue; to deepen blue add burnt sienna, then you will have purity of color.
THE TWO EXTREMES OF WARM AND COLD
Vermilion or any other red of orange hue (warm). Bluish blue (cold). These two colors mixed together in certain proportions form light brown, dark brown, red-brown, neutral brown and scarlet red. Purple made from this combination is inferior.
COLOR BLINDNESS
Today, color-blindness is a serious difficulty in the way of a person earning a living. A generation or so ago, it was considered a matter of small importance. Many persons, suffering from the disease, went through life without knowing they were afflicted. The only persons, as a class, who were greatly affected by the problem were railroad men, who had to take tests for the distinction of colors.
Today, with the common use of automobiles and the rapidly growing use of colored lights for signs and signals, color-blindness becomes an important matter.
The defect is hereditary and much more common in men than in women. A woman may have normal eyesight herself and yet transmit the color-blindness to her children. This is because it is what the geneticist calls a recessive character. A man may have a color-blind father and still not transmit the defect. But a color-blind woman, married to a color-blinded man, transmits the defect to all off-springs, both sons and daughters.
ALTERING COLOR
To brighten color, add yellow; to give it warmth, add red. To brighten and warm, add orange. To deepen and cool, add blue. To cool and lighten, add green; to deepen and warm, add purple.
Ultramarine blue contains sulphur and will tarnish with admixtures of pigment containing lead. Substitute zinc white.
PIGMENT
Pigment is any color preparation used by painters, printing pressmen, etc. Coloring matter is found in pigment cells of plants, tissues of animals and fish; in mineral form found in the earth, from coal, vegetables, etc.
Pigments may be divided into two classes, the organic and the inorganic. Organic pigments are compounds of carbon and the inorganic all other pigments.
Paints and printers’ inks are made from the same pigments; the difference is in the mordant. It all depends on the nature of the object to be colored. The mordant is the fixer which holds the pigment.
The selection of color material should be carefully made. Purchase from reliable dealers an assortment of reds, blues and yellows, some black and white.
NATURE’S COLOR CHART OF HARMONIOUS COMBINATIONS
Nature has given us a wonderful color chart, of harmonious colors mingled together.
Flowers furnish countless color combinations which are perfect in every detail. Colors ranging from soft, delicate tints to deep, rich solids, are found in great variety.
Observe also the birds, whose plumage range from the most gorgeous to the so-called jet black raven or black birds; even they when viewed in sun or strong light reveal a picture of dazzling beauty. Beautiful tones and semi-tones of purple, green and blue blending perfectly with the black.
It is unnecessary to mention in detail, the fields, woods and forest, the seas, the lofty, stately mountain peaks of somber hues silhouetted against an azure sky or viewed in the setting sun.
COLOR HARMONY
The secret of harmony is equal value, complementary colors are the color or colors which, with any color or colors mentioned, make the three primary colors, which constitute white light. For example if given color is a primary, its complementary color is composed of the other two primary colors; the complementary color of blue is orange, red and yellow. And if given color be a secondary, its complementary color is the remaining color. Thus the complementary color of green, blue and yellow is red.
It is well to bear in mind whether the subject to be treated is a landscape scene, color design, form to be printed in colors, sign or house painting that equal value of colors is the correct way.
Any subject that has been ill-treated with too much red, or colors which do not harmonize, form a combination that irritates.
When colors are correctly used the effect is soothing. Remember that red is the most irritating color and a little will balance well with a large amount of other colors.
The object to be painted or printed has a lot to do with the selection of colors. It is well to study the subject carefully.
Printing pressmen have their problems. When printing on white material which is a neutral color he does not encounter the obstacles as when printing colored inks on colored material.
All fine pictorial color printing is executed on white material, this being the only way to get pure coloring, as it is generally printed with transparent ink.
MIXING TINTS
Paints, Inks, Etc.
Tint mixing is both interesting and profitable, but in order to obtain the best results, first-class materials are very essential. Great care should be exercised in the selection of this material, as the product of one manufacturer often varies, as to shade with that of another manufacture, therefore it is well for the color mixer to make it a rule, never to select colors promiscuously.
With the following colors at hand all known colors may be obtained. Lemon yellow, which is of greenish hue; yellow of orange hue; red with orange hue; red which has a bluish cast. Blue with a reddish tone, also blue with a leaning toward green. A liberal supply of white and some black which does not contain blue.
To produce a pure tint you must first produce a pure base of the primary colors. White, which is a neutral color, does not alter the original hue, it merely pales. In making pure greens from yellow and blue, the yellow and blue should contain none of the primary color red; use a greenish yellow and greenish blue. For pure orange use a yellow and red which contain none of the primary blue; the yellow must be of reddish hue, the red of yellowish cast. Pure violets are made with bluish reds and reddish blues. The red and blue should not contain any of the primary color yellow.
Gray tint is white with black in various proportions. Neutral gray must be mixed from a black which is unadulterated with a mixture of blue. To warm, add a touch of red; to cool, add a small amount of blue. The object in making neutral gray as above mentioned is to make possible a true blending with other colors. For example, a bluish gray is desired, add blue to neutral gray until the exact shade is acquired; for orange gray add a touch of orange, etc., etc.
Primary colors are made neutral by admixture, a medium or neutral yellow is obtained by mixing lemon yellow with orange yellow. The greenish tinge of lemon yellow is absorbed by the reddish tinge of orange yellow. Neutral red and blue is made in the same manner; likewise the blues.
As has been previously mentioned, white when added for tinting purposes does not alter the hues. For example, the result of adding white in any quantity to purplish red is a purplish pink tint, the purple hue will remain.
When warm tints are desired use a warm base. For warm pink select a red of orange hue, a cool pink from bluish red, a neutral pink must be made from a neutral base which is the result of adding primary bluish red and primary yellowish red.
TO MATCH SPECIAL COLORS
In mixing special colors or shades for large jobs, first mix a small quantity, write down exact proportions either by weight or volume, keep a record for future reference.
If you have failed to keep a record and have a small quantity on hand and wish to duplicate it exactly, put a small amount on a piece of white paper and after mixing a little dribble or let it string across the original sample you can get a perfect match. Still another way; brush a small quantity on a piece of transparent glass, add a like amount of the paint you mix beside it and hold to the light.
To match a specimen in printing ink; mix the color (small quantity), ink up press, pull an impression then with your make ready knife cut a small hole (any shape) in the most solid part of print, lay this over a solid part of sample.
ORIGIN AND DEFINITION OF COLORS.
Alumina—One of the earths containing aluminum.
Aureolin Yellow—A transparent, delicate medium yellow. Is a nitrate of cobalt.
Amber—A mineralized pale yellow, and sometimes reddish or brownish resin of extinct pine trees.
Ambergris—A morbid secretion of the spermaceti whale of solid opaque ash color.
Aniline—A substance obtained from indigo and benzol, a product of coal tar.
Amaranth—The unfading flower; a color inclined to purple.
Antwerp Blue—A transparent color lighter than prussian blue; splendid to mix with yellow for greens and tints.
Bronze Blues—Made by mixtures of ferro and ferricyanides of iron and potassium or sodium. Bronze blue, so called for its bronzy effect. It is an opaque, deep blue, used almost exclusively by printers.
Bronzes—Are pulverized gold, brass, copper and aluminum. Can be dyed with aniline colors such as violet, green, etc.
Bone Black—Made by charring bones which are then finely ground. Semi-transparent.
Burnt Sienna—Raw sienna when burnt yields a brownish orange, quite transparent.
Buttercup—Common species of ranunculus, having bright yellow cup-shaped flowers.
Bistre Brown—Obtained from soot of wood fires. A deep citron brown.
Cerulean Blue—A compound of oxides of tin and cobalt. Opaque, azure blue.
Claret—A red wine color.
Carmine—A very deep toned crimson red, of the lake family.
Cobalt—A mineral of grayish color, and a metal obtained from it, which in the state of oxide yields a permanent blue pigment.
When cobalt blue is unobtainable substitute ultramarine blue.
Cobalt Blue—A deep, rich, transparent blue of violet hue. Is often substituted for ultramarine.
Cobalt Green—Semi-transparent bluish green. This color and cobalt blue are of French origin, and the process of manufacture is practically the same.
Cadmium—A metal related to zinc; produces a bright semi-transparent yellow or orange hue.
Chrome Yellows—Made by precipitation of potassium bichromate, with lead acetate, varying in shade from pale yellow to deep orange. They are opaque, and of good covering strength.
Chinese White—A semi-transparent white of zinc oxides, equally as white as flake white.
Chrome—(Chromium). A metal which produces many colors and semi-colors. Chrome green now takes the place of the dangerous arsenical green pigment that was formerly used in printers’ ink, enamel and wall paper.
Chrome Greens—Are a mixture of chrome yellow with blue.
Carbon Black—Soot formed with natural gas and forced through finely woven silk. One thousand cubic feet of gas being required to obtain one pound of black. Opaque.
Crimson Lake—Transparent red, similar to carmine, but less scarlet.
Cremnitz White Lead—An opaque white. Made permanent by coating with varnish.
Coal Tar Dyes—Are derived from coal tar by distillation and other chemical processes.
COCHINEAL
Much credit is due the cochineal as most all of our brightest reds can be attributed to them.
Scarlet and crimson furnish the base for carmine and lake. It requires seventy thousand dried bodies of this small insect to equal one pound of color.
The task of gathering cochineal is a tedious one. They are gathered by gently brushing them into cloth sacks with brushes made of fur just before egg laying time, as only the bodies of the female can be used. At this period they are scarlet, the brightest of all reds. Later they assume a deeper cast called crimson.
Dye is a colored substance which can be made soluble in either water or oil.
Dragon’s Blood—A resinous substance from the East Indies. A dull semi-transparent red.
Emerald—A stone or gem of bright green.
Fawn—Light brown.
Flake White—A carbonate of lead. An opaque fine white.
French Blue—An artificial imitation of ultramarine, discovered by French chemists early in the nineteenth century. It is more transparent than the original, and an excellent imitation.
Gypsum—A mineral found in a compact state and crystallized state, as alabaster, or in the form of soft, chalky stone which by heat becomes the fine white powder known as plaster of paris.
Geranium Lake—A bright transparent red of bluish hue, also of yellowish hue. Should not be mixed with earth pigments such as raw sienna, ochers, umbers, etc. Geranium lake if a coal tar product is more permanent than if obtained from other sources.
Gamboge—A gum resin from trees, native of Ceylon. Is a bright transparent yellow of little depth.
Gallstone—Rich deep toned fugitive yellow from the gall bladder of oxen. Yellow carmine can be substituted.
Heliotrope—Flower of a grayish purple color.
Ivory Black—A rich transparent black, from charred ivory.
Indigo Blue—Deep blue from the leaves of the Indigofera plant of India.
Intense Blue—Purified Indigo blue.
Indian Yellow—Deposit obtained from the urine of the camel. A beautiful yellow.
Indian Red—An earth pigment of Bengal. Ranges in color from a light, bright red to a dark red of purplish hue; nearly opaque; mixes well with all other colors except indigo. When genuine Indian red and indigo come into contact with one another, they soon assume a faded shade resembling rust.
Indian red substitute may be mixed with indigo substitute in safety; tints made are more permanent than obtained from the originals.
Lake Colors—The term “lake” as applied to color pigments, has reference to the method of manufacture. The pigment is produced by the saturation of a base with a dye in it, which is then ground in varnish.
Avoid mixing lake colors with raw earthen pigments if permanency is desired.
Lamp Black—Is made by burning creosote or tar oil. Opaque.
Lacquer—A varnish which has the appearance of enamel.
Maroon—A brownish crimson or claret color.
Mauve—A brilliant red violet, of the lake group. Also of a bluish violet hue. The most fugitive of all colors.
Marigold—Several composite plants bearing golden-yellow flowers.
Magenta is a brilliant blue-red color derived from coal tar.
Madder red is obtained from the madder plant roots, a climbing perennial.
Mastic—Resin from a tree of southern Europe, yielding a varnish.
Mummy Yellow—The ancients obtained a dark yellow pigment by grinding mummified human bodies.
Naples Yellow—A pale semi-opaque, straw colored yellow.
The greenish hue of prussian blue may be neutralized with a touch of crimson lake.
New Blue—Pale ultramarine.
Prussian Blue—Of German origin. A deep blue, possessing a greenish undertone. A transparent and good covering pigment.
Pure Scarlet—An iodide of mercury. More brilliant than vermilion and opaque.
Pipsissewa—An evergreen plant bearing waxen flesh-colored flowers.
Permalba White—A fine opaque white for artists, etc. Contains neither lead or zinc. Can safely be mixed with ultramarine and all other pigments. A product of an American manufacturer.
Red Lead—Used on iron prevents rust. Is an inexpensive product of lead, largely used as barn paint. Possesses good covering qualities.
Rose Madder or Madder Lake—A beautiful transparent rose color of a clove or flesh pink hue. Alizarin, a coal tar product, now affords a better substitute than the original pigment obtained from the madder plant.
Raw Sienna—An ocherous transparent earth pigment of orange yellow, from Toscany.
Saffron—A bulbous plant, the stigmas of which are used as a coloring. Yields an orange red extract.
Some blacks are precipitated oxide of iron and aniline black made from coal tar dye with the addition of blue to offset the natural grayish cast.
Spruce—A name given to several species of pine trees. Shades vary, but the general hue is between a light yellowish brown and yellowish orange.
Sepia—A brown substance taken from the sepia cuttle fish. This dark inky substance which he emits into the water thoroughly screens him from enemies.
Scarlet Lake—A transparent red of scarlet hue.
Snuff Brown—Pulverized tobacco.
Sienna—An ocherous earth. Sienna yields an orange yellow tint; burnt sienna a reddish brown.
Turquoise—A stone or gem of greenish blue.
Tantalum—A rare metallic element obtained as a black powder from several minerals.
Imitation Ultramarine Blue—Is made by heating together, China-clay soda, sulphur and charcoal.
Umber—a soft earthy pigment of an olive brown color in the raw state; burnt umber has a reddish hue and oftimes called turkey umber.
Ultramarine Blue—A rare and durable sky blue obtained from the mineral lapis-lazuli, a stone found in Asia. The tedious mechanical process of extracting the color, makes it the most costly of all pigments.
Ultramarine Ash—Bluish gray of azure hue, residue of ultramarine.
Venetian Red—A semi-transparent bright red with little orange.
Vine Blue—Is made from charred vine twigs. Is imitated with acetylene gas.
Vernis Martin—French name for imitation of Chinese and Japanese Lacquer, which resembles enamel. Brought to perfection by the Martin brothers in the reign of Louis XV of France.
Vandyke Brown—Prepared from a bituminous ochre. A slow drying, rich, semi-transparent brown, so named in honor of the eminent artist, Vandyke. Very sensitive to sunlight; requires a liberal amount of japan dryer.
Vermilion Red—A sulphide of mercury. Varies in hue from crimson and scarlet to deep orange. Opaque.
White Lead—A hydrated carbonate of lead, obtained as a dry powder. Opaque; covers well.
Whitewash—A composition of lime and water, or of whiting.
Yellow Ochre—An earth pigment varying in color from a light yellow to an orange brown; possesses little transparency.
COMPLEMENTARY AND HARMONIOUS COLOR COMBINATIONS
For Painters, Decorators, Show Card Writers, Sign Painters, Art Instructors, Students, Printers, Pressmen, Etc.
Complementary color combinations may be used full strength or as soft delicate tints, the hue and harmony will remain.
Azure Blue with very light gray. Azure Blue with white. Amber with straw. Amber with cream. Amber with old ivory. Blue with red. Brownish Buff with old ivory. Deep Cream or Buff with ivory. Deep Cream with light sage green. Green with red. Greenish Blue with light pinkish gray. Gray with white. India Tint with Persian orange. Light Olive Green with ivory. Light Brownish Buff with cream. Light Tan with straw. Light Tan with old ivory. Lavender with white. Lavender with gray. Lavender with old gold. Lavender with old ivory. Lavender with ivory. Lavender with cream. Lavender with straw. Lavender with pea green. Lavender with regular pink. Lavender with dull pink. Lavender with purplish pink. Lavender with orange. Lavender with golden rod. Medium Tan with light brownish buff. Medium Blue with old ivory. Medium Blue with azure blue. Old Rose with old ivory. Old Rose with pearl gray. Old Rose with azure blue. Old Rose with light ivory. Old Rose with cream. Old Rose with straw. Old Rose with light buff. Purple with red. Purple with green. Pearl Gray with light ivory. Red with blue. Sage Green with light ivory. Silk Green with pale lavender. Sea Green with old ivory. Tan with old rose. Turquoise Blue with lavender. Violet with orange. Violet with red. Violet with brown. Violet with pink. Violet with salmon. Violet with buff. Violet with white. Violet with amber. Violet with ivory. Violet with old ivory. Violet with cream. Violet with straw. Violet with raw sienna. Violet with burnt sienna. Violet with white. Violet with gray. Violet with drab-gray. Violet with pink gray. Violet with brown gray. Violet with emerald green. Violet with olive green. Violet with sage green. Violet with sea green. Violet with apricot. Violet with cherry. Violet with scarlet. Violet with russet. Violet with old gold. Violet with brass. Violet with silver. Violet with copper. Violet with bronze. Vermilion with sage green. Yellow with purple. White with black. Yellow with green.
COLOR MIXTURES BY PARTS
Color Desired Parts
Azure Blue—50 white; 1 ultramarine blue.
Brilliant—4 Indian red; 1 madder lake.
Blue-Gray—100 white; 3 Prussian blue; 1 black.
Bright Blue—20 zinc white; 1 cobalt blue.
Blue Grass—7 white; 2 Paris green; 1 Prussian blue.
Blue—12 borate of lime; 6 oxide of zinc; 10 litharge; 9 feldspar; 4 oxide of cobalt.
Blue Black—9 black; 4 Prussian blue.
Bronze Green, Light—3 raw turkey umber; 1 medium chrome yellow.
Bronze Green, Medium—5 medium chrome yellow; 3 burnt turkey umber; 1 black.