Color Craft
From Principles of Applied Arts
Back to the Craftsman's Handbook Table of Contents
Color craft is the working craft of making and mixing color using. In other words, the manufacturing of Universal Tinting Colors, color matching etc... It is necessary to split the subject of color into these three categories, color craft, color theory and color harmony, because there is a big difference between knowing the way color works and having the ability to make it work for you.
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Pigment origin
Colors used to be hand ground to produce fine powders, the finer the better. Now days, color is available in many varieties, each with a different quality. For example, fine grinds are used for dispersions; coarse grinds are for pigment washes. Some colors, by nature, clump when mixed with mediums and some don’t. Colors can be dangerous if derived from metals such as lead, barium or cadmium. Please pay attention to the manufacturer’s warnings.
In the past, if you needed color you would look for it anywhere you could. Finding a vein of colored earth in the ground,crushing, grinding and washing it is a very laborious task. For a small art piece the labor is cost effective, however, for the entire ceiling of the Sistine chapel it is almost unfathomable. Is that what assistants are for? Now you can buy refined pigments and you don’t have to do all that work. It is still a valuable skill to be able to distinguish a well ground pigment from a poorly ground one. There are many specialty pigments now such as metallic and iridescent pigments to be used in all kinds of mediums. Find a good source for pigments and read their literature. Buy sample pigments and play with them. Try Kremer pigments in NY or Sinopia in CA
Color History
Chronological History
In antiquity Umbers, ochers and blacks were readily obtainable. For bright blue, red, yellow and green, semi-precious stones (lapis lazuli, cinnabar, orpiment and malachite) had to be obtained. New colours were also discovered - the first was 'Egyptian Blue'; 'Naples Yellow' dates from around 500 BC and 'red lead' was discovered by accident in about 2500. White lead occurred naturally but demand encouraged production of manmade versions. Vitruvius describes production of white lead and verdigris in the 2nd century AD.
Renaissance In the 16th century they discovered easier ways to extract the intense warm blue of lapis lazuli (ultramarine). Cobalt blue glass offered a brilliant sky blue, though this had to be scattered on wet paint or varnish to get the full effect. Pigments like 'Dutch Pink' and 'Crimson Lake' derived from certain berries and tree barks, were discovered in the New World. Cochineal was also discovered, produced by American Indians. Indigo was obtainable from dye works. The principal source of manmade white lead was Venice.
17th Century In the 1620's, the Dutch greatly increased availability of white lead and lowered cost by invention of the Stack Process. All white lead paints included chalk in their undercoats, reserving purer white lead for finish coats. Later in the century, 'vermilion', a manmade type of cinnabar, was developed, as was 'King's Yellow', a manmade type of orpiment.
18th Century The discovery of Prussian Blue provided a much needed intense deep blue, readily available after 1724. There was still no pigment resembling Spectrum Yellow and consequently no brilliant green other than that produced from arsenic. In 1778, a much less poisonous green was invented, 'Scheele's Green'. A break-through came in 1781 with Turner's Patent Yellow, though this still required varnish to preserve the colour.
19th century The real watershed in the search for a strong, light-fast yellow came with the discovery of water-resistant Chrome Yellow in 1818. Heating it produced 'Chinese Red' - the basis of Pillar Box Red. Mixtures of Prussian Blue and Chrome Yellow produced the well-known 'Brunswick Greens'. 'Cerulean', an aquamarine blue, and Gmelin's manmade ultramarine were discovered between 1821 and 1840, as was Alazarin Crimson. Using cast-iron paint mills and zinc-based pigments, industrialists produced the first washable paint marketed as 'Charlton White' in the 1870's. They also produced emulsions based on similar formulae, marketed as 'oil bound distempers'. By 1880 the new paints were readily available in tins, in a wide range of colours, and came to be exported all over the World.
The development of washable paints runs parallel to that of Portland cement, which enabled cavity construction and modern, watertight houses. The old paint-making tradition carried on until the Second World War, especially on estates where old buildings and conservative values survived. The apprenticeship training system came to be replaced by 'technical colleges' in the 1960's, and it was during this period that the petro-chemical companies promoted plastics paints (first introduced in the 1930's) which remain in general use today. By the 1980's, most of the craftsman painters of the old school were no longer with us and the few who remained were finding it difficult and often impossible to obtain the ingredients for making traditional materials. Because of modern production methods, materials had become superfine, which they found too dense and characterless.
Pigment dispersion
Mixing raw pigment into other mediums (e.g. paints, plasters) can be very difficult because clumping occurs. To prevent clumping, dispersion fluid (or wetting agent) is used. Dispersion fluid is designed to evenly and easily disperse pigment and turn it into a Universal Tinting Color (UTC). UTCs have no binding agents and will wash off if not mixed with a binder. These UTC’s are the mystery fluids behind the paint counter that your local paint store uses to color their paint.
A system of tinting all decorative painting mediums such as paints, glazes, plasters, etc. offers more control on the job site and helps to refine your Color accuracy. In addition, mixing with UTCs offers more variety of hues and longer storage of color. (Also see Metamerism for information on paint quality, and Business structure)
Dispersing pigments
To disperse pigment, take a desired pigment and mix it with the appropriate dispersion fluid. If you intend to use this dispersion with acrylic then you must use a fluid designed for acrylic. When you intend to use your dispersed pigments, or “UTCs, in acrylic or oil you must use a fluid that is compatible with both or either mediums. What makes a good dispersion? A good dispersion is one that does not separate, one that is compatible with the mediums with which it is intended for use, the purity of the pigment, and the amount of pigment in the dispersion, i.e. saturation level. High quality UTC’s are made by many manufacturers but also can be made by the craft person.
Pigment Washes
Pigments can be mixed with water and then washed on a desired surface also. Just remember, without a binder present they will reactivate with water. These pigment washes require Top Coats.
Color matching procedure
The ability to match any color comes with practice and will prove to be your most valuable asset. There are only three things that will make you better: PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!
Start with finding the hue or color derivatives
Mix them together to find the proper proportions
Mix with the medium intended to be used to find final formula
Translate this to the final job
When mixing color to match another color, you should start with small quantities of colorant on your palette. Mix together your best guess of which colors you think comprise the one you’re matching. Once you feel that you may have the proper hue mixture then you take the medium you intend to use, i.e. plaster, glaze…and the colorant ( KEEPING TRACK!!! ) and mix them together in a slightly larger quantity until you achieve the desired result. This creates your base formula with which you’ll be making your sample board. Then once you have this base formula, you can translate it to larger quantities for the job ahead.
Note: Most accurate way to measure is by weight; next best is by volume.
Here is an example of a card you can use to keep track when mixing your colorants.(Step 1) This is just for your personal use for keeping track of quick color mixing.
Job # or Name Finish Color Percentage _____ Color Percentage _____ Color Percentage _____ Color Percentage _____
Try matching colors from your local paint store palette once or twice a month to improve your skill. After you get as close as you can, call the paint store and ask them for their formula for that particular color. Compare it to your notes for color and volume ratio. This is a great exercise to improve your color intuition.
Keeping track of color
Why should you keep track of color? We know that each project is unique, and yet it’s often times very difficult to distinguish one from another. Keeping accurate records per the project is the best way to ensure that pertinent information is attached with its’ job. Touch ups and additional work are made simple with well kept color records. What about future clients who fall in love with one project? With accurate, accessible color records, you can easily accommodate this new client’s color preferences without all of the legwork. There are many ways to keep track of your color. One way is to keep paint samples for each job on color cards and then place them in your customer files with the details of the project. Always write formulas down! Memories can not be trusted with such valuable information. If premixed colored products are used exclusively, records are straight forward. If, however, you’ve mixed tints with a premixed colored product, the exact formula and product names must be documented. Not all tints, UTC’s, or acrylics are composed of the same ingredients. Even dye lots can vary, so duplicating a color depends on how thorough your records are.
Example: Use recipe cards and create a filing system
Job # or Name Finish/Room Products _______________ Base ________________ Color Quantity _____ Color Quantity _____ Color Quantity _____ Color Quantity _____
Notes:
Metamerism
see main article metamerism
Dyes
Dyes are organic fluids that contain chemical coloring agents, not pigments. Think of dyes as liquid versus pigments as solids. The origin of dyes is interesting and dates back thousands of years. A well known example is the dye crimson red. As early as 1700 (?) women used to boil beetles to extract the crimson colored liquid. This dye was then used to color clothing. (For other examples, refer to The Artist’s Handbook). Dyes are used in concentrated forms for commercial furniture production as well as decorative painting.
Stains
Stains are usually made with dyes. They are fluids designed to penetrate a desired surface, saturate it with color and permanently change it. The decorative painter should learn how to make and use stains.
