Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Mixing Custom Chalk Paint Colors

Though I haven't mentioned it here in quite a while, I'm still busy from time to time in my workshop transforming furniture with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  Sometimes I want a color that isn't available premixed, so I experiment with the colors I have and see what I can mix up.  (Annie's paints mix beautifully and I have never yet ended up with a muddy mess of a custom color.)

While I was visiting with Janet at her shop yesterday afternoon, she asked me why I wasn't publishing my color recipes.  I guess I just didn't think of it till she called me out on it.

In my workshop, I have a shelf where I have painted a swatch of each of the Annie Sloan colors that I have.  This really helps me when I start a new piece, serving as my inspiration board for choosing colors and combinations.

 
 
Three of the colors on my shelf are custom colors ... they're numbered 1, 2, and 3 below.

 
 
Here are the recipes:
 
Color #1 is a warm greenish grey.  I originally mixed it to use on my Hoosier.
 

 
 
Color #2 is almost exactly the color of a Hersheys chocolate bar.  I wanted brown for a table that I will be working on soon, and I got to work (using a bit of high school art class color theory 101 in the process) and ended up with a color that I am really pleased with. 
 

 
 
I mixed up Color #3 without a project in mind.  I was playing with colors one afternoon, and this soft peach color was born.
 

 
 
I have a stock of empty peanut butter jars in my workshop paint cabinet, to use for mixing and storing my custom colors.  The jars are clear (so I can see the color), plastic (I'm a bit of a klutz sometimes), and a good size for mixing up enough paint for a large piece. 
 
I will be finishing up a little side table later in the week.  Here is a preview of the drawer front.
 
 
That's 'Old Violet' and my custom Greenish Grey, lightly distressed with a coat of clear wax.
 
For all of you Chalk Paint lovers out there ... do you have any favorite custom color recipes that you would like to share?
 
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