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What? Another Paint Chart?

Many people think Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is too expensive, but I actually believe it is a great value.  It is so highly pigmented, that a little goes a long way. Other than artists paints, the ones that come in those 2 ounce tubes, I have never found a paint of this quality.  That said, if you paint furniture on a regular basis and want a wide range of colors, smart buying is the key.  It is important to have a few basic colors. Pure White, Old White, or Graphite added to a blue, red, green, or yellow will give you a wide range of shades. 


Buying the most staurated color of a group, will give you the most flexibility. Its easy to lighten a dark color. Even if you love green, buying all of the greens will limit your ability to create different looks. This chart is meant to organize by color group, and saturation,  to expand your range and maximize your budget.

I’d love your feedback on this. Is this something you do?  Or do you find her colors so subtle  it is too hard to mix them. Do you have a few favorite colors you use most of the time?

Mixing standard colors in different amounts and combinations is a great way to create a diverse and unique color palette. To see some the custom colors you can make from Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®, see my posts, Mixing for Green, Mixing for Purple, and Mixing for Orange.

5 comments:

  1. Understanding color is both science and art. I am surprised your question hasn't generated any discussion because your comment on buying the most pigmented color makes sense. What would you recommend for a beginner?

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    1. Mary,
      With the exception of white, definitely start with the sample sizes until you know you like the color enough for more than one project. If your goal is purely mixing, Graphite, Pure White, Emperor's Silk, Napoleonic Blue. English Yellow. In theory you should be able to get every color with the primaries, black, and white. But you will probably be disappointed. You will never be able to get a good green, like Antibes, with Napoleonic Blue and English Yellow. Also English Yellow has a lot of green in it on its own. Emperor's Silk is a great red and you should be able to make a wide variety of pinks from that and Pure White. And Napoleonic Blue is a good solid between royal and navy that mixes well for a large range of blues.That said, if there is a color you like you should just go ahead and try it. You can waste a lot of paint trying to mix for a particular color. It makes sense not to buy many colors that are very close like Antoinette, Henrietta, Emile, Paloma. or Duck Egg and Provence. French Linen or Coco, both are great but you can make do with either one of them.Chalk Paint has great coverage and goes a long way, but it also expensive. Thats why I think its best to start with the sample sizes and choose carefully. Complicated subject. Hope this helps a bit
      Leslie

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  2. It helps a lot. Thanks. Your comment about not buying similar colors is also helpful and makes sense to me. I bought a quart of old white yesterday. I have a beautiful shabby chic armoire I bought for my daughter about 15 years ago. It appears to have been painted with chalk paint in a creamy white. I would like to paint the interior blue like Annie sloan did for the armoire in her latest book. She used Greek blue. So I know I want a blue.

    I also want a warm grey color - so I will have to think about that. I am looking around for upholstery fabric for the chairs then I'll decide on the grey. Does coco have a pink hue in it?

    Since it looks like clear wax darkens the paint a little could I mix in a little old white to the clear wax to keep the color or lighten a color? Have you ever done this?

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    1. Mary,
      Yes Coco is warm and Annie says French Linen is a cool color. Although I have substituted one for the other at times.
      You can always add a little paint to your clear wax.It's a great way to make a subtle change in the overall color and also boost your highlights without having to paint and rewax. There are many more techniques I hope to get to eventually.
      Leslie

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