Thanks so much for the sweet comments about our hutch & table redo!
We’ll cover the finish & waxing tips in another post, but I wanted to chat a little today about mixing your own colors with Chalk Paint®. I had never really done a ton of my own color mixing until I began using this paint a few years ago. Now it’s something I crave…and since I love the properties of Chalk Paint, & we carry it now, it’s easier for me to mix my own colors…plus, it’s fun!
When you hear people talk about making their own colors, you probably hear them say things like, “just mix one part of this to 2 parts of this…,” etc. Well, a couple of years ago that sounded intimidating to the likes of me.
What??
But…it’s really not hard at all, and I adore creating my perfect color with this cool paint.
Start by grabbing the colors you want to work with…let’s say you love Florence, but it’s too saturated for you…mix it with Old White for a more muted, lighter color or Pure White for a cleaner, fresher color.
I had Old White on hand, so that’s what I went with.
You can take a second and work out your color on a sheet of paper…let me be honest, unless I’m working on a big, specific project (like cabinets), I don’t really test much. But, as you start mixing color, it may make you feel better to test it beforehand. This will help you figure out if you need lots of white & a little color or lots of color with a little white.
Not only can you lighten your colors with Old & Pure White, you can also mix colors together…
In the top pic, you can see I put an equal dab of Greek Blue & Florence…then in the bottom pic, you can see the pretty muted peacock blue they made together…and then what a small dab of Old White did to the color.
And here’s the mystery….all a part is is what you use to measure your paint. I know, some of you are thinking,”oh my, how did she ever NOT know that?” Well, my younger years weren’t filled with lots of arts and crafts…so I learned something new. 🙂
So, if you’re using a 1 cup measuring cup, then that’s 1 part. Or a tablespoon or half a cup or whatever…that’s the “part.” So if I were using 1 cup, and I said, “1 part Florence to 2 parts Old White,” that would mean 1 cup Florence to 2 cups Old White.
Good?
If I don’t need a lot of paint, I love mixing in mason jars because a. I have them lying around, and b. I can see the pretty color once it’s mixed, and c. It has measurement lines on it already…so no worrying with spoons or cups.
For this color, I wanted to try 2 parts Florence to 1 part Old White. Fill your cup,etc. with the 2 parts Florence, then simply pour in one part of Old White (if you’re using a jar as measurement, you’ll just pour in the Old White until the paint reaches up to the 3rd fill line).
Then, simply swirl your paint together…or put the lid on and shake well.
That’s it….see? Not so intimidating.
Follow the same process to mix two bold colors together….because I love mixing colors so much, it’s one of the reasons Annie’s new book, Color Recipes, is one of my favorites. We’ll have it listed soon on our website…it’s fantastic. Lots of beautifully painted furniture with step by step pics plus loads of color mixing/inspiration.
I hope this encourages you to think outside the paint can & paint the town lovely.
Always a joy reading what you are up to. Please share second color “recipe” ?
Thank you.
Hey Erin! It was just equal parts Greek Blue to Florence…so pick your “part” and mix equal amounts!
🙂
shaunna
Thank you..just reread post. It was right there. Thanks, you are so inspiring!
So fun! Love mixing colors. Can’t wait to get Annie’s new book for more inspiration. x
Love your blog! I’m brand new too blogs and chalk paint and anything crafty in general!
Can’t wait to try painting something with chalk paint! I have several pieces waiting in the wings.
That aqua color you mixed in the mason jar is BEYOND AWESOME!!!!
but where do you get the chalk paint. I asked at our local Menards and they didn’t know. Where do you get it?
Hey Andrea! You can order online right at our shop here… http://www.perfectlyimperfectshop.com/store/chalk-paint or you can go to anniesloanunfolded.com to check for your local retailers!
🙂
shaunna
Beautiful 🙂
LOVE mixing Annie’s gorgeous paints together!!
Janet xox
The Empty Nest
As expensive as the paint is I don’t want to try mixing and then hate what I’ve ended up with. Will the new book really help with that? There is only one store in my area that carries the paint and I am not real comfortable with the person there. Wish I were closer to you!
Oh, Carla, I’m sorry to hear that! We can jump on the phone sometime and chat about the specific color you’re trying to create. P.S. the new book is fantastic and I think you’ll LOVE it!
🙂
shaunna
I had great success with graphite and pure white on a TV cabinet. Graphite on the cabinet then great shades of grey on the doors and inserts. I have also used DecoArt Americana to tint pure white for whatever I want. Taking the DecoArt and adding ASCPaint pure white to it. It still keeps the properties I love in chalk paint, still reacts well to wax, and for 1.00 a bottle I have unlimited color choices for small jobs. Just be sure to label those baby food jars with what’s in there!
I had never thought about mixing my paint colors before. I always just go to the store and pick out the color I want and have them mix it. I would have never thought about mixing the colors I have to make a different color. Thanks! I have yet to use the chalk paint but I am getting more and more interested in it. I am going to have to check it out soon.
Hey! Love the hutch! Glad you were able to finish it, bet you feel very accomplished with the exciting year you’ve had ;). Does your paint brush fit in the cutie mason jar or do u dump it out when painting? Thanks
I painted my hutch French Linen. When I was finished it was too close to the same color as my walls. Waaahhhh. So, I decided to mix up some French Linen and Graphite and probably threw in some Old White. It turned into a lovely mossy charcoal! I could never do the same color again because I don’t know my “parts”! Helpful hint: Always write down your mixture! I do love my ASCP!
Thanks for sharing,Shaunna! Love the redo!
Beautiful tints! Before mixing, I use the colors mixer service – http://trycolors.com. It shows the proportion of color, the result is quite accurate.
Love your suggestions. I wanted to share a chalk paint mixing site that I have found helpful as a starter point. Check it out:
http://www.thepurplepaintedlady.com/paint-mixer/
Thanks…Susan
I’e found the most succesful way for me to mix paint is to weigh it…..this allows me to get the exact colour again if I need to mix more.Say I have 4oz of main colour and I need 1oz of another to get the shade I need….this means no matter how much I make up I know its going to be a 4-1 ratio…it works for me…..
I need to get a true black color but wanted to use Chalk Paint.
What can I do? Can I mix some regular latex paint with Chalk graphite color?
Thank you! I was trying to figure out how to measure them perfectly without having to transfer to/from measuring cups (I hate to waste even a drop of my Annie Sloan paint). The mason jar is a perfect idea!!!
I like to use a large animal syringe/medicine dispenser (the feed store had one that went to 60ml) great way to get exact amounts and very little waste when mixing colors. Love ASCP!
Do you know if it’s possible to mix standard emulsion (latex) paint with the Annie Sloan paints to make different colours? I have lots of left over paint lying around which I would like to use up.
Thank you
I am about to paint my cabinets, and this is exactly what I needed to read. I have Florence on hand, but it’s a little too deep for what I want. Thanks for posting.