I know that this is a loaded question, but I was wondering if someone could give me some advise on how to mix paints to get a specific color for a model?
Is there a relatively easy way to do this, without having to dig too deep into the science of hues, shades, primary and complementary colors? I’ve been mixing my little hart out trying to get just a small amount of mustard yellow for the siding of the Clarksville depot I’m starting to work on. I’ve seen a picture with this color scheme online and I’m now trying to match that color, but it is incredible tedious and time consuming and while I’m getting close, the tone is just not quite right yet.
How do you paint your models? Just using of the shelf colors, or is there a bit of mixing action going on here and there? It can’t be THAT difficult, can it?
It probably is, isn’t it?
That’s the shade of yellow I’d like to use on my model as well.
In my opinion, it’s not difficult at all, and I usually use custom-mixed colours for most painting. The yellow in your photo looks somewhat close to Floquil’s (and possibly PollyScale’s) “Depot Buff”, and I’d start with that. It’ll need some white added, and possibly a little yellow.
I usually do a rough test mix, using a brush or stir-stick to dip into the different colours, then depositing the paint a drop-at-a-time into a small container, such as the cap from a film canister (anybody remember those?). Start with an available colour which is close, and keep track of the number of drops used from each colour. Continue adjusting until you get what you want, but if the test batch veers too far away from the target colour, start over. After you make the match, apply a bit of it to a neutral background (preferably a pre-primed piece of similar material) and let it dry to ensure that the colour still looks right. When you think that you’ve got it right, use a syringe with graduated markings to translate your drop-by-drop formula into c.c.s or other convenient measurement, then re-test to make sure the mix is right. Adjust if necessary, then enter the formula somewhere that it can be easily found when required: I have a small journal where I record paint formulae, drill sizes for details parts, loco tear-down procedures, etc., etc.
Good luck.
As you are finding out, there is a real science to matching color. It is sometimes easier and much more practical to think about color in a 2 dimensional manner of shade and dirtiness rather than the traditional 3 dimensions of hue, value, and chroma.
Shade can only be adjusted “towards” a color that resides next to it on the color wheel. Ex: red can be adjusted more yellow or more blue. Red cannot be adjusted more green. Adjust for shade first. The color wheel shows mustard yellow to be a redder shade of yellow so add red to yellow to move the color clockwise on the wheel. The depot is yellow not orange so add red sparingly.
Once you have the shade adjusted then adjust the dirtiness. Adding white moves color to the outside of the wheel making it lighter, conversely adding black moves color to the inside of the wheel making the color darker. “Dirtiness” is where on the wheel does the color need to move - lighter/darker? Add small amounts of black or white to adjust the dirtiness of the correct shade you developed in the first step.
Be aware both white and black have color undertones so you may notice a slight shade shift as you add them. Adjust with the appropriate color to move the color around the wheel to the correct shade again.
Adding both black and white will desaturate the color without making it more/less dirty. This is what happens when paint fades naturally.
Many pigments have natural dirtiness. Oxides for instance. Mustard yellow is a good example. Mustard yellow is a combination of yellow oxide, red oxide, black, and white. Work with those 4 colors and you will be a
I am particularly struggling trying to desaturate the yellow I have
mixed up as it is too “poppy” for me.
I’ve read that you supposed to use the complementary color to desaturate
your mixed color, but I much prefer the adding white and black method.
The problem with that is that you have to add a lot to make a real difference.
By now I have enough color mixed up to paint 10 of these buildings…
It seems almost better to start with enough light grey to paint the whole model
and than to start adding yellow and some red to it until the hues match.
I’ll take a look at the Floquil and PolyScale site to see if they have chip
charts of their paints. Maybe I can find a tone that will work out of the bottle.
I’ve read that you supposed to use the complementary color to desaturate your mixed color, but I much prefer the adding white and black method. The problem with that is that you have to add a lot to make a real difference.
You are absolutely correct about creating a large volume of paint. Invariably it happens. The trick is to gauge the color by eye first. Is it a highly desaturated color? If yes then start with gray. If no then start with the pure color. Either way, mix in incredibly small amounts noting the relative concentration of each component (approx). When you nail the color you can then replicate it in a larger quantity without so much hit-miss.
Adding colors from the opposite side of the color wheel will desaturate but the caveat is it will introduce metamarism. The color will appear to change shade dramatically with change in lighting. Generally, you want to avoid this possibility hence why adding an opposite color should be avoided. Many people refer to this as “killing” a color. While it does work it is a sloppy, problem fraught solution to the problem.
Thanks Alan,
I’ll probably start with at least 50% of light grey from now on since most colors out of the jar pop too much for my taste.
So, no silver bullet - but still some really good advice.
For this sort of mix I’d go with two yellows - one option might be Arylamide Yellow [bright yellow] and Raw Sienna [dull yellow] + white which gave me this:
The raw sienna will do the job of taming the other yellow, while giving it a different flavour of yellow that greying with yellow’s complementary colour [violet] won’t provide. It would depend on the brand of paint too, because they vary. Yellow Ochre may well do the job when mixed with a bright yellow. Again, dependent upon the brand, Naples Yellow is similar in hue to the example you showed.
The yellow looks surprisingly like Santa Fe Catwisker Yellow. It is a real mild yellow that was used on a single stall Pikestuff metal engine house in a book/magazine on engine terminals and round houses from the publishers of Model Railroader Magazine.
Mike, you got the color nailed pretty good right there from what I can tell!
Mind sending my a small jar? [;)]
I would definitely need a bigger selection of colors than I have right now to make this process easier. Just wish they didn’t charge an arm and a leg for some of these paints…
You’ve gotten some pretty good advice so far, especially on the technical aspects. I mix a lot of my own colors from a palette of 48 Pollyscale or Modelmaster Acryl commercial colors (although that’s not quite fair, because I don’t do much mixing with steel, silver, gold, etc.). Much of the time, I’m painting miniature soldiers or fantasy figures in either HO or 25mm scale (pretty close).
I bought a set of little plastic bottles with attached caps) and use those to mix and store paint. I do match the hues by eye, but over the years, I’ve gotten pretty good at guessing where to start. I mix it using a stirring stick (the kind you see in the coffee area at work) and let it dry, then compare it to what I want. As others have said, I have a small notebook in which I keep all my “recipes”.
In this particular case, though, maybe you’re overthinking it. Is anyone going to notice if it’s not an EXACT match?
Anyway, I’m guessing about a 4:1 mixture of PRR buff and yellow, with maybe a drop of white, will get you there.
>In this particular case, though, maybe you’re overthinking it.
Yes, my OCD does get the better of me from time to time… [:)]
But I really like that color and I have gotten some good advice on how to achieve it. Particularity on how to desaturate a color, which had eluded me so far. So much easier to do in Photoshop…
Those little bottles you mentioned, are they those really small ones, maybe a little over an inch tall? Those would be nice to have for the miniscule amounts of paint that I need for most of my paint jobs. Where do you get those?
Have you checked out the craft paints at Walmart or a craft store? They have quite a wide selection and they are much cheaper (50-90 cents a bottle), They are also acrylics and can be intermixed with our model acrylic colors. Sometimes they need a bit of thinning (water) for our purposes.
Next time you’re at McDonalds grab a handfull of the little plastic condiment cups. They’re great for mixing paint and washes and you don’t waste a whole bottle trying to get a color right… I make a point getting a handful every time I visit Micky Dees.
Save those color wheels to your computer so you always have them handy. If you want to print them out use photo paper to get closer to the true colors. Or you can pick one up at an art supplies store.
