PaperArtsy: Paint Sample Chart

Hi everyone, Darcy here. While messing around with my paints today I decided that I really needed a colour chart. Once finished I was really pleased with it and thought you might like to make one for yourselves.

I started out by creating a table, just in a word programme, it's really nothing flashy. Actually I wanted to keep it fairly simple, but with a very important element.

Of course there needed to be spaces for the paint, and a box underneath with the corresponding paint name. However the really nifty addition is the set of chevrons within each paint box. (Scroll down to near the bottom of this post for a download link)

So why are these chevrons so important? well have you ever noticed that there are similar chevrons on the front of every bottle of Fresco Finish paint?

So we have these chevrons, and it would appear they are covered up with paint? yes they are. When the paint is bottled and labelled up, each and every label has a little paint brushed onto the label. All by hand, wow those PaperArtsy elves work hard.

Did you know that the paint covered chevrons are actually a cool little tool, there to help you when you are choosing paint? How can that possibly help you may ask..

There are 3 categories of Fresco Finish paint, Translucent, Semi-Opaque and Opaque. You can see these clearly in the photo above. We also use the word 'coverage' a lot with this paint. It is a confusing word,and many people think that it means that the paint will 'go a long way'. However what it really means is that the paint is good at 'covering up' whatever is underneath.

Take a look at those bottles. On the translucent bottle, you can clearly see the chevrons through the paint. So the translucents, which are the brightest of the colours, have the lowest level of coverage. Then we have the semi-opaque, you can still see a little of the chevrons. Finally look at the opaque bottle, the black chevrons are completely covered up.

So let's start to fill in the colour chart. Here we have Zesty Zing, this is a translucent and so the printed chevrons show through. This is good to know especially when you are colouring in stamped images. Use a translucent paint and you won't lose the stamped outlines of your image.

Next we have Chocolate Pudding, the chevrons are still partly visible, this is a semi-opaque.

Finally the Space Cadet, see how the chevrons are completely gone! Because of this, opaques are perfect for backgrounds. Also if you ever make a mistake with your project, grab an opaque and cover it up and start again, nobody will ever know because the opaques are so good at 'covering up.

So I filled in my chart completely. Now I can see several things at a glance.

1. I can see which colours I have and which are missing.

2. I can see how the colours look out of the bottle, always helpful when picking out a colour for a project.

3. I can see at a glance which colours are translucent, semi-opaque and opaque.

4. I can see at a glance the colour families.

This final point, about the families, is another nifty tool intended to help you. All the paints are in groups of families of 4. Each member of that family will work in harmony with other members of that family.

When faced with so many colours it can be confusing knowing which colours will work well together. Using this chart you can easily identify sets of 4 colours that will work in harmony. Each family runs from lightest on the left to darkest on the right.

I hope you find this useful. Please feel free to download and fill in your own chart. You can download a copy to print from this link: http://www.paperartsy.co.uk/pdfs/FrescoFinish72.pdf

PaperArtsy also have this new printed paint chart (below) of the 72 Frescos. This is designed primarily to be a 'tick chart' as you collect your Fresco paints. It also indicates which shades are opaque, semi and translucent.

Due to differences between computer screens, and the difficultly of trying to reproduce painted colours as a printed CMYK version, the colours are not a perfect match. Particularly the darkest and turquoise (blue-green) shades. This is why PaperArtsy elves paint the colour on the labels on the front of every bottle as it is the best, and only true indicator of the colour inside !

When you place an order at PaperArtsy, they will pop one of these in with your order. They are also putting wads of them into every box going out to trade customers (shops), so ask at your local PaperArtsy stamp store for a copy of this chart below.