CHAPTER IV.

PRISMATIC AND OBJECTIVE COLOR--HARMONIZING AND CONTRASTING COLORS--MIXING COLORS--TESTING THEM--ASSAYING FOR OPACITY, COLORING STRENGTH, BRILLIANCY, ETC.--TABLE FOR COMPOUNDING COACH COLORS, HUES, AND TINTS.

While colors, as we know them, differ from each other, they exist, according to the generally accepted theory, as simply different movements of the same element. The immense ocean of ether, which is in all space, is one, and the colors are all waves of that one ocean.

When a ray of light undergoes a change of direction it is divided into many minor rays, which to our visual sense are represented as colors. As, for example, if a ray of white light be directed through the edge of a triangular prism so that its course is bent or refracted, the ray is divided into several different rays of colors, these being thereby termed spectrum colors.

It is practically agreed by authorities that the rainbow affords the most complete illustration of spectrum colors, these being formed by the passage of light through the spray or drops of water in a shower. Color, then, may be said to be due to the action of light. Hence the established dictum, namely, white is a reunion of all the colored rays of the prismatic spectrum. It is a basic element in every color except black, and, as a color, black figures as an absolute neutral, it being devoid of white light.

The conditions and circumstances which unite to produce the varying and various color sensations have never yet been unanimously agreed upon by the eminent color theorists. The practical man may thread the remotest confines of color theories as expounded by Newton, Brewster Jones, Field, Rood, Young, and others, until his adventures bring him out on the toil-won heights and stupendous summits of the modern science of colors, and what he beholds will simply tend to confuse his intellect and more than ever convince him that the mastery of color laws remains yet to be accomplished; that no unalterable rule can be successfully applied to the theory of color. To those of my readers who desire to explore deeply into the recesses of color science, I would recommend the works by the afore-mentioned colorists. It is the purpose to deal in this chapter, so far as possible, with the more practical aspects of the science.

Objective color, as distinguished from what is termed illusive or prismatic color, is confined to those substances or materials endowed with the selective property for absorbing the colored rays from the light which is imparted to them, and which, in the technology of painting, are known as pigments.

The colors which make up the three orders usually, but not invariably, recognized by modern colorists, and which practically apply to the needs of the vehicle painter, may be placed as follows:[A]

Primary Colors Secondary Colors Tertiary Colors

Red Green Russet Yellow Purple Citron Blue Orange Olive

Carmine, ultramarine blue, and lemon chrome yellow most nearly approach to the prismatic colors, and, taking them for the primaries, we find, according to the deductions of Chevreul and others, that in proportional strength they rank thus: Yellow, the weakest, 3; red, medium, 5; blue, strongest, 8. To form the secondary colors, yellow, 3 parts, and blue, 8 parts, produces green, which is the contrasting color to red, the contrasting primary being always the color not contained in the secondary. Purple, the contrast to yellow, contains red, 5 parts; blue, 8 parts. Orange, the contrast to blue, has red, 5 parts; yellow, 3 parts. Any color in the secondary column opposite a color in the primary column is the contrasting color to that primary, and in the tertiary column, the tertiary opposite any given secondary may be accepted as the harmonizing color to that secondary's contrasting primary; as, for example, yellow, the primary, has purple as its contrasting, and citron as its harmonizing, color. In like manner russet harmonizes with red and olive with blue. The tertiaries may be produced by uniting the secondaries in equal proportions, or by the primaries being combined in the proportion of 2 parts of any given primary and 1 part of each of the two remaining primaries. For instance, olive is made of purple and green, both secondaries, or it may be made of blue, 2 parts, and 1 part each red and yellow. Citron is made from green and orange; russet from orange and purple. Referring to the three different orders of colors, it will be found that experiment will enable one to effect many changes in the development of color harmony. Any one color of any of the three orders will harmonize with the colors which contrast with the remaining two colors of the same order. Take the primary, blue. The contrasting colors to the remaining two primaries are purple and green, with which blue harmonizes. The contrasts to the primaries, red and blue, are respectively green and orange, with which the third primary, yellow, harmonizes. Or red will harmonize with the contrasts to the primaries, yellow and blue, which are purple and orange. Continuing the experiment to the secondary colors, it is found that green harmonizes with citron and olive, the contrasts to the two remaining secondaries, purple and orange; purple harmonizes with russet (russet contains a double share of red, bear in mind) and olive, both being contrasts to orange and green, the other secondaries. Orange harmonizes with citron and russet, the contrasts to purple and green.

These experiments in the domain of color contrasts and harmony might be pursued indefinitely, but the above will suffice to afford the student who essays the colorist's art (and what vehicle painter doesn't aspire to that art?) a practical working plan for the acquirement of such information as will enable him ultimately to successfully meet the exacting requirements of modern vehicle ornamentation. Knowledge of the harmony of analogy, a simple, effective, and ready way of varying painting, together with a knowledge of contrasts, the finer, higher, and superior system of effecting the most adorable and fetching color adornment, is an indispensable help to the painter, to attain which he can well afford to make many sacrifices.

The harmony of color as it applies to the use of two or more colors with reference to the relationships which should exist between them, requires to be further intensified by a strict and vigilant regard for the season, conditions, and circumstances which obtain when certain combinations of colors are employed. And for this reason: Blue is a cold color, chilly in the extreme at some seasons of the year, upon certain surfaces. It may be called a space color and imparts a retiring effect to form. Red, applied to form, appears stationary and gives a warmth of sentiment. Orange is, if anything, warmer in its effect than a full red. Bright yellow tends to excitement of the vision. Green has a conspicuous or advancing appearance.

The primary colors have no established hues, tints, or shades, but in every compound of the primaries a hue is recognizable. Green, for instance, as a compound of blue and yellow, can be made to vary surprisingly in hue as the proportion of one primary is increased and the other reduced, and _vice versa_.

In every compound of the primaries the predominating primary fixes the hue thereof. Hue, then, as an authority has well said, may be "a mixture of two or more colors of any order, but the mixture should not depart from the original color."

Tone, as applied to a color, measures the depth of the hue of that color.

Dilute a color, or the hue thereof, with white, and a tint of that color or hue is the result. To illustrate: By adding white to chrome yellow, the yellow is reduced along down through the long lists of tints until it reaches white.

A color or hue deepened by the addition of black becomes a shade of that color or hue; or, in other words, a shade is any color made deeper by the addition of black. The positive colors contain no white or black by mixture, while the negative colors do contain white or black or both.

THE MIXING OF COLORS,

in view of the fact that the manufacture of them has now reached a very high state of perfection, would seem to be a comparatively easy matter, but it must be understood that in vehicle painting, business vehicle painting especially, there are many hues, tints, and shades demanded which the color maker does not furnish. Such mixtures have to be prepared by the painter, and the work becomes a skilled operation. First he must be fortified with a clear knowledge of the proportions of the ingredients required to form the desired color or hue thereof, or tint or shade. Then he must skillfully and _perfectly_ combine them. The word "perfectly" is emphasized because if the constituents be not perfectly combined, a long train of evils is invited. A most minute and perfect incorporation of all the particles of the paint material must be made, otherwise a lack of uniformity in strength, coloring, and covering power results. Certain colors have a property of unduly asserting themselves when combined with certain other colors in the mixing cup, and if allowance be not made for this assertive strength and a very thorough mixture of the parts effected, the color, when applied to the surface, is apt to show streaks. Some pigments require grinding upon the slab under the muller to obtain an absolutely perfect commingling of the particles.

This rule applies to the mixing of pigments: The more perfect the mixing, the more perfect the product; perfect not only as regards its strength, permanence, and brilliancy of color, but perfect also as regards its working properties.

While two or more pigments may mix nicely together, they may not liquify readily, and unless the workman be thorough in his mixing operations, lack of a uniform film of color ensues, a condition which later on develops the faded and bleached out surface, and in many instances the flaking and shelly one. The painter who would become a skilled mixer of pigment will insist upon exact quantitative measurements of all the ingredients he may employ, both liquids and solids, when such measurements are possible, and he will further see that the ingredients are perfectly united.

The attainment of a high average of results in the use of colors depends greatly upon the achievements of the color maker and upon the uniform quality of his product. Fineness of grinding, uniformity of color in respect to its coloring and covering power, and brilliancy, are valued essentials. It is necessary that the painter should get from the color maker not one, two, or three successive lots of color that are of standard color, tint, or shade, but _every_ lot should correspond to the exact standard. When the painter opens a new lot of color, he desires it to be exactly like the last in every particular, provided, of course, the last lot was standard. Hence, uniformity of color, of tint, of shade, of quality throughout, is a requirement with which the color maker may properly be expected to comply. It will thus be observed that the purchase of colors is one of the really important steps leading up to fine and durable color effects.

In testing a color for covering power or opacity, for coloring strength, and for brilliancy, comparison should always be made with a strictly standard color.

To assay for covering power or opacity, weigh out, say 50 grains, of the standard color and the same number of grains of the color under examination, and to each sample add 10 grains of fine china clay, if the colors be dark, or 10 grains of the highest grade of lampblack (this being a pure black) should they be light, and mix intimately. The sample which departs the least from its own color has the best body or covering power. Or mix exactly equal quantities of the standard color and the color to be assayed, in equal quantities of raw linseed oil, incorporating the oil and the pigment thoroughly, and then apply to glass surfaces (small panes of window glass answer the purpose fully), spreading the pigment as evenly as possible. The sample covering the glass most solidly has the strongest covering power.

Coloring power is determined by mixing a given quantity of a standard sample of color with a certain quantity of china clay or, if preferred, zinc white. Of the sample to be assayed take the same quantity of color and mix with exactly the same quantity of china clay or zinc white used with the standard. The sample showing the greatest depth of color may be accepted as having the strongest coloring power.

The durability or permanency of a pigment may be tested by mixing the pigment with raw linseed oil, spreading on a piece of glass, exposing it to the rigors of the weather, and noting its condition from time to time.

The fineness of a color or pigment can be judged by rubbing the material between two thick pieces of glass or subjecting it to a powerful microscopic examination. Or a common fruit can with a tight cover may be two-thirds filled with clean water, half an ounce of color put therein, and the contents vigorously shaken. The finer the sample is ground, the longer the time it will require to settle out.

The following table is intended to aid in the compounding of the principal hues, tints, and shades of colors used in carriage and wagon painting. It would prove futile to try to make the proportions arbitrary, because the uniformity of colors advocated above does not universally obtain, the product of one firm differing from that of other firms and very often, unfortunately, lacking uniformity in itself.

Moreover, color sense has not reached a uniform development, and the proportions which would, for example, make a cherry red as accepted by one person might not appear that color to the second person. However, in most of the formulas proportions are indicated, and the table is presented not as an infallible guide, but more in the nature of a reliably helpful one.

TABLE OF HUES, TINTS, AND SHADES OF COLORS.

REDS.

Transparent Red--No. 40 carmine.

French Red--Indian red and vermilion glazed with carmine.

Carnation Red--Red lake, 3 parts; white, 1 part.

Wine Color--Carmine, 3 parts; ultramarine blue, 3 parts.

Claret--Carmine and ultramarine blue, or red and black.

Imperial Red--Yellow lake, 1 part; solferino lake, 5 parts.

Cherry Red--Carmine, 1 part; English vermilion, 2 parts.

Maroon Red--Lampblack, 1 part; Venetian red, 8 parts.

Solid Crimson--English vermilion, 1 part; carmine, 2 parts.

Superlative Vermilion--English vermilion, 3 parts; orange mineral, 1 part.

Deep Rose--Victoria lake, 1 part; flake white, 6 parts.

Brick Red--Yellow Ochre, 2 parts; English vermilion, 1 part; white, 1 part.

Metropolitan Red--Carmine and vermilion, glazed with carmine. A stunning and saucy panel color.

YELLOWS.

Primrose--Add a dash of white to lemon yellow. Or, according to Standard Dictionary, 58% of white, 24% of yellow, and 18% of green. It should be of a very pale yellow tint; is fashionable and originally English, you know.

Maroon Yellow--Carmine, 3 parts; yellow, 2 parts.

Rich Yellow--Orange chrome, 1 part; white, 6 parts.

Buff--White, 2 parts; yellow ochre, 1 part.

Oak--Yellow ochre, 1 part; white, 8 parts.

Jonquil Yellow--Flake white and chrome yellow, with a bit of carmine added.

Sulphur Yellow--Lemon chrome, 1 part; white, 1 part.

Amber Yellow--Chrome yellow (medium), 8 parts.

Canary Yellow--White, 6 parts; lemon chrome, 1 part.

Naples Yellow--White, 150 parts; golden ochre, 9 parts; orange chrome, 1 part.

Straw Color--White, 5 parts; lemon yellow, 2 parts; vermilion, a drop or two.

Lemon Color--Lemon yellow, 2 parts; white, 5 parts.

Cream Color--White, 5 parts; red, 1 part; yellow, 2 parts.

Cream Tint--White, 150 parts; orange chrome, 1 part.

Gold--White and medium chrome yellow. Add a little vermilion and French yellow ochre.

Pale Orange--Orange chrome, 1 part; white, 5 parts.

Acorn Yellow--White and raw sienna, equal parts.

BLUES.

Changeable Blue--Prussian blue.

Ocean Blue--White, 15 parts; Prussian blue, 1 part; raw sienna, 2 parts.

Ultramarine Blue--Three shades, light, dark, and medium.

Grass Blue--White, 6 parts; emerald green, 2 parts; Prussian blue, 1 part.

Azure Blue--White, 35 parts; ultramarine blue (medium), 1 part.

Cerulean Blue--White, colored with ultramarine blue.

Bird's-Egg Blue--Add ultramarine blue to white until a tolerably intense blue is reached; then give a dash of light chrome green.

Cobalt Blue--A fine pale blue, and a most beautiful panel color. Very permanent.

Brunswick Blue--Made in three shades. Popular in some sections.

GREENS.

Sage Green--White, 60 parts; light chrome green, 2 parts; raw umber, 1 part.

Bottle Green--Dutch pink and Prussian blue, glazed with yellow lake; or medium chrome green, 5 parts; drop black, 1 part.

Nile Green, otherwise Body Green--Milori green, Prussian blue, and black, mixed to the desired shade and glazed over with yellow lake.

Tea Green--Made of blue chrome green and raw umber. A striking panel color for business wagons.

Pea Green--White, 5 parts; chrome green, 1 part.

Willow Green--White, 5 parts; verdigris, 1 part.

Grass Green--Yellow, 3 parts; Prussian blue, 1 part.

Marine Green--White, 30 parts; chrome green, 1 part.

Brilliant Green--Paris green, 4 parts; chrome green, 1 part.

Bronze Green--Chrome green, 5 parts; burnt umber, 1 part; black, 1 part.

Scheele's Green--Paris green.

Milori Green--A fine panel color for business vehicles; is rich in color and of good covering power.

Olive Green--Golden ochre, 5 parts; coach black, 1 part.

Quaker Green--Chrome yellow, 5 parts; Prussian blue, 2 parts; vermilion, 1 part.

The greens form a class of colors very extensively employed in the painting of all classes of vehicles. There are two orders of green, namely, cold and warm. In cold greens, blue or black predominates; the warm greens contain an excess of yellow. As a class, the greens contrast with reds and colors containing red, and harmonize with colors having yellow or blue in their composition.

BROWNS.

Olive Brown--Burnt umber, 3 parts; lemon yellow, 1 part.

Bismarck Brown--Dutch pink, burnt umber, and lake. Or, with a mixture of burnt umber 2 parts, white lead 1 part, make a ground, over which put a coating of burnt sienna, and then glaze with carmine, 1-1/2 parts; crimson lake, 1 part; gold bronze, 1 part. An English vermilion makes a base over which the glazing makes a considerably lighter brown.

Orange Brown--Orange chrome, 2 parts; burnt sienna, 3 parts.

Coffee Brown--Yellow ochre, 2 parts; burnt sienna, 1 part; burnt umber, 5 parts.

Dark Brown--Indian red, 5 parts; Prussian blue, 1 part.

Amber Brown--Burnt sienna, 4 parts; medium chrome yellow, 5 parts; burnt umber, 8 parts.

Indian Brown--Indian red, 1 part; yellow ochre, 1 part; lampblack, 1 part.

Seal Brown--Burnt umber, 4 parts; golden ochre, 1 part.

Tan Brown--Yellow, 2 parts; raw umber, 1 part; burnt sienna, 5 parts.

Japan Brown--Black japan, to which is added a little vermilion.

Umbers--A class of natural earths, affording varying shades of brown, the Cypress mines yielding rich, warm, olive colors. Calcined, this umber reaches a positive violet shade. Burnt umber used alone or in connection with red and black, gives a very striking panel color for business vehicles.

Vandyke Brown--A product of natural deposits of brown color. Vandyke brown is a warm color of a reddish hue and is permanent. Most of the Vandyke browns with which the carriage painter is familiar are made, however, from black, red, and yellow.

Burnt Sienna--A fine, warm, reddish brown, if the sienna be of good quality. A very close imitation of Bismarck brown.

Chestnut Brown--Red, 2 parts; chrome yellow, 2 parts; black, 1 part.

Chocolate Color--A little carmine added to burnt umber.

MISCELLANEOUS.

London Smoke--Red, 1 part; umber (burnt), 2 parts; white, 1 part.

Plum Color--White, 2 parts; red, 1 part; blue, 1 part.

Salmon Color--White, 5 parts; burnt umber, 1 part; yellow, 1 part.

Chamoline (wet chamois skin)--White, 5 parts; raw sienna, 3 parts; lemon chrome, 1 part.

Cane Color--White and ochre shaded with black.

Dove Color--Medium chrome yellow, 1 part; blue, 1 part; white, 4 parts; vermilion, 2 parts.

Fawn Color--White and ochre with a bit of vermilion.

Burgundy--A bright lake given a small percentage of asphaltum.

Silver Color--White, indigo, and black.

Leather Color--Burnt sienna, 2 parts; burnt umber, 1 part; a little white added.

Lilac--Blue, 1 part; carmine, 4 parts; white, 3 parts.

Plum Color--White, 2 parts; blue, 2 parts; red, 1 part.

Maroon--Carmine, 3 parts; yellow, 2 parts. Or crimson lake and burnt umber.

Copper Color--Yellow, 2 parts; red, 1 part; black, 1 part.

True Lead Color--White, 8 parts; blue, 1 part; black, 1 part.

Normal Gray--White, black and purple; or simply white and black.

Pearl Gray--White, black, and blue.

French Gray--White, tinted with ivory black, the mixture warmed with a pinch of vermilion.

Drab Color--Burnt umber, 1 part; white, 9 parts.

Medium Gray--White, 8 parts; black, 2 parts.

Light Gray--White, 9 parts; black, 1 part; blue, 1 part.

Wine Color--Ultramarine blue, 2 parts; carmine, 3 parts.

Blue Black--Ivory black, 15 parts; Prussian blue, 1 part.

Snuff Color--Yellow, 4 parts; Vandyke brown, 2 parts.

Peach Blossom Color--White, 8 parts; blue, 1 part; red, 1 part; yellow, 1 part.

Lavender--White, 15 parts; mauve lake, 1 part; rose madder, 1 part.

FOOTNOTE:

[A] With apologies to Mr. W. G. Scott and others who have published similar but more elaborate and scientific presentations.