Paint it Pink

An antique sideboard painted with shades and tints of Scandinavian Pink, Annie Sloan Chalk PaintⒸ.

Shades of an Armoire

Sometimes it is not so clear what color to choose when painting a special vintage piece of furniture. Colors, Tints, and Shades can look very different from one piece to the next.  Painting a large Armoire, like the one above, involves a fair amount of time and energy, not to mention the cost of paint.  Any tool you can use to eliminate, or even narrow down, your color choice before you start to paint can save you from painting something more than once. 

The image above is a virtual representation of an Armoire painted in 6 different colors and shades (shades = color + black) of Annie Sloan Chalk PaintⒸ.  I didn't actually paint the Armoire 6 different colors.  Each armoire image was tinted with shades of one color. The color cards below each show the color I used. This is only meant to be a starting point, but sometimes having a comparison on an actual piece of furniture is helpful.

Here is the real Armoire and the colors I used when I painted it......

Easter Eggs

Easter Eggs colored with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Shades (color +black) and Tints (color + white), of Louis Blue and Henrietta.

Shades of Old Violet

I have been working on color studies of shades of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Shades are made by mixing varying amounts of black, or in this case Graphite, with any color.  This is one of the ideas I have been considering for an old dresser using shades of Old Violet.   When mixing Graphite to make shades it is important to remember that it is not a true black. Rather it is a dark charcoal, with strong blue undertones. Any shades will become slightly more blue in addition to becoming darker. Notice how green Arles and English Yellow become as increasing amounts of Graphite are added. It is not necessarily a negative, just something to keep in mind.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Swatch Book Part 2 - Shades

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Swatch Book.  Paint Colors + Shades

Shades = Color + Graphite

To see my other swatch books for Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®, see my posts, Annie Sloan Swatch Book Colors + Tints,       Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Custom Color Greens and Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®Color Wheel 

I like Annie Sloan Chalk Paint  for my craft and furniture projects, but for walls nothing compares to Pure & Original Fresco Lime Paint. I love the natural variations of shades and tones the lime creates within one paint color. You have to see how gorgeous it is! Checkout my most recent interior design make overs with Fresco. It can be purchased online at www.502paint.com

P.S  Pure and Original also makes a chalk based paint called Classico in 140 colors! Its amazing too!