Colour Mixing Guide
Colour mixing is a skill that cannot be learnt in one day, it only comes with practice, time and experience.
But to help with your colour mixing dilemmas Buffalo’s guide will give you an insight to a few tips and skills that our colour technicians has learnt over the past 20 years.
- Always mix colours in a natural light if possible as electric lighting can reflect false colours on to a leather surface
- When altering the colour add small quantities gradually at a time as our repair colours are highly pigmented.
- Sheens can affect the colour – gloss will make the colour appear darker; where matt will make it appear lighter.
- When testing the colour on the surface a light smear will appear lighter than if you apply it thickly resulting in the colour appear darker.
- Always use a clean applicator when testing your colour as your previous colour may seep into your new colour and distort it.
- It takes only a little of a dark colour to change a light colour, but it takes considerably more of a light colour to change a dark colour.
- Colours will dry differently as opposed to them being wet, so dry a small amount on the surface to test for accuracy.
- Mixing a larger quantity of colour is a lot easier than mixing a small quantity. Pigments are not wasted as they can be used next time you require a similar colour.
- Different textures can result in the same colour appearing different, for example a pigment applied to a heavy grained surface may appear different on a smooth surface, this is caused by textures absorbing shadows and lights differently.
In colour mixing, there are three primary colours that cannot be made by mixing other colours together.
They are: red, blue & yellow
Black and white cannot be produced by mixing together other colours.
If you mix two primary colours together, you can create a secondary colour.
Blue and red = purple
Red and yellow = orange (Tan)
Yellow and blue = green
Black and white = grey
Red and black = brown
Adding white to these colours will lighten it or turn dark colours into a milky or pastel shade.
Adding black or dark brown to these colours will darken it, Adding Grey / black / dark brown will kill the brightness of a colour and tone down the intensity.
Guide to Tinting & Toning Your Leather Pigment Colours
| Colour | Base Colour | Add Colour Tone | To Lighten | To Darken | To intensify the colour tone | Notes |
| Cream | White | Caramel | White | Dark Brown | Caramel | If it’s too dark you will need to lighten & re-intensify the colour. |
| Rose Cream | White | Caramel & Bordo | White | Dark Brown | Caramel & Bordo | If it’s too dark you will need to lighten & re-intensify the colour. |
| Ivory | White | Caramel & Yellow | White | Dark Brown & Black | Caramel & Yellow | Too much black may make the colour appear dirty. You will need to lighten & re-intensify the colour. |
| Choc Brown | Choc Brown 3 | If its too brown add bordo for a richer colour. | Brown 1 | Black | Bordo or Burgundy | On dark coloured leather a better result is to blend the colour over the whole panel. |
| Tan | Tan 3 | Bordo for a more rich red tan. | Orange or caramel for yellow tans | Dark Brown | Tan 3 or bordo | Adding white may produce a milky pastel colour & reduce the intensity of the colour. |
| Burgundy | Burgundy L138 | Magenta | Red or carmine | Burgundy 4 or Purple | Burgundy L138 or Magenta | Adding black will turn the colour brown, adding white will turn the colour pink. |
| Red | Red 1 | Caramel | Burgundy L138 | Magenta | Adding white will turn the colour pink, adding black will turn the colour brown. | |
| Dark Blue | Blue 1 | Blues are varied & can be difficult please see notes. | white | black | Blue 1 | Adding burgundy will produce a navy blue. Adding caramel or yellow will produce a brighter turquoise. |
| Dark Green | Green 1 (Code 07) | Sometimes a drop of blue can intensify the colour tone | If it’s too dark re-introduce green 1 again. | Brown & Black | Green 1 | Greens are varied & difficult. Adding white can produce a pastel colour |
| Olive Green | Green 1 (07) | Caramel | Caramel & White | Brown | Caramel | |
| Sage Green | Green 1 (07) | Touch of blue 1 | white | brown | Green 1 or blue 1 | |
| Chesterfield Base Green | Green 1 (Code 07) | Caramel | Lighter version of caramel | Brown & black | Green 1 & Caramel | Generic guide to base colour only. |
| Grey | White | Black | white | Dark brown | Touch of caramel | Adding too much black can produce a blue colour tone, adding brown & a touch of caramel removes the blue. |
| Black | Black | Brown and / or a touch of caramel | White | Black if you’ve lightened it too much | Black or brown | Sheens can effect the final colour – Gloss will appear darker where matt will make the black appear lighter. |
Two Tone Colours
- These cannot be reproduced using one colour.
- Depending on the colour loss, or if the base (under colour) is worn away – The base colour will need to be reproduced and sprayed on to the surface blending and feathering out in to the surrounding area.
- The top colour (which is darker than the base colour) will need to be reproduced and diluted by up to 30% using an appropriate sealant.
- The top colour is sprayed as a fine mist on to the leather using a mottled antiquing effect on the surface.
- Problems can arise if you apply the darker top colour on to unaffected or undamaged areas; this will result in having a double top colour and appearing much darker.
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