The reds vary from something just removed from brown up to the bright crimson and madders. A red that is too bright may be lowered by an admixture of blue and yellow. Exceedingly bright and pleasing tints of red may be obtained by using vermilionettes, but as a rule these are not permanent. For inside use, however, they may be employed, especially when they are protected by a coat of varnish.

Acacia.

—This may be described as a dark maroon. It is made by mixing five parts of black, three of Indian red and one of Prussian blue. Less of the black will give a more pleasing shade.

Amaranthine.

—This is a crimson which can be made by mixing three parts of vermilionette with one of Prussian blue.

Anemone.

—This is a reddish purple, and may be made by mixing two parts of black, one of white, six of a bright red, and six of Prussian blue.

Apricot.

—Mix middle chrome yellow with a little vermilion and add a very little lake.

Armenian Red.

—Mix one part of yellow ochre with two parts of Venetian red.

Aurore.

—A dull pink shade, which can be produced as follows: Mix together one part of Indian red, two of orange chrome, a little lemon chrome, and two of blue, lightening up with white.

Bay.

—Mix together five parts of black, three of Venetian red, and a little orange chrome.

Begonia.

—A dark red purple, which may be obtained by mixing sixteen parts of lamp black, five of bright red, and four of blue.

Black Maroon.

—Take eight parts of black and mix them with one of a bright red and a little blue.

Blood Red.

—Any bright red toned down with a little black will produce a shade sometimes called by this name.

Bordeaux Red.

—Take nine parts of black and with it two parts of orange chrome and one of Prussian blue.

Brick.

—Use two parts of French ochre to one part of Venetian red and one part of white lead, adding more ochre if required to lighten the colour. This gives a good tint, sometimes called “brick red,” and is suitable for outside work.

Bright Scarlet.

—Mix twenty parts of vermilion, seven parts of pale chrome, and one part of golden ochre. A vermilionette slightly toned down with yellow answers the same purpose.

Bronze Red.

—This is a red toned down with about a fourth part of black, a little bright yellow or orange being added.

Cambridge Red.

—Vermilion, to which is added about one twentieth part of Prussian blue, gives a colour sometimes called “Cambridge red.”

Carmine.

—This is an artist’s colour. Its rich red tint can hardly be imitated. A light vermilionette of good grade, to which is added a little bright yellow, may be used.

Carmoisin.

—This is a speciality of Messrs. Mander Bros. It is a rich and beautiful colour of vermilionette character, and when used for finishing coats should be protected with varnish. It is not suitable for distemper.

Carminette.

—This is a colour manufactured under this name which is registered by Messrs. Mander Bros. It is a bright strong red, which is useful when protected with two coats of varnish. It is of no use, however, for tinting purposes.

Carnation Red.

—Three parts of carmine lake and one part of white lead give a carnation colour, but a better result is obtained by taking pure vermilion as a base and adding carmine and zinc white until the desired rich colour is obtained. This colour is not suitable for use outside.

Cherry Red.

—Mix together crimson lake, burnt sienna and azure blue, or two parts of vermilion and one part of carmine.

Claret.

—Mix two parts of carmine with one of ultramarine blue. A little vermilion may be added if desired, and this may render a little yellow necessary to tone down the colour. A less rich colour may be made by mixing Venetian red and yellow ochre.

Coral Pink.

—This colour is useful only on inside work. It is made by mixing five parts of vermilion, two parts of white lead and one part of chrome yellow. Another recipe for producing shades of coral pink is: one part of white, three of red, five of orange, and three of blue.

Dregs of Wine.

—This shade is produced by mixing Venetian red with a little lamp black and white lead.

Egyptian.

—A dull yellowish crimson made by using five parts of black, one and half of white, two of orange, and one of blue, and a very little red.

Firefly.

—A dull orange red produced by mixing two parts of black, three of red, one of orange, and a little yellow.

Flesh Colour.

—One hundred and twenty parts white lead, two parts yellow ochre, and one part Venetian red will produce an excellent flesh-colour. Or mix eight parts of white lead, two parts of orange chrome yellow, and one part of light Venetian red. An increased proportion of red may be employed where desired. A mixture of orange and white in the proportion of one part of the former to three parts of the latter may also be used, or a mixture of medium chrome yellow, ochre, and Venetian red added to white.

French Red.

—Use equal parts of Indian red and vermilion, and glaze with carmine.

Gazelle.

—To obtain this mix Venetian red, lamp black and Indian red, and add sufficient white lead to produce the desired shade.

Geranium.

—To produce this colour use nine parts of bright red and one of blue. Or Indian red may be used, afterwards glazing with madder lake for good work. Most of the larger colour manufacturers make geranium red, which is better than one can obtain by mixing.

Indian Pink.

—Tint white lead with a little Indian red.

Indian Red.

—This is a good permanent pigment to be bought ready made, and is most useful in mixing with other colours.

Light Pink.

—Tint white lead with a little pure vermilion.

Light Salmon.

—Tint white lead with raw Italian sienna, burnt Italian sienna, and burnt Turkey umber. Or tint white with any bright red, toning down with sienna.

Lilac.

—A great deal of difference of opinion exists as to this tint. One part of ultramarine to one part of bright carmine, added to eighty parts white lead, give a very good lilac. A cheaper way is to use Indian red and lamp black as a tinting colour, or rose pink may be added to the lead only. Yet another method for producing a lilac is to mix three parts of bright Indian red, three parts of white lead, and one part of ultramarine blue, but less white lead is preferred by some painters. A touch of yellow will help this colour if too raw for the purpose.

Madder Lake.

—This is principally used by artists, but it is useful to the house decorator for glazing the best work where a bright red is required.

Magenta.

—Carmine and vermilion, with a little ultramarine blue, produce this colour.

Maroon.

—This colour is obtained by mixing carmine and blue black, and adding a small quantity of medium chrome yellow. It may also be made by mixing one part of ultramarine blue with three parts of Tuscan red. This gives a tint that is often considered a little too red, but this defect may easily be remedied by adding more blue. Some painters add ivory black and a little chrome yellow to carmine.

Mexican Red.

—Mix one part of red lead with four parts of Venetian red.

Mikado.

—Three parts of blue and seven of red, mixed with a little white, give this purplish red shade.

Moorish Red.

—Mix together three parts of vermilion and one part of rose pink.

Mulberry.

—This is a very dark purple obtained by adding a little blue and just a tinge of red to black.

Old Rose.

—Tint white lead with French ochre, Indian red, and lamp black, or Venetian red and lamp black may be used if desired.

Opaque Pink.

—Tint white lead with red lead.

Opera Pink.

—Tint white lead with a mixture of five parts of vermilion and one part of medium chrome green.

Oriental Red.

—Mix one part of red lead with two parts of Indian red.

Orange Scarlet.

—This colour may be obtained by adding two parts of orange lead to one part of white lead.

Orange Vermilion.

—Orange lead comes nearest to this colour. The tone may be made by adding chrome to vermilion.

Peach Bloom.

—This is a mixture of white lead and Venetian red. Or it may be produced by adding sufficient Indian red to white lead to give a warm tint and mixing it with equal proportions of white lead, lemon chrome yellow, ultramarine blue and light Indian red. Or a mixture of three parts of Indian red with seventeen parts of white is sometimes used.

Pink.

—White lead tinted with orange lead gives a bright pink.

Plum.

—Mix with equal parts of white lead, Indian red and ultramarine blue in the proportion of two parts of lead to one of each of other colours. This makes a dark plum that is only suitable for inside work. If a light tint is desired add more white lead. A very rich plum may be obtained by mixing together ultramarine blue and carmine, and adding a little white and a little yellow.

Pompeian Red.

—Small quantities of red and orange are mixed with black to produce this shade.

Poppy.

Blue and vermilion mixed in the proportion of one of the former to twenty-four of the latter give this shade.

Purple.

—Light Indian red, four parts; white lead, three parts; ultramarine blue, two parts; or a purple may be obtained by mixing Indian red and white. A mixture preferred by some painters is made by mixing ultramarine and vermilion with a little white. A little crimson lake gives richness to the colour.

Red Ochre.

—This earth colour is cheap, and can be readily bought in most places. It can be imitated by mixing India red and chrome and adding a little vermilion.

Red Terra-Cotta.

—Use equal proportions of burnt sienna and white lead. The tone may be varied by the addition of either of the umbers and the chromes. A good bright terra-cotta is also made by using Venetian red as a base and colouring up with ochre and a touch of lake.

Regal Purple.

—Mix together four parts of white lead, two parts of cobalt blue and one part of carmine lake.

Roan.

—Mix black with half its quantity of red and add a very small proportion of blue and white.

Rose.

—Five parts of white lead mixed with two parts of carmine give a rose colour that is suitable for inside work only. An admirable rose colour may be obtained by using zinc white instead of white lead, as the zinc is a much purer white than the lead, and hence gives a purer tint.

Rose Carnation.

—Mix together one part of rose madder and eight parts of oxide of zinc. This is a beautiful colour, but the madder is too expensive for use except by artists.

Rose Wood.

—To produce this colour, red is mixed with about twelve times the quantity of black and a very little green. The shade given is a very dark red.

Royal Pink.

—Mix together two parts of zinc white and carmine lake. This will only do for inside work.

Royal Purple.

—Mix one part of vegetable black, one and half of rich red, and seven of Prussian blue. Some manufacturers make this colour ready for use.

Salmon.

—Six parts of white lead, one part of vermilion, and a little lemon chrome yellow. This mixture produces a colour somewhat bright. Another salmon colour is made by a mixture of raw sienna, burnt sienna, and burnt umber. A tint preferred by some is produced by adding to the white, Venetian red, burnt umber and French ochre. Another method is to add vermilion and golden ochre to white, which gives a nice bright colour. Venetian red and chrome, added to white, gives a duller colour. Still another mixture is Venetian red, vermilion, yellow ochre and white.

Scarlet Lake.

—This colour can be purchased ready made. A colour very similar may be obtained in one of the many vermilionettes on the market. It will be convenient to remember that all vermilions are lightened by the use of pale chrome instead of white lead. Lead takes down the brilliancy of the colour, producing a pink.

Scarlet Red.

—This is bought ready made. It is the name given to the brightest of the oxide paints.

Shell Pink.

—This colour is sometimes made by adding a little good Indian red to white, but some decorators prefer to use vermilion with a little chrome yellow and burnt sienna.

Shrimp Pink.

—Mix Venetian red, burnt sienna and white lead, and add a little vermilion.

Scarlet Madder Lake.

—This is a speciality of Messrs. Mander Bros., a deeper shade being termed Carmoisin madder lake. Both are perfectly fast to light, even when used for tinting purposes, and are admirably adapted for the use of the decorator.

Signal Red.

—This is usually made by mixing orange lead, vermilionette and Paris white, or orange lead by itself may be tinted with vermilionette. “Signal Red” is a well known speciality.

Terra-Cotta.

—Mix together two parts of white lead and one part of burnt sienna. See also under “Red Terra-Cotta.”

Turkish Crescent Red.

—Mix equal proportions of Indian red, vermilionette and rose pink.

Tuscan Red.

—This can be bought ready made, and may be imitated by mixing ten parts of Indian red with one part English rose pink. Indian red is very similar in colour but somewhat darker.

Venetian Pink.

—Tint white lead with a little Venetian red.

Venetian Red.

—This colour is one of the most useful that the house painter has, being cheap, and having good covering power and body. It is not very good for tinting purposes. It would not, of course, be often imitated, but Indian red—a very similar pigment—could be tinted with red. Or it may be imitated by mixing vermilion, yellow ochre, madder carmine, and a little Cappagh brown, which is an artist’s colour and is rarely used by house painters.

Vermilion.

—This bright red cannot be imitated by an admixture of ordinary pigments, but there are many excellent substitutes on the market, most of them being vermilionettes.

Wine Colour.

—Add a little ivory black to a mixture of carmine and vermilion.

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