A great variety of yellows may be obtained by using the different shades of yellow chrome, etc., on the market, adding a little red occasionally. It may be taken as a general rule that blacks should not be added to yellow unless a greenish tint is desired. If a yellow is too bright it may be lowered by adding a small quantity of blue and red. Instructions for obtaining the various grades of yellow are given explicitly below.

Alabaster.

—This is yellowish white in colour. Mix four parts of white with one of middle chrome yellow.

Amber.

—An imitation of amber can be produced by mixing equal portions of burnt sienna, burnt umber, blue black and orange chrome yellow, and adding a quantity of white lead until the desired tint is obtained.

Antique Bronze.

—Add ivory black to orange chrome yellow in the proportion of about five parts of black and one part of orange.

Asiatic Bronze.

—One part medium chrome yellow, two parts raw umber, and lighten with white lead.

Brass Yellow.

—This may be obtained by mixing forty parts of white lead, twelve parts of light chrome yellow, one part raw umber, and one part burnt umber. Or a mixture of French ochre and medium chrome yellow, added to a little umber, with a touch of blue, may be used to tint white as a base.

Bronze.

—Take fourteen parts of black and add one part of yellow and two of green.

Bronze Yellow.

—Mix together five parts of medium chrome yellow, three parts of white lead, and one part of raw umber. A mixture preferred by some painters is obtained from chrome yellow, French ochre and a little burnt umber.

Buff.

—Two parts of white lead and one part of yellow ochre produces a good buff, or white lead may be tinted with French ochre alone. Other shades are obtained with mixtures of two parts of black, four of white, one of red, and one and one-eighth of yellow.

Buttercup.

—White lead tinted with lemon chrome gives a nice buttercup yellow.

Cadmium Orange.

—This is an artist’s colour of considerable value, but is, generally speaking, too expensive for house painters. It should not be mixed with chrome yellow or emerald green. It is made in three shades: pale, medium and deep, and it cannot be successfully imitated.

Canary.

—This is practically another name for straw tint, and it may be mixed in the same way. The proportions for an ordinary shade of canary are three parts of lemon chrome yellow to one part of white lead, but less yellow is often preferred. Another shade is obtained by mixing two parts of white, six of yellow and two of green. Some manufacturers make an extra light chrome yellow which they call by this name.

Chamois.

—A dull yellow made by mixing four parts of white, five of yellow ochre and one of green.

Chamoline.

—Mix together five parts of white lead, three parts of raw sienna and one part of lemon yellow.

Citrine.

—Although this is a tertiary colour, and theoretically can be made from green and orange, opinions as to the exact shade somewhat differs. It may be made by mixing four parts of medium chrome yellow and one part of raw umber; or five parts of lemon chrome yellow and two parts of raw umber.

Citron.

—To produce this colour use Venetian red as a base and add one part of Prussian blue, two of chrome yellow and two of white.

Colonial Yellow.

—Medium chrome yellow mixed with white lead and a little dark orange chrome yellow gives this tint.

Cream.

—A good shade is obtained by mixing eight parts of white lead, two parts of French yellow ochre and a touch of Venetian red. French ochre and lead alone are often employed. There are many other methods of obtaining this tint. Note.—Light buff, medium buff, and dark buff may all be obtained in the same way by adding more or less of the French ochre or white.

Daffodil.

—Lemon chrome mixed with a little Venetian red will give this colour.

Deep Cream.

—This colour is made by tinting white lead with yellow ochre and a little Venetian red. (See Cream.)

Ecru.

—Tint white lead with French ochre and medium chrome yellow. A tint which is sometimes called stone colour is produced in the same way. Another shade of ecru may be obtained by mixing three parts of black, eight parts of white, three of medium chrome yellow, and one of Brunswick green.

Gamboge.

—This is an artist’s colour. It is a gum resin, is somewhat fugitive, and is useless for the purpose of the house painter.

Gold.

—To obtain the colour known as “gold” white lead may be tinted with five parts of golden or yellow ochre, and one part of vermilion, or a mixture of light chrome yellow, French ochre and vermilion may be used instead to tint the white lead. The quantity of yellow used should be considerably more than the ochre.

Hay Colour.

—French ochre, medium chrome yellow, and lamp black used as tinting colour for white lead will give a hay colour, or raw Italian sienna and lamp black may be employed if desired.

Ivory.

—The addition of a very little medium chrome yellow to white lead produces this tint, or a very little golden ochre may be used.

Jonquil Yellow.

—Tint white lead with medium chrome yellow to which has been added a very little vermilion red. One of the favourite methods is to employ sixteen parts white lead, one part of indigo and two parts of light red, adding as much chrome yellow as may be desired. Another way of making jonquil yellow is by simply mixing with a little green about forty times the quantity of yellow.

Leghorn.

—This is a pale yellow shade, which is obtained by mixing white and medium chrome yellow in about equal proportions.

Lemon.

—For this colour lemon chrome yellow is used alone, but the tint may be made by using white lead for a base and adding medium chrome yellow until the desired tint is obtained. The tint that is usually preferred is obtained by mixing five parts of chrome to two parts of white lead, and adding a little green. However, lemon chrome yellow purchased ready made is the best.

Light Buff.

—A little yellow ochre added to white lead gives a good buff colour, the tint varying with the quantity of ochre.

Light Deck.

—This colour may be produced by mixing medium and lemon chrome yellow with white.

Light Stone.

—Tint white lead with French ochre and lamp black.

Lemon Yellow.

—This is also called lemon chrome, and is the palest shade of lemon chrome yellow. It is very useful for preparing the lighter shades of yellow, and may be imitated by adding cadmium yellow to zinc white.

Maize.

—Mix yellow and white in the proportion of about three parts of the former to one of the latter to get this light yellow shade.

Mander’s Yellow.

—This is intended to be used as a substitute for old Oxford ochre, but is claimed to be superior. It is based on ochre and is of great strength and body.

Manilla.

—This colour is sometimes called “deep deck.” It is made by tinting white lead with French ochre and chrome yellow. Or a mixture of white with four times the quantity of yellow will produce a shade of manila.

Marigold.

—This is obtained by mixing a very little bright yellow with orange chrome.

Melon.

—Mix equal quantities of black and white; add twice the bulk of orange chrome and a quantity of medium chrome equal to the mixture of black and white.

Mushroom.

—A dull yellow shade, which may be obtained by adding one part of orange and two of yellow to ten parts of black.

Middle Stone.

—Mix as described under “Stone,” but use more umber and ochre.

Naples Yellow.

—This yellow is not now much used, chrome yellow having to a large extent taken its place. It may be imitated by tinting zinc white with cadmium yellow and a very little yellow ochre.

Naples Yellow.

—This is obtained by mixing orange with twice as much yellow and three times as much white. It is also the name given to an artist’s colour.

Ochre Yellow.

—Mix orange and yellow in about equal proportions with a rather larger quantity of black.

Old Gold.

—Use middle chrome with a little vermilion and burnt sienna, and add a very little cobalt. A cheaper colour may be made by mixing ochre and burnt sienna. One part of green and three of bright yellow mixed with a little white will give an old gold shade. Or it may be obtained in the same way as Gold, which see, but a little burnt umber may be added. Some painters prefer to tint white lead with a mixture of chrome, raw sienna and vermilion.

Olive Yellow.

—This colour is sometimes called olive brown. It is made by mixing three parts of burnt umber with one part of lemon chrome yellow, a larger quantity of yellow being added if a lighter shade is required. Another method is to mix ten parts of black, one of orange, twelve of yellow, and five of green.

Orange.

—Mix white, yellow and orange in the following proportions: one part each of yellow and white and eighteen parts of orange. Or another shade is got with seventeen parts of orange, six of yellow and two of white. Orange chrome yellow can be easily purchased, however, and gives this colour without any admixture being necessary.

Persian Orange.

—Mix fourteen parts of orange chrome, five parts of yellow ochre and one of white.

Pompeian Yellow.

—Tint white with Italian ochre and add a very little ultramarine and vermilion.

Portland Stone.

—Mix equal parts of yellow ochre and raw umber and lighten up with white until the desired tint is obtained.

Primrose Yellow.

—Lemon chrome used by itself answers admirably.

Primrose.

—Ten parts of white, three parts of green and four parts of yellow will give this light greenish yellow. Another shade is got by mixing one part of orange, two parts of green and five parts of yellow.

Spruce Yellow.

—Add a little Venetian red to a mixture of French ochre and white lead.

Stone.

—This colour, so much used in London, is usually made by mixing together five parts of white lead, two parts of French yellow ochre and one part of burnt umber. By adding a little raw umber, the tint may be varied as desired. This colour is suitable for outside work. Another method for obtaining the shade is to tint white with medium chrome yellow and burnt umber.

Straw Colour.

—Lemon chrome mixed with raw umber.

Straw.

—White lead tinted with a little chrome yellow produces an excellent straw tint, but some prefer to add a little French ochre. Or medium chrome yellow may be used as a base, and a mixture added of white, French ochre and Venetian red.

Yellow Lake.

—This is a somewhat fugitive colour which has but little body, but is useful for glazing. To imitate it use equal parts of burnt umber and white lead and tint with chrome yellow and lake. Or, mix umber and white in equal proportions and add Naples yellow and scarlet lake. To obtain this colour in its full richness it is quite necessary to glaze either admixture with yellow lake.

Yellow Ochre.

—The ochres are natural mineral pigments, which are among the cheapest and most useful at the command of house painters. They can be used in any vehicle and are quite permanent, while they do not affect any other colour with which they may be used. Oxford ochre is generally accepted to be the brightest of the series, while it is distinguished also for the depth of its covering power.

Zinc Yellow.

—This is a chromate of zinc which is quite fast in light, and possesses the advantage of permanence even in the presence of impure sulphuretted hydrogen, etc. It may be mixed with other colours without adversely affecting them.

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