COLOUR GUIDE: previous projects to inspire colour use

Sometimes we all need a bit of inspiration, to reach out for colour. The beauty of hand painted finishes is that you can do something a little outside the box, we like to encourage customers to do something unique and bespoke for their homes and this sometimes requires a tad bit of bravery when it comes to colours.  With no need to sand or prime with Premium Chalk Paint, the hardest part is deciding on which colours. So today we're pulling together some of our favourite previous projects in COLOUR to help inspire; with a little write up under each one as a guide on how to get the look with Artisan Paints and Products... scroll on for some colour inspiration that might just tip you over to reach out colour on your next Artisan Project 

GREEN GOODNESS:  A striking head turning green, great for smaller pieces, or on feature pieces, if you have greenery in your prints, upholstery, artwork or have an outlook to a luscious green garden then this could be the pop of colour for you. We've put together a simplified version of how you can easily create this at home  Get The Look: Paint it in Greenhouse, age it  with dark wax, then use steel wool to highlight and remove the dark wax in areas. Detail selected areas in Soft Gold Metallic Creme followed by Jayda Rose Glaze for a hint of metallics 

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RED RED RED: We love this statement project we did that actually ended up being used as a vanity for a bathroom. Red is not for the faint hearted and is definitely a feature colour in the home;  bound to turn heads. If you have reds in your rug, in artwork or in a print or your home has lots of warm earthy tones then sliding in a red piece like this is quite easy. We do love using Carbon Black coloured wax on red as it allows you tone and richen that red to suit. To get this look use Artisan Sangria and Carbon Black Wax if you want to go warmer and earthier replace Carbon Black with Dark Wax  We've included both Sangria and Brickyard in this, Sangria is more like a crimson red where Brickyard is a bit earthier. Do your hardware in Artisan Metallic Creme in Bronze to pop against your chosen Artisan Red 

YELLOW the ultimate happy cheerful colour: If you're looking to add a bit of life into your space, a yellow could be a great option, it's bold, it's uplifting and happy. Allowing you to inject some cheerful colour into your space. We love these two previous projects showing the difference waxes can make on a yellow. The first one show's yellow in a cooler tone, this has been coloured waxed in Black where the vanity has had dark wax over it so theres a different warmth and richness to it. Introducing a Yellow is great for adding a pop of colour into a space whether it be a small wooden stool at the end of a hallway or maybe you want to go loud and proud over a large piece, if your home has warm tones; you want to give it a vintage feel then detail tone and age it with Artisan dark wax, if you have cooler tones and have more of a contemporary vibe then finish with Carbon Black Wax to get a cooler tone with an industrial vibe . To get the look head to our ever so cheerful Artisan Bright Buttercup

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PUNCH IT OUT IN COLOUR: We love this before and after we did, showing that plain pieces can be turned into a feature just through being bold with colour. Love this? a simple two step finish anyone can do, Paint with Subtle texture using Staalmeester series 2020, that means load up plenty of paint on your brush and paint messy in all directions, then simply follow on with a Carbon Black Wax over the whole thing, using it to shade around the edges, creating an industrial age and richening and toning down the Peacock.  Note: If you find that you have gone too strong in Carbon Black Wax and gone to dark;  remember clear wax back over it with a firm wipe works as a bit of an eraser, you can use this back over to remove or lighten areas. Waxing and detailing is forgiving!  Get the look:  Paint it in Peacock and colour wax it in Carbon Black  
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Another one of favs, turning an old dark piece into something lively with a beachy boho vibe! A combination of paint and stencil with a little touch of metallics GET THE LOOK : paint in Hokitika Gorge, Stencil in Tahr, Coloured Wax in Carbon Black and detail with a hint of Bronzanite Metallic Glide 
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PURPLE CAN BE ELEGANT: It's purple without being too purple if you know what we mean, and paired with metallics give it that elegant touch. This purple has plenty of depth and you could go crazy creative by adding multiple coloured waxes here and there to it if you want to have a play but here's a simplified version on how to  GET THE LOOK: paint it in Crushed lavender with subtle texture, then dark wax the whole thing, (it's going to look dirty at this point) lift and lighten back up with a coloured wax in Crushed Lavender over the whole thing, this will push your dark  and age wax to the back and give it an overall soft age to it. Detail specific areas in  Artisan Soft Gold Metallic Creme with dark wax over it to age the metallics 

PAINT IT IN : AGE AND DEEPEN WITH DARK WAX: 
COLOUR WAX BACK OVER WITH   DETAIL IN: 
BEACHY RUSTIC VIBES : A finish that looks complicated but is actually really simple to do through use of colour. To get the Look Paint it first in Cape Reinga, once dry mix up a strong Artisan Adrianna coloured wax and apply all over, then in selected areas darken around edges and create shadow by shading in Ocean Trench, then lightly steel wool in areas you would like to highlight or where you would like to even out and blend the coloured wax , this will also highlight the texture as well. Detail the edges and handles in Forgotten gold Metallic Glide 
PAINT IT IN WAX IT IN 
AND WAX SELECTED AREAS IN: DETAIL IN 

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