Color Blending Set And Paint Mixing Tray

Abstract

A color mixing tray which is a planar member with a plurality of wells arranged in an annular pattern. There are a plurality of wells in each of a plurality of sectors of the annular pattern, with wells in each sector radially spaced and each well in each sector having a counterpart in the other sectors. The counterpart wells of the sectors are in an annular ring within the annular pattern. Each well is separated from each other well by a wall and the walls between the wells within each sector are lower in height than the walls between the wells in adjacent sectors to facilitate transfer of paint between wells within a sector while maintaining isolation from sector to sector. A color mixing set combines the mixing tray with a supply of paints of mixing hues in balanced primary colors and in black and white, each paint supply being in a container having provision for dispensing measured quantities of paint therefrom. The set further includes a student guide having a spectrum chart representing the wells of the mixing tray together with indicia indicating the location of and providing instructions for mixing of the red, yellow and blue colors to create secondary and intermediate colors and for the mixing of the colors with each other and with the black and white paints to create shades, tints and tones.

Description

This invention relates to a color mixing tray and to a color mixing guide for use therewith.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The mixing of colors to obtain different colors and variations and dimensions thereof is an ancient art. However, there is not presently available a mixing apparatus and guide for demonstrating or teaching color mixing in a coordinated manner. It is a principal object of this invention to provide a mixing tray, paints and guide to satisfy this need.

A principal feature of the invention is the provision of a color mixing set to demonstrate in a coordinated manner the primary, secondary and intermediate colors, shade, tint and tone color variations and hue, value and intensity color dimensions. The set includes a mixing tray having wells arranged in an annular pattern with a plurality of wells in each of a plurality of sectors of the pattern. A supply of paints accompanies the mixing tray with mixing hues in each of the primary colors, red, yellow and blue, and in black and white. Each paint supply is in a container having provision for dispensing a measured quantity of paint. A guide for the user includes a spectrum chart with a representation of the wells of the mixing tray having indicia identifying the relative location of the primary, secondary and intermediate colors, further indicia for the mixing of the red, yellow and blue colors to create the secondary and intermediate colors and still further indicia for mixing the colors with each other and with black and white paints to modify the intensity and value of the hues to create shades, tints and tones thereof. The guide may, for example, be a wall chart or an instruction sheet used individually by the students.

The primary colors are balanced to give good intensity in all mixtures of secondary and intermediate hues. They make a color wheel of twelve hues having good intensity and excellent visual sequence. Unlike turquoise and magenta, the red and the blue are visually true.

Another feature of the invention is that the mixing tray includes a further series of wells for mixing white and black paints in different proportions to create a set of gray values.

A further feature is that the mixing tray has walls between the wells within each sector which are lower in height than the walls between the wells in adjacent sectors. This facilitates transfer of paint within a sector while minimizing the accidental transfer of paint to the wells in adjacent sectors.

A more particular feature of the paint mixing tray is that the wells at the innermost annular ring have a triangular configuration and the wells in the other annular rings are generally trapezoidal.

Still another feature of the invention is that paint mixing tray has a cover member extending across the top of the wells and, more particularly, the cover member is frictionally held to the planar member.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a nested stack of disposable paint mixing trays is provided, each being formed of a thin planar sheet of insufficient lateral strength to be self-supporting, with the nested stack carried on a self-supporting base member.

Further features and advantages of the invention will readily be apparent from the following specification and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a paint mixing tray illustrating the invention;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a typical paint supply container;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section taken along lines 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 1 and showing a removable cover for the mixing tray;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 illustrating a modified form of the invention with the mixing trays nested in a stack; and

FIG. 6 is an illustration of a portion of the student guide.

The paint mixing tray illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 is a generally planar sheet member 10 having a rectangular configuration with rounded corners. The tray has a plurality of wells or recesses therein arranged in an annular, or as illustrated a circular, pattern. The plural wells are divided into 12 generally triangular sectors and within each sector there are a plurality of wells. Each well within a sector has counterparts in size and location within each other sector. The counterpart wells of each sector form an annular ring within the annular pattern of the wells. The wells of the inner circle are designated 11, those of the center circle 12 and those in the outer circle 13 and 14. To permit identification of specific wells, each of the sectors is identified by a number 1 through 12 located as on the dial of a clock. The sector number is used as a suffix in identifying the wells and the complete reference numeral for each of the wells 12 of the center circle is indicated on the drawing. Selected other wells are identified as desirable in completing the description of the invention.

In each of the sectors the innermost well has a triangular configuration and the other wells are generally trapezoidal. In the outer circle, two side-by-side wells 13, 14 are provided in each sector.

Two wells, 16, 17, are provided at the lower corners of sheet 10 and between them along the lower edge of the sheet are nine small wells 18-1 through 18-9.

A quantity of paint in each of the primary colors, red, yellow and blue, is provided with the mixing tray. Preferably each paint is in a squeeze bottle 20, FIG. 2, having a dropper top 20a closed by a cap 21. An opening (not shown) in the spout is provided for dispensing paint from the bottle and the opening is of a size so related to the viscosity of the paint that the paint may readily be dispensed in measured proportions, as drop by drop, to facilitate accurate measurement. Other bulk containers with provision for accurately dispensing measured quantities of paint may, of course, be used. In addition to the three primary colors, quantities of paint are also provided in black and white.

The paints are preferably of creamy consistency for ease of color mixing. In addition, the paints are preferably compounded to dry semi-moist in mixing tray wells. An appropriate solvent may be added later for continued use without waste.

The primary colors are mixed in appropriate wells to provide secondary and intermediate colors and with black and white to achieve shade, tint and tone variations and hue, value and intensity color dimensions. The circular configuration of the mixing wells provides a convenient physical arrangement with which the various mixtures illustrating color variations and dimensions may be coordinated. A similar configuration is illustrated in Crane U.S. Pat. No. 2,463,749. In accordance with the invention, the hues (a pure color with no white or black) are located in the wells 12 while the other mixtures which may be desired are prepared in wells 11, 13 and 14.

Provided with and a part of the color mixing set is a guide, FIG. 6, which has displayed thereon areas that correspond with the wells of the mixing tray. These areas have a generally similar configuration (with the exception of the outer circle) and in FIG. 6 are identified by the numbers which identify the mixing wells, with a prime mark added. The legends associated with the representations of the wells on the guide locate the primary colors, red, yellow and blue, in sectors 4, 8 and 12, respectively. As pointed out above, the pure hue of the primary color is preferably placed in the center circle of wells 12 of the appropriate sector. The secondary and intermediate colors are obtained by mixing the primaries in the proper proportions. The following chart is representative of the proportions used with one suitable set of balanced primaries. The proportions may, of course, vary depending upon the intensity and pigments used with the primaries. ##SPC1##

The letter designations signify the following:

R -- Red

RO -- Red Orange

O -- Orange

YO -- Yellow Orange

Y -- Yellow

YG -- Yellow Green

G -- Green

BG -- Blue Green

B -- Blue

BV -- Blue Violet

V -- Violet

RV -- Red Violet

Nine gradations of gray can be prepared in wells 18 with varying mixtures of white and black paint from wells 16 and 17.

Shades, tints and tones are each based on a single hue. A shade is obtained by adding either black or the complementary color to the hue. Complementary colors are indicated diametrically opposite each other on the guide.

A tint is prepared by adding white to the hue.

Tones of a hue may be mixed in one of two ways:

1 -- add a gray (or white and black individually to the hue; or

2 -- add white and the complementary color to the hue. The order of mixture is unimportant. Where tints and shades are available, tones may be prepared in other ways as by adding black to a tint of the hue, adding the complementary color to a tint of the hue or adding white to a shade of the hue.

The term intensity identifies the purity, brilliance or strength of a color. The primary red, blue and yellow which are used should have the same degree of intensity. The secondary and intermediate colors which are mixed from them will have the highest intensity they can attain. The intensity is lowered as the hues are modified forming a tint, a shade or a grayed tone.

The value of a color is its approximation of a light, dark or middle gray value. The hues have differing values. Yellow is light while violet is dark. The value of a hue will change as it is mixed into a tint or shade. The value may in some cases remain the same when a tone is formed.

The foregoing relationships are indicated graphically in the color scale below the color guide in FIG. 6. Here the gray value scale is indicated across the top and the relative intensities and values for a red-orange family of colors are charted. Tints of the hue show a graduated lower intensity and lighter value. Shades of the hue show a graduated lower intensity and a darker value. The tones show a graduated lesser intensity than the hue and a range of light to dark values.

As suggested by the layout of the color guide and the key for the color scale, wells 12 are preferably used for the hues. The triangular wells 11 may be used for making shades. The wells 13 and 14 for each hue may be used for mixing tints and tones. The relationship of the myriad variations of mixtures may be demonstrated, understood and repeated by a student in a coordinated and logical manner.

The mixing tray 10 may suitably be formed of a plastic sheet which is heated and then vacuum molded to form the wells. A cross section of the wells 13 and 14 in one sector of the annular pattern is illustrated in FIG. 3. The wells within the sector are separated by walls 24, 25 and 26 while the adjacent sectors are separated by walls 27 and 28. The walls between the wells within the sector are lower in height than the walls between the wells in adjacent sectors. This facilitates the transfer of material from well to well within the sector while minimizing the accidental transfer to adjacent sectors. The bottoms of the wells are rounded and the walls are inclined, eliminating sharp corners which are difficult to clean.

A similar construction is used with the gray scale wells 16, 17 and 18, as illustrated in FIG. 4. The wall 30 between well 17 and well 18-9 is higher than the walls 31 between adjacent gray scale wells 18.

The mixing tray has a depending peripheral wall 32 with an outwardly extending flange 33 which contributes to the stiffness of the tray. Indentations 34 are provided in the wall around the perimeter of the tray and frictionally receive corresponding indentations in a removable cover member 35. The cover member may be applied after paints have been mixed to retard drying. The cover engages the walls 27 and 28 separating adjacent sectors and the wall between the black paint well 17 and the adjacent gray well 18-9, but is spaced from the lower walls within each sector and between the wells 18.

A modification of the mixing tray is illustrated in FIG. 5. Here the tray member 10' has the well configuration illustrated in FIG. 1. The tray, however, is made of a lighter weight plastic material and has insufficient strength to be self-supporting. A plurality of such trays are nested and are frictionally held together temporarily with indentations 34 provided around perimeter of each tray as illustrated in FIG. 1. The bottom tray is mounted on a supporting member 40. Each tray is inexpensive and intended to be singularly removed and discarded after use, exposing a new clean tray, avoiding the need for cleaning. Art programs with restricted budgets can economically provide each student with a single light weight tray made more durable by taping to a piece of cardboard.

Market research has shown that a packaged assembly of five colors, mixing tray and student mixing guide has great buyer acceptance, with large classroom wall chart available separately. The packaged assembly can be a 93/4" .times. 113/8" tray laid on top of student guide, FIG. 6, printed on 101/4" .times. 12" cardboard, and one ounce each of certain red, yellow and blue in triangular squeeze bottles, FIG. 2, laid in wells 12-12, 12-4 and 12-8, and one ounce each of black and white in cylindrical squeeze bottles laid in wells 16 and 17. A blister pack cover overall holds the color containers in their wells and is bonded to outer edges of 101/4" .times. 12" student guide cardboard. The student guide is perforated all around for 81/2" .times. 11" removal from bonded outer edge and may be three-hole punched for a ring binder.

Claims

I claim:

1. A color mixing set for use by a student in applied color mixing experimentation, to demonstrate in a coordinated manner the principles of primary, secondary and intermediate colors, shade, tint and tone color variations and the hue, value and intensity color dimensions, said set comprising:

a planar mixing tray member having a plurality of wells therein arranged in an annular pattern, there being a plurality of wells in each of a plurality of sectors of said annular pattern, the wells in each sector being radially spaced, each well in each sector having a counterpart in the other sectors, the counterpart wells being in an annular ring within the annular pattern, each well being separated from each other well by a wall;

a supply of mixing paints in each of the primary colors, red, yellow and blue, and in white and black, each paint supply being in a container with provision for dispensing measured quantities therefrom; and

a student guide having displayed thereon a spectrum charge with a representation of the wells of the mixing tray, indicia indicating the relative locations of the primary, secondary and intermediate colors, indicia for the mixing of the red, yellow and blue colors to create the secondary and intermediate colors, further indicia for the mixing of the colors with each other and with the white and black paints to modify the hue, value and intensity of the colors and to create shades, tints and tones thereof.

2. The color mixing set of claim 1 in which said student guide is a wall chart.

3. The color mixing set of claim 1 in which said student guide is an instruction sheet used individually by the student.

4. The color mixing set of claim 1 in which said mixing tray includes a further series of wells, separated by walls, for mixing the white and black paints in differing proportions in each of the series of wells to create a set of gray values.