Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-17
CARS COLOR HELD
IMPORTANT AFFAIR
Joy in Use Given as One
Illustration of Why 1t Is
Necessary.
BY HOWARD KETCHAM,


Say what you will, color both inside
and outside car Is highly important
affair And 1t is not at all a sign one
is notional or eccentric because one
likeA an automobile just little better
and have little more JOY in its use
merely because of the color scheme.
The makers of United States cars
present them In wide range of care
fully chosen color harmonies and the
consumers take the kind that suit best.
When We have come to have our car re-
finished we strike out for ourselves.
And We are surprised to find that the
lacQering of cars is no tremendous myS-
terry, after all There are certain basic
facts about color and the effect of one
color on another that have to be under
stood, but these facts are not very diff
cult to learn.
For instance. light and cool tints Of
colors such as brocatelle green, nyanza
green, verdancia green, mountain mist
blue (Which is a blue with consider
able gray in it,, storm cloud blue
gray gull ca dark beige and
blue gray make objects easier to see by
making them look larger. On the other
hand, dark and warm shades of colors
such as safari blue, thorne brown, noun
tain brown dark, maison gray, rem
devious gray, dusk rose and cinnamon
make things less noticeable, and hence
they appear smaller.
Shades and Tints Blend.
Contrasts among warm colors are
less noticeable than with the combina-
ton Of warm and cold color. Shades
and tintS of the same color always look
well together. So in combinations where
yellow, green and wine maroon are used
together, green and yellow. provided
they are in right tones, may be used in
perfect harmony. A wine maroon au-
tomobile with yellow green wire wheels,
green window reveals and yellow gold
stripe on the mouldings would be at
tractive because these colorS harmonic
and are distributed in right proportions.
It is natural for one to desire exclu-
sive tintS and shades of attractive col
ors when refinishing These can be de-
veloped readily in a way to give the
owner something special and individual
They should be colors that will lend
themselves to the environment and per-
sonalities with which they will be in
almost constant association. OftentimeS
the very names of the colorS will serve
as guides. and II one takes fancy to
color combination that seems little
bold, the colors can be made to melt
agreeably into a perfect picture by mix
ing little of each with the other.
Combinations Please.
Combinations OF colors associated In
the spectrum are likely to please and
rest the eye, and for this reason they
are the ones that are most used. Like
good friends, they wear well together.
A color harmony can usually be
achieved with two disassociated colors
~. oh NIB N
or adding black to one and white to
the other.
So brown harmonizes with orange or
mauve. crimson harmonizes with green,
gray with lavender, orange with blue,
old rose with any blue and yellow with
blue and green. The amount of each
color to be used Is matter Of personal
preference. The parts of the car most
suitable for contrasting color treatment
are pretty generally understood now,
such as the wheels, the landings, the |
window reveals. the hood. etc. Remem-
Der that color used horizontally adds |
apparent length to the car, and up-and- |
down lines seem to shorten the wheel |
base and give the car heighth.
Trend Toward Briiliance.
The trend this year is for more bril- |
hance and richness In coloring; combi-
nations that once would have been
thought daring now are, with better
understanding Of the way to combine
colors on automobiles. merely produc-
tive Of new and more charming har-
monies, without anything to CRATE on
the eye. Some attractive sport phae-
tons are being finished this year in
aluminium, with the polish accumulated
by a covering of clear lacquer to protect
and add luster. They often are uphol-
stored in black and red and trimmed
on tenders and holdings with mountain
ash scarlet or red shadow. which is a
yellowish red. These 60 well with black
and aluminium But the actual polished
aluminium is hard to keep In good con-
dition and its use except in special cir
cumstances hardly practical.