ChromaStick Iron Brush Buiko

Have you ever wondered why artists do not compare colors simply by bringing a brush loaded with paint into the same line of sight as the subject? As designers, restorers, printers, and colorists do. Anyone who has the opportunity to compare two colors side by side.

It would seem logical and convenient. In fact, artists throughout history have consciously or instinctively tried to match color directly at a distance. However, such attempts proved ineffective for two reasons: the absence of a simple, stable tool for comparison and a lack of understanding of the need to synchronize the illumination of the paint and the subject. Without these conditions, this way of working lost its purpose.

The Chromastick was created specifically to solve these problems.

Brief overview of the tool here

The Chromastick (from the Greek chrōma, meaning color, and the English stick) is a special palette knife for precise work with color using the method of direct comparison.

Unlike an ordinary palette knife, it allows for exposure tuning of the sample by changing the illumination of the bladeas it is turned toward or away from the light source. This helps synchronize the illumination of the paint with that of the subject at a distance, while also significantly expanding the tonal range of paints available for comparison.

A special chuck and plumb-bob handle return the tool’s blade to the same position in space for each comparison. As a result, the same amount of light falls on the paint sample every time, allowing the artist to see precisely how each adjustment changes the color.

This creates the conditions necessary for working with color with sufficient precision.

The tool is intended both for precise color matching and for its artistic transformation.

Before beginning work, the artist adjusts the illumination of the tool’s blade, mixes an approximate paint color on the palette, and immediately compares it with the color sample along the same line of sight. If necessary, the color is immediately refined to the desired degree of similarity or consciously modified according to the artistic task.

Why is color easier to compare directly?

Usually, the paint on the palette and the subject are in different places, each within its own color environment. The artist constantly shifts their gaze between them and therefore compares color not directly, but through a short-lived visual impression. Even an experienced eye can make substantial errors under these conditions.

Try a simple experiment. Choose a complex, muted color from the subject, such as a skin tone or the shadow cast by an object on a wall. Match it in the usual way, taking your time and aiming for maximum accuracy. When the mixture seems ready, apply a small amount of paint to a flat palette knife or a strip of paper and place it along the same line of sight as the selected area of the subject. The difference may be unexpectedly large.

We do not perceive color “in isolation,” but in the context of the surrounding colors. When the paint sample and the selected area of the subject are next to each other, along the same line of sight, we see them simultaneously and within practically the same color environment. As a result, differences in lightness, hue, and saturation become much more noticeable.

This is the principle of the direct comparison method. It helps overcome some of the limitations of human perception and gives the artist a more reliable basis for working with color. More details here.

The essence of the direct comparison method is to place the paint sample along the same line of sight as the subject and see both colors side by side and simultaneously. Within the same color environment.

To ensure accurate comparisons, the paint sample being matched must be placed on a flat surface, since a surface of any other shape reflects light unevenly.

Even a slight change in the angle of tilt or rotation of the surface relative to the light source noticeably changes the apparent lightness of the paint. Especially under side lighting.

Therefore, each time the color is refined, it is important to keep the sample in a stable position. The surface with the paint must return to the same position as during the previous comparison and receive the same amount of light.

Without stability, it is difficult to correct the paint color accurately, since each subsequent comparison will take place under new conditions. The artist must be certain that after each refinement of the color, the sample returns to exactly the same conditions. Only then is it possible to see how the adjustment has changed the paint color.

Under stable conditions, each successive adjustment consistently brings the mixture closer to the desired color, significantly speeding up the matching process. If the conditions change, however, the apparent color of the sample begins to “drift”: the artist adjusts the mixture again and again, but the correct color may continue to elude them.

The stability provided by the proposed tool ensures systematic and repeatable comparisons. The adjusted and fixed angle of the blade, together with the handle hanging vertically as a plumb bob, creates identical conditions for the illumination of the sample during comparisons and precise color adjustments. This stability of the tool is maintained throughout the entire session.

Before beginning work, the tool must first be adjusted for the lighting to compensate for the difference between the illumination of the artist’s workspace and that of the subject.

This is done by setting and fixing the rotation of the tool’s blade toward or away from the light source. This is explained in more detail on this page

After exposure tuning, work can begin: mixing paint and immediately comparing it with the subject being painted.

There is no need to use the Chromastick to match every color in the painting. At the initial stage, it is enough to make several thoughtful and accurate matches: to establish the main tonal relationships correctly and identify several basic colors of the subject. It is preferable to do this at the beginning of the session, while the lighting remains sufficiently stable.

However, it is important to understand that even an accurate match of every individual color does not in itself guarantee the harmony of the whole. Therefore, after laying in the main areas of color, they must be harmonized with one another by refining the relationships of lightness, temperature, and saturation. Further work should then proceed within these relationships.

It is important to understand, however, that working with the direct comparison method is not limited solely to accurate color matching.

Using the original color as a reference, the artist can consciously modify it according to their artistic intention: making the colors lighter or darker, warmer or cooler, brighter or more subdued. This helps make the work more expressive without losing its connection to the subject.

Such a modification of color becomes not an arbitrary departure from the subject, but a conscious decision grounded in the actual source color.

Moreover, the vertical position of the paint on the tool minimizes the effect of reflections from overhead light sources, such as the sky, the sun, a white ceiling, and indoor lighting fixtures, to which the glossy surface of paint is particularly sensitive.

How to hold the tool.

When comparing color, hold the tool loosely between two fingers by the special cutouts in the brass sleeve. Do not grip the sleeve tightly, so that the tool can assume a perfectly vertical position under the weight of the handle.

The tool is always held in the same position, with the special marker, the hole in the chuck, facing us and centered. The hand quickly memorizes this position, and each comparison is made with the tool in the same position.

The wooden handle acts as a plumb bob and maintains a constant vertical orientation. The consistently identical angle at which the blade is turned toward the artist provides stable illumination of the paint sample. Together, these features ensure the necessary consistency of the comparisons.
(More details about exposure tuning and use scenarios are available on this page)

There should be only a small amount of paint on the tool’s blade during comparison, and the surface of the paint should be flat and free of glare.

Position the Chromastick next to the selected area of the subject, compare the colors, and adjust the mixture to the desired degree of similarity or modify it slightly.
Remember: the color found is only raw material that can and should be changed depending on the style and the task.

When comparing, I recommend looking with one eye, preferably only at the blade with the paint. The color of the subject can be kept out of focus. This makes it easier not to become confused by the many small details and to capture the overall color tone of the selected area. This is an important point.

I also recommend taking measurements at arm’s length. If measurements are taken close up, the eyes may become tired from frequent comparisons.

It is also important to determine which eye to use for comparisons. For many of us, our eyes begin to see differently as we age. When comparing, it is preferable to look at the paint sample with the eye that sees most clearly at arm’s length.

For example, we may need to capture the color of an area of grass, a variegated background, or the color of the hair in a portrait where there are many small details of different hues. If we look at such an area with one eye while keeping only the paint on the tool in focus, objects in the distance become slightly blurred, making it easier to capture the overall color and tone of the area without breaking it up into small details. This is a very important skill for an artist.

Working on the Palette and Canvas.

A blade on a straight handle is much more convenient for working on the palette because it is essentially double-sided, making it easy to remove accumulated paint from the reverse side. This is important when working quickly with mixtures and also helps use paint more economically.

Moreover, the pointed tip of the tool makes it possible to pick up the precise amount of paint needed to fine-tune the color.

The asymmetrical shape of the tool’s blade was designed specifically to make the tool versatile. It works effectively on different surfaces: the straight section is more convenient for working with paint on the rigid surface of the palette, while the rounded side is better suited to the flexible surface of the painting canvas. The oval side of the blade can both apply and remove paint from the canvas without leaving pronounced scratches.

The long handle keeps the hand from touching the paint on the palette or canvas and also makes it possible to create strokes with a large radius.

Additional Features.

Unlike the curved shape of a traditional palette knife, the tool’s straight form is more intuitive and easier for the hand to control, making it more convenient for working on the palette.

Unlike an ordinary palette knife, which is designed to be used in one way, the Chromastick can be held in different ways: close to the base or farther away, with a pen grip or a brush grip. The Chromastick rotates easily in the hand, can be used on different sides, and is as maneuverable as a brush. All of this can diversify working methods and complement a traditional palette knife when working with paint.

With some practice, the tool can be used as a kind of metal brush. The flexibility of the blade has been carefully calibrated: it is sufficiently resilient for comfortable work on both the palette and the canvas.

The Chromastick blade can also be used as a micro-palette for precise work with color. After the illumination has been correctly adjusted, the paint on the blade looks exactly as it will after being applied to the canvas.

The blade is positioned directly in front of the required area of the painting, and the necessary color is matched on it with a brush, allowing the artist to see the result in advance. Only then is the matched color transferred to the canvas.

This method is especially convenient at the finishing stage. For example, when working on a portrait, where the subtlest nuances of color are important.

My range of tools includes a special disc micro-palette designed specifically for this task.

The purpose of the Chromastick is not limited to copying or achieving an exact color match. The color of the subject is a point of reference. Using it as a basis, the artist can consciously intensify, subdue, shift, simplify, or complicate colors according to their artistic intention. Such a modification of color becomes not an arbitrary departure from the subject, but a conscious decision grounded in the actual source color.

The Chromastick will be especially useful for beginning artists and those who study independently. At an early stage of learning, relying on the natural color helps to “train the eye” and prevents typical mistakes from becoming ingrained: excessive saturation, excessive use of white, muddiness, or persistent color-temperature imbalances. Color matching gradually changes from an intuitive and often arbitrary process into a conscious, controlled action (more details here).

An important point: In learning, direct comparison is most fully realized as a tool for self-assessment, not as a method of mechanically matching color. Direct comparison should develop color vision, not replace it.

The artist should first try to find the required color independently on the palette and only then compare it with the subject. The discrepancy may be unexpectedly large. At this point, it is important for the student not merely to correct the mixture, but to understand what the mistake was.

For a self-taught artist, this kind of self-assessment can, to some extent, replace the constant feedback of a teacher. The artist begins to analyze their typical mistakes and better understand the characteristics of their own color perception.

Every direct comparison is a small lesson during which the artist learns to see color objectively. This skill becomes embedded in memory, forming a rich, realistic palette. Over time, the artist will begin to sense intuitively what the true color should look like, even without directly comparing it with the subject. By mastering the method of direct comparison, the artist will gain a strong foundation on which to build realistic and expressive works.

(More about different scenarios for using the tool, as well as exposure tuning, on this page)