The texture of Fast Matte Titanium White occupies a unique space. Its quick setup time means artists can add layers sooner and create broken marks without readily picking-up or mixing into the wet paint layer below. Out of the tube, Fast Matte Titanium White will feel grittier and a little denser than our traditional Titanium White. The stiff and grittier texture allows for more broken mark making and defined brushwork – qualities prized by plein air painters.
Mixing Shades of White in Decorating
D o you love white cabinets, woodwork and tile? I do! White can be so fresh and pretty, but sometimes it can come off as bland, clinical and uninteresting! I’m sure none of us want that, so I think it helps to understand how to use white so you are able to get the result you are hoping for. Today I’ll try to answer at least one of those perplexing questions about using white effectively! I’m not a color expert, but I definitely can share what I’ve found from my own experience.
Obviously, there are a million shades of white. I know it can be kind of overwhelming to choose just one when there are so many options from bright white to cream! And even once you finally pick your first white, where do you go from there? Should every white you add to your home from then on match?
It is probably no surprise that one of the FAQ readers ask about my house is if I try to match whites! It’s such a great question that I decided it deserves its own post. The short answer is … no! I don’t match colors or whites. I actually intentionally use many shades of white in my house for a few reasons.
One reason for a variety of whites is it would drive me crazy to have to match everything! It’s hard to have a house that evolves in a gradual way if everything has to match. I want to be free to add in whatever fun accessories come my way, and not be limited or worry whether it’s the exact color match. I also just happen to like the warmth that is created when there are slight variations in color tones whether they are whites or colors. It seems that the more you mix shades in your color palette, the less it seems to matter that nothing really “matches” perfectly.
So in my kitchen, my tile is a soft white but it reads pretty bright white. My counters are white quartz. The cabinets are Benjamin Moore Dove White, which can appear to be white but next to a bright white they are more of a creamy white. When the tile and the cabinets meet up with the counters, we have three whites and none of them match perfectly.
Then I do the unthinkable and add in white dishes, accessories and books and none of them match either. And oh! Look at that. There is a bright white mixer on the counter too. And then my iPad and rolling pin want to join the party too. AHH! Fortunately, the more white I add in, the less it seems to matter that they don’t all match. In fact, if they DID match, I’m afraid it would probably be a bit boring and one dimensional. Too perfect just isn’t quite as inviting, I feel a little more comfortable in a space when there is a little bit of happy imperfection and variety. I think slight variations in shades of whites add some lovely depth and interest to a room.
While I do tend to avoid putting more intense or darker creams and brighter whites together (because the darker creams can end up just looking dirty), slight variations from soft creams to whites seem to look great together. I do have linen colored whites, gray whites, bright whites and soft whites and they all seem to blend in just fine!
I think the trick is to not try to add just one random creamy white in a sea of brighter whites or it will look like the oddball. Keep going and blend many shades of white together! While I prefer to stick with one paint color for cabinets, doors and trim if possible just for consistency and flow throughout the house (although I still haven’t repainted all my trim or woodwork in my house!), as far as I’m concerned I think it looks totally fine to mix in a little variety when you start adding in additional elements such as tile and accessories.
What colors can be blended to make white
Pier
Newbie
- Windows Vista or 7, 8, 10 (64-bit)
#1
04-07-2023, 10:17 AM (This post was last modified: 04-07-2023, 11:53 AM by Pier.)
I’ve used GIMP in the past and have re-installed it to use it for creating a single photo where i inserted 1 cut-out image (as a layer) onto another image. The smaller image i have cut out has these white lines around it, which i would just like to blend in with the surrounding colors. I’m not really interested in making a better cut out, because the image that is cut out is very complex in shape. I would really just want to ‘brush’ the white line away. Is such a thing possible? I tried making a selection and using the feather tool, but this only makes the white marginally darker. I really just wanna extend the surrounding color into the white line if possible, or whatever solution. The image will just be used for a thumbnail, so doesn’t have to be razor sharp at all in these details.
Thanks in advance!
attached is a zoomed-in shot of the inserted image and white line
rich2005 
Administrator 
- Linux
#2
04-07-2023, 10:38 AM
The white border is due to left over pixels from your original selection. Depends how the selection is made but there are procedures to avoid that when making the selection.
From your screenshot: The layer in question is ‘000 aquila goed’ make sure that is active.
Try first:
Layer -> Transparency -> Alpha-to-Selection. Selection -> Invert (to select the background)
Then Edit -> Selection -> Grow and depending on image size grow the selection by 2 or 3 pixels. Next Edit -> Cut to delete those selected pixels.
Second try: (this is what I usually do, but it is time consuming)
Layer -> Mask -> Add Layer Mask and choose the Transfer layers alpha channel
Then with the layer mask active you can paint out the border pixels using foreground color black or when you make a mistake use white to correct. If you use a fuzzy brush say Hardness (25) you get a bit of semi-transparency and avoid hard edges.
sallyanne 
Seasoned Gimper 
- Windows Vista or 7, 8, 10 (64-bit)
#3
04-07-2023, 11:54 AM
can you paste the xcf? (Not sure if you are able here or not)
I would try to select the white area around the picture with the magic wand then delete. Some of the pixels are probably different colours so you may have to put the threshold up a little or select a few times.
Pier
Newbie
- Windows Vista or 7, 8, 10 (64-bit)
#4
04-07-2023, 11:56 AM
thanks Rich, i was getting super impatient since i spent like 5 hours already on this silly image, so right after posting this i ended up just opening paint 3D and using the ‘spraycan’ tool to manually fill in the white spaces. It took me an hour but the result is near perfect actually. I really find GIMP so counter-intuitive. Like when you insert a new image you actually have to select the tool to move and resize it, while doing exactly that is the first step for anyone inserting an image onto another you would think. And ‘escape’ doesn’t actually cancel a selection, you have to enter a menu to cancel a simple selection. It’s really a shame if you ask me, things could be so much user friendly . Thanks anyway rich, i will save your advice for next time (which will come)
rich2005
Administrator
- Linux
#5
04-07-2023, 12:00 PM (This post was last modified: 04-07-2023, 12:03 PM by rich2005.)
Quote: . i ended up just opening paint 3D and using the ‘spraycan’ tool to manually fill in the white spaces. .
Believe me, If I used Paint 3D I would have equal difficulties. It is all a learning curve and practice.
Cancel a selection – not ESC but shift-ctrl-A reverse of the standard select-all ctrl-A that many applications use.
Transparent white
High tint strength and opacity are not for everyone. Renaissance style figurative painting, which strives to show the translucency of skin, is handled best by a more translucent white.
Zinc White is at the end of the spectrum with the weakest tinting strength and incredible transparency. It can be used successfully as a white in glazes and scumbles where the glaze needs to modify light or atmosphere without “whiting out” what is below. Think of depicting the mist where the ocean meets the land, the transparency of a woman’s veil, or the flare of light coming off glass. Zinc White makes this easy to depict where titanium based whites makes this exceedingly difficult.
A note of advice concerning Zinc White: unless you are painting on a panel, Zinc White should not be used as the primary white in an oil painting. Zinc creates a brittle paint film which can cause cracking on stretched fabric supports. Learn more on the pros and cons of zinc oxide on our Tips & Techniques article on the subject.
In 2014, Gamblin brought to market another white with a low tinting strength that contains no zinc oxide. Transparent White, from our 1980 Oil Color line, is an excellent alternative to Zinc White for such purposes. Transparent White is made with titanium pigment but also involves the use of proprietary inert ingredients added to titanium dioxide and marble dust. Perhaps Zinc has met it’s more flexible match!
Temperature
Linseed oil whites are warmer; safflower oil whites are neutral in color. For most oil painters, the color temperature of the white, which is determined by the oil the white is made with, is not an important consideration. But this will be an important consideration for artists who routinely paint passages of pure white. This is especially true for abstract artists who use white as a color and not as the light within a painting. Upon aging, safflower oil whites hold their color the best: for abstract artists this also means that all colors mixed with safflower whites will also hold their original color the best.
If this describes you, we have Titanium Zinc White, Radiant White and 1980 Titanium White for you to choose from as these are all made with safflower oil binder.
In 2013 we released two new colors, Warm White and Cool White. These unique temperature biased whites are formulated for painters who want to factor the color of the light into their color mixtures. The color of the light source influences all of the other colors in the painting’s subject matter. Using a white that replicates the temperature of your light can create a consistent quality of light and color harmony throughout your painting. More detailed information on these temperatures whites, including painting and color swatch examples, can be found on their dedicated Experience Color page.
Best All-Around White
“If I had to suggest a single white for all-around use, it would be our Titanium Zinc White,” says Robert Gamblin.
“Expressing color is primary for me and Titanium Zinc White lets that come through. It has a beautiful neutral white color, and its tinting strength is not super high, so colors mixed into it are not overwhelmed by the power of the white. It also dries pretty close in time to linseed oil whites and dries flexible,” he explains.
Note that 1980 Titanium White is another strong contender for the best all-around white. 1980 Titanium White is also neutral in temperature, with a tinting strength that is not over-powering. Both Titanium Zinc White and 1980 Titanium White are bound in safflower oil and have a soft consistency for easy mixing. The great value of our 1980 Oil Colors makes the 1980 Titanium White an excellent choice for the artist who uses a high quantity of white oil color in their work, working large scale or in thick application of color.
