AQUiLA MAGAZINE
SCIENCE OF COLOUR
WHAT ’ S IN A ( PAINT ) NAME ?
If you enjoyed reading about colour wars on pages 6-7 of our Science of Colour issue , then have a go at this activity !
POLLY ’ S mISSION
Imagine painting your bedroom with Dead Salmon , and your living room with Elephant ’ s Breath . What kind of weird-sounding décor is that ?! Actually , it ’ s quite normal for paint manufacturers to invent unique names for paints – they can ’ t just use basic labels like ‘ pink ’ or ‘ grey ’ for all the hundreds of shades of each colour , can they ? A great paint name tells a mini story about the hue in very few words indeed . Ideally , names should evoke feelings or stimulate sights and smells . Many paints are named after flowers and seasons , for this reason . Textures sometimes feature – velvet , cashmere , satin and silk are all used to encourage feelings of luxury and decadence . Sweet food is often used to stir up joyful feelings – Cherry Bon Bon , Cotton Candy , Pink Marzipan , Chocolate Brownie – these all sound good enough to eat !
GET STARTED
STEP 1 :
Print out the template , or you can easily draw your own .
STEP 2 :
Come up with a theme for your colours to sit within . Castle , jungle , circus , ballroom , space adventure – these are all good choices , but feel free to choose something completely different . o o o o
ACTIVITY SKILLS
Pen
30 MINUTES +
Paper
DIFFICULTY
YOU WILL NEED
Colouring pens / paints
Print out of the template on page 3
STEP 3 :
Look for inspiration in books or online .
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