1. Inventory the original recipe
Begin with the exact identity of every product: brand, range, paint name, code, and whether it is a base, layer, wash, glaze, metallic, transparent one-coat paint, ink, or effect product. Repeated names and reformulations make the range and code important.
Then record the part a colour plays. “Red” is not a role. “Opaque dark-red base over black primer” and “thin warm-red glaze over the midtone” are roles. Those two steps should not receive the same substitute even if their visible swatches are similar.
| Record | Why it matters | Example note |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Defines what the layer must accomplish | Recess shade, not overall tint |
| Type and finish | Constrains a behaviourally sensible candidate | Opaque matte acrylic |
| Undercoat | Changes the apparent colour and coverage | Two coats over grey primer |
| Application | Preserves dilution and placement | 1:1 glaze medium, lower half only |
| Dry result | Captures shift and sheen | Darker and more satin after drying |
2. Separate hard constraints from preferences
A hard constraint is something the replacement must do: cover in two coats, flow into recesses, stay metallic, or remain translucent over the previous layer. A preference is something you can adapt: exact brand, bottle format, or a tiny colour difference that the next layer will cover.
This ordering prevents the most common failure in automated conversion tables: selecting the numerically closest colour even though it is the wrong material for the step.
3. Build a colour shortlist
Use the BrushForge converter to compare the original with a target brand. Start with candidates in the same behaviour family. ΔE2000 indicates distance between stored catalogue colours; lower is closer. Use ≤5 as a useful shortlist when possible, not a guarantee.
If the nearest same-type candidate is above 10, write “different colour” in the translation rather than silently presenting it as equivalent. At that point it may be better to mix, retain the original brand for one step, or adjust the surrounding highlight and shadow.
4. Check the value sequence
A recipe is a relationship between steps. Lay the original and proposed base, midtone, and highlight swatches in order. If the replacement midtone is too light, the highlight may no longer read. If the wash is more opaque, it may collapse the separation created underneath.
Translate the complete local sequence before buying. One slightly warmer paint can work when the rest of the ladder follows it; a single “closer” replacement can fail if it breaks value progression.
5. Make a controlled test
- Prime a spare part, base rim, or plastic card with the intended undercoat.
- Apply the same thinning and number of coats used in the original recipe.
- Let each layer dry before judging colour and sheen.
- Apply the next recipe step; do not judge a midtone only in isolation.
- Compare under neutral desk lighting and the display lighting you normally use.
- Add the intended varnish before making a final decision if it changes the finish.
Washes, metallics, and transparent one-coat paints
These require stricter role matching. A wash is shaped by flow, surface tension, and pigment load. A metallic is shaped by particle reflectance and orientation. Contrast-, Speedpaint-, and Xpress-style products use transparency and pooling to build local value variation. A flat screen swatch cannot encode those behaviours.
As of the 10 July 2026 snapshot, BrushForge separates translucent products into 301 single-coat, 148 wash, 42 ink, 10 glaze, and 12 other translucent records. Compatible matches stay inside the exact family; another translucent family can be shown only as a warned reference.
6. Save the translated recipe
Keep the original and translated versions side by side. Record the date, target brand, rejected candidates, and the physical test result. If a paint worked only with an extra coat or a different dilution, that adjustment is part of the translated recipe.
The BrushForge free tier supports up to five recipes and one project. Core tools work offline; cross-platform sync is not available, so do not assume an Android recipe library will appear automatically on iOS.
Sources and next reading
- What ΔE2000 means for miniature paints.
- Same colour, different paint: finish, opacity, and behaviour.
- Liquitex: acrylic painting terms, including manufacturer definitions of opaque, semi-opaque, and transparent.
- Golden Artist Colors: Fluid Acrylic Colors, describing variation in gloss and opacity across formulations.