Though I try to locate paint that is as inexpensive as possible, I do try to choose colors that would help people feel as if they are actually in the environment.  In this case, I want them to say, “Hogwarts!” when they come upon the castle façade on Halloween.  So, I try to figure out what colors make up Hogwarts castle.

To do that, I look at photo references and then mix simple acrylic colors together until I get ones that seem to line up with the photo references.  I paint them on cardboard, as that will be where they ultimately will end up.

When I have found the ones I like, I cut them out into swatches which I then take to my local hardware store for paint matching.  

I have them make up the small pint-sized samples so I can test them before committing to purchasing gallons of a particular color.

This year, it was great that I did that because when I painted larger areas with the colors I chose and held them outside in the front yard, it was clear that those colors would not say, “Hogwarts.”

So, back to the drawing board I went, creating new samples.

This time, I got more pint-sized versions and tested them in larger patches.

I was able to find my choices from these.  Hooray!  Then, I purchased gallon-sized versions of each color and had them ready for painting day.

(Fun fact: Always check the paint that you are given while you are in the store.  This year, the folks behind the counter got confused and gave me the wrong shade of one of the colors, which I only found out in the middle of our community painting day. Oops!)