How to Color Match Acrylics for Book Restoration
According to the American Institute for Conservation (Book and Paper Group), acrylics are an acceptable medium for archival color matching. This doesn’t mean you should get out there and start slathering paint all over your books. Ideally, you would only touch up the materials you are using to repair your books. Consider carefully whether to color the damaged areas on the cover of a book and definitely leave un-damaged areas untouched. Unfortunately, that is easier said than done. Color touch-up is complicated by sun fading, gilt lettering, decorations and changes in materials at transition areas such as going from the spine to paper sides. Also, paint is expensive! Think it over before you start. You are likely to spend over $100 just to have the basic colors. With that in mind, it is possible to color match acrylics for book restoration with good results. Note I am specifying restoration rather than repairs. You can’t undo paint mistakes.
- Tools and Materials
- 20 Minutes of Videos
- Step by step Instructions
- PERPETUAL CAVEAT: Never repair rare and/or scarce books. When in doubt only do preservation treatments and consult an accredited professional.
