Graphite or Black

When painting with Annie Sloan chalk paint, you need to make sure you understand that the Graphite....is not black.  It is close to black and looks like black with certain colors and backgrounds but it is not black.  It's more like the color of a lead pencil. Check out the lid below.

Clearly, this does not look black.  And, if you choose to paint with Graphite, be aware that this will look darker or lighter depending on where this sits in your house.

I worked on creating a french dresser above awhile ago and paired this with gray and white.  So yes, the graphite looks black.  I was super happy with the depth of the graphite because I wanted it to look black.  Look at it below.

I brought the dresser into a room with yellowish beige walls....and it still looks black.  But, Graphite is not black. I pulled some images off of Pinterest of Annie Sloan Graphite and here you can really see the differences.  This first piece looks more gray or "lead" like.

 This piece in a darker room against cream, gray and green...looks black.

 With sanded edges, this looks black to me.

With silver accents, I see more grey.  Look at the legs where the light hits it.  Grey.

These headboards from the "Rustic Pig" really show the Graphite as more gray than black - right?

I'm working on a piece this week in Graphite and I'll show you how different lighting can really change this color from somewhere in between gray and black.  If you are looking for black and choose to use graphite beware. 

I would recommend visiting your Annie Sloan stockiest before you choose Graphite.  You will want to see this in different lighting before you start your piece.  

Happy 2016!

Paula