Two paint store questions....

You can get any color you want - they mix it to match your sample.

I don't know which paint is the slowest drying, but every painter I've
used over the years, always bought Dunn Edwards brand. They claim it's
the best quality.

http://www.dunnedwards.com/

Jane, for once, is correct. All you need is the chip. They'll match it.

Not likely. Paint computers read the finished color and indicate what white base to use and what amounts of pigments to add, but they don't separate it out in the way you describe.

What you could do is get a can of blue and a can of yellow and on your own measure how many ounces of each it takes to make your green.
Buy some cheap shot glasses.

Once you have the right ratio, (two shots of blue to 1/2 of yellow whatever) take two cans and put the prescribed amounts of each in each one. (The good part is you can always multiply the ratio to make gallons.)

The drying time question is the OPPOSITE of what is normally asked. Most paint companies tout the rapidity of their paint's drying time. With the consistency of today's market I would say that there would be no significant difference amongst any of the leading brands, just buy the cheapest crappy paint you can find, it will contain the fewest drying agents, but the color will probably fade faster over time.

Joe(is this going to be ART?)Nation

Joe, stick to your running. I'll handle the paint questions.

I was worried that I hadn't explained myself well but Joe gets it!

The trouble with that system, Joe, is that I envision myself having to buy 100 shades of blue and 100 shades of yellow to end up mixing the shade of green I want.

I suppose I could do some color mixing in photoshop to narrow it down a bit.

What I want to end up with is kind of a chartreuse.

I was hoping that maybe they could read the recipe and put the blue in a can and a yellow in a can but I understand why they can't do that.

No, it's not for art but for a wall. I want the top bit to be blue and the bottom bit to be yellow and bang into green for the majority of the wall.

Doesn't oil base dry slower than latex or is that bit of info from the olden days?

If I were to clear coat a crappy paint would the finish be more fade resistent? If I did that would I be setting myself up for major problems when I wanted to repaint?

Okay, a mostly green wall with blue at the top and yellow at the bottom?

Get yourself some paint chip color samples. Like the ones at any paint store, grab a bunch, go home and play around with them. I'd pick the green you want most of the wall to be, then a blue and a yellow that look good with the green.

Paint the wall green.
Add glazing liquid to the blue and maybe some retarder if you want a longer "open" time. Play around with adding the glazing liquid until you get the look you want. Use a big soft brush and crosshatch the color onto the wall. (if you want it more solid at the top, use straight paint, then start the glazing liquid crosshatch)
Do the same at the bottom with the yellow.
(can also use a wet cloth to wipe back into the glazed areas, but be gentle! and use the water sparingly! It might make more of a mess of things!)
Might want to play around on a small wall first til you get the hang of it.

If you go to a good paint store (a place that really caters to the straight painter) You should be able to get what you need and ask the questions. (home depot has it all, not sure about retarder. but the advice is lacking, I find, but could be wrong)

Stay away from oil! Especially on walls!
Latex! Water clean up.

Hi caribou and thanks. I did think about glazes -- I've done a lot with them in the past (thats what happens when you decide you want your walls to look "kind of like toast" and you don't really know what you're doing).

I didn't mention that I was going for a kind of graffiti look and wanted hard edges.

Annnnnywaaaay...

I hit my fav paint store this morning (Miller Paint - oh I love those people) and came home with a gallon of "Science Experiement" (green), a quart of "Look on the Bright Side" (yellow) and just for kicks - a quart of "Starfish" (orange). Plus -- they had these groovy little make you own spray paint deals so I got a couple of those.

Anticipating having to use several coats of paint I just put down a hasty coat of green and really like the choppy effect the single coat created.

Does anyone need a half gallon of "Science Experiment"?