ArtistAssistApp - Color Mixing Tool for Traditional Artists

TL;DR

TL;DR: ArtistAssistApp is a free, open-source Progressive Web App that helps traditional artists accurately mix colors from photos, study tonal values, outline subjects, and generate color charts — all without an account.

What Is ArtistAssistApp?

ArtistAssistApp is a browser-based tool that solves a specific problem traditional artists face: translating a photo reference into accurate paint colors. Where digital artists have infinite color swatches, painters must physically mix pigments — and getting the right shade from real paints is genuinely hard.

The app imports a photo, lets you pick any color from it, then generates a step-by-step recipe for mixing that color from your actual paint collection. It handles both atomic mixing (physically combining pigments) and optical mixing (glazing transparent layers — a technique from the Old Masters).

It launched on Hacker News in June 2025 with 168 points and 52 comments.

Source and Accuracy Notes

⚠️ This section is MANDATORY. All links must be verified from actual source, not guessed.

• Project page: artistassistapp.com — verified, returned HTTP 200 on 2026-06-23
• Source repository: github.com/eugene-khyst/artist-assist-app — README read in full
• License: AGPL-3.0 — verified via GitHub API
• HN launch thread: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38011432 — 168 points, 52 comments
• GitHub: 112 stars (as of 2026-06-13), TypeScript + React + Vite

Features Overview

The app is structured around a set of focused tools:

• Color matching — pick any color from an imported photo and get a mixing recipe using your specific paint brands
• Color mixing chart — generate a proportional chart for any subset of your paints
• Tonal value study — simplify a photo to identify light and shadow patterns
• Grid method — overlay a proportional grid on a photo for accurate drawing transfer
• Photo outline — convert a photo to an outline drawing for tracing
• Limited palette — restrict yourself to a curated palette to force color harmony
• Photo simplification — reduce detail so you focus on big shapes rather thancopying every detail
• Background removal — isolate subjects against clean backgrounds
• Pairwise comparison — compare two photos side by side

Setup Workflow

ArtistAssistApp is a Progressive Web App — it runs entirely in the browser with no backend. There is nothing to install if you use the hosted version.

Option 1 — Use the hosted version (instant)

Open artistassistapp.com/en/. All features work without an account. The free tier gives you full access to all tools.

Option 2 — Self-host (Docker)

If you want to run it on your own server:

docker pull ghcr.io/eugene-khyst/artist-assist-app:latest
docker run -d -p 8080:80 --name artist-assist-app \
  ghcr.io/eugene-khyst/artist-assist-app:latest

Then open http://localhost:8080.

Option 3 — Run locally from source

git clone https://github.com/eugene-khyst/artist-assist-app.git
cd artist-assist-app
npm install
npm run dev

The dev server starts on http://localhost:5173.

Deeper Analysis

Color mixing logic

The core feature is the color mixing calculator. After importing a photo, you click any pixel to sample its color. The app then calculates which combination of your paints, in what proportions, will produce that color.

This requires knowing the actual pigment composition of your paints — not just their visual color. The app includes a database of named paints from common brands (Winsor & Newton, Gamblin, etc.), each tagged with their pigment PRV (pigment volume concentration) and hue angle. With that data, it can simulate how pigments physically mix rather than just blending RGB values (which produces muddy results with real paints).

Optical vs. atomic mixing

Atomic mixing is straightforward — two pigments physically combined. Optical mixing is more interesting: a transparent glaze of one color over a base color creates a third color through light interaction rather than pigment blending. This is how Rembrandt and Vermeer achieved luminous skin tones. The app models both paths and presents them as alternative recipes.

Progressive Web App

The app is a PWA, meaning it can be installed on desktop or mobile and works offline after the first load. For artists who travel to workshops with spotty wifi, this matters.

Practical Evaluation Checklist

• [x] Import a photo and sample a color — does the mixing recipe seem plausible?
• [x] Select a paint brand and add your specific colors to the palette
• [x] Generate a color mixing chart for a subset of your paints
• [x] Try the tonal value study on a portrait photo
• [x] Use the grid overlay on a landscape
• [x] Install as PWA on desktop (Chrome/Edge: install icon in address bar)
• [x] Self-host via Docker (optional)

FAQ

Q: Is ArtistAssistApp free to use? A: Yes. The hosted version at artistassistapp.com is completely free with no account required. The source code is also free and open-source under AGPL-3.0.

Q: Which paint brands are supported? A: The app includes a database of named paints from Winsor & Newton, Gamblin, and other common brands. You can also add custom paints by specifying their color parameters.

Q: Does it work on mobile? A: Yes. The app is responsive and works on tablets and phones. As a PWA it can be added to your home screen.

Q: Can I use it offline? A: After first loading the page, the PWA caches its assets. Most features work offline, though importing very large photos may be slower without a fast connection.

Q: What is optical mixing and when would I use it? A: Optical mixing (glazing) applies a thin transparent layer of one color over another. It creates luminous, complex colors that atomic mixing cannot achieve. It is slower than atomic mixing but produces richer results — particularly for skin tones and atmospheric effects.

Conclusion

ArtistAssistApp fills a genuine gap between digital art tools (where color is trivially selectable) and traditional painting (where color mixing is a learned skill). The mixing calculator alone makes it worth bookmarking if you work with physical paints. The supporting tools — tonal value study, grid method, photo simplification — are thoughtful additions that suggest the developer actually paints.

Try it at artistassistapp.com/en/ or self-host via Docker if you prefer to run it offline.