Composite pigment and production method thereof, paint composition containing composite pigment, and coating film

A method for producing a composite pigment, comprising:

• preparing a slurry containing an inorganic compound source and inorganic color pigment particles,
• wherein the slurry contains the inorganic compound source and the inorganic color pigment particles in such a manner that a volume ratio (Va/Vb) of a volume (Va) of the inorganic compound source, which is calculated in terms of a precipitated inorganic compound, to a volume (Vb) of the inorganic color pigment is 0.3 to 2 and has a solid content concentration of 75 g/L to 450 g/L;
• and
• adjusting a pH of the slurry, so that an inorganic compound derived from the inorganic compound source is precipitated to fix the inorganic color pigment particles, wherein the composite pigment granularly aggregating two or more of the inorganic color pigment particles with the inorganic compound interposed between the inorganic color pigment particles, wherein in a volume cumulative distribution measured by a laser diffraction/scattering-type particle size distribution measuring apparatus, an abundance ratio of the composite pigment having a particle diameter of 1 μm or more is 50% or more based on the total amount of the composite pigment, a diameter on cumulative 90% (D90) is 30 μm or less, a volume of the inorganic compound is in a range of 0.3 to 2 when a volume of the inorganic color pigment particles is 1, and the inorganic compound comprises an inorganic silicon compound, and wherein the inorganic color pigment is at least one selected from the group consisting of titanium dioxide, lower titanium oxide, titanium oxynitride, zinc oxide, basic lead carbonate, carbon black, bone black, graphite, iron black, cobalt chromate black spinel, iron chromate composite oxide, copper chromate spinel black composite oxide, Fe—Mn—Bi black, red iron oxide, molybdenum red, nickel antimony titanium yellow, chrome antimony titanium buff, synthetic iron oxide yellow, chrome yellow, ultramarine blue, iron blue, cobalt blue, cobalt green, chrome green, chromium oxide green, cobalt chromate green spinel and cobalt titanate green spinel.