Testing cheap metallic watercolours

[@elainepaterson2322]

I have those sets too, I use them to make bookmarks and love them.

[@LizChadertonArt]

great fun to use

[@melaniebettridge8943]

I have used these & they are lush! Gold & silver metallic ones too! 👏🥳

[@LizChadertonArt]

Yes they are!

[@esilabet]

I tend to go overboard with shiny and metallic, always ends up with a 'teenage unicorn rainbow' type of composition! hahhaha!

[@LizChadertonArt]

I would not used metallics on their own usually. I think they could be fun in moderation, but I really enjoyed playing with these.

[@esilabet]

@@LizChadertonArt I have found that if I use the shimmering medium with any color, it does really a fine job for just a little sparkle... for irridescent plumage for exemple. I rarely use the metalic paints I have. I have a small tiny palette of 6 half pan that really have awesome colors, super explosive on paper that I use once in a while.... I still go overboard most of the time. lol! Thanks for the review. The black paper is really the star when it comes to metallic.

[@LizChadertonArt]

@@esilabet what brand do you have? Yes, black is fab.

[@esilabet]

@@LizChadertonArt My little palette is CSY art gallery mini tinbox, it's handmade watercolor, not a big brand.

[@LizChadertonArt]

@@esilabet ooh, that sounds lovely!

[@sueallen952]

Also got them in B&M £1.99 3 sets blues and greens, pinks and purples, reds and gold with pewter love them

[@LizChadertonArt]

Excellent! They are surprisingly fun for that price, aren't they??

[@sueallen952]

@@LizChadertonArt yes Liz I wasn't expecting much but was pleasantly suprised

[@LizChadertonArt]

@@sueallen952 exactly!

[@Horsewoman-pt2ku]

Always fun to find a real deal

[@LizChadertonArt]

Yup! I love a bargain!

[@nelliehenrich6253]

Looking forward to getting some Pearl-ex pigments by Jacquard to play with. Thanks for the tips Liz. I’d love it if you could do one on experimenting with backgrounds - watercolour on canvas. 💕

[@LizChadertonArt]

Hi Nellie, I will certainly look at doing another watercolour on canvas film, as I haven’t done one in a while. enjoy the sparkles! I have a few films over the next weeks.

[@jrm2716]

I like using cheap paints for art journaling. They seem to do better on cheap paper and I'm not as fussy about performance. Tfs.

[@LizChadertonArt]

I guess you are not using lots of water in a journal so paint which don’t move a lot aren’t a problem. it’s finding tools which work for you which is important

[@kerry5586]

Sadly there is no Range around here so unable to try this one. Can I pick your brains for a minute Liz? The day before yesterday I did some experimenting with watercolour and salt on a painting. It dried, I brushed off the salt and I liked the effect. Yesterday was one of those horrible damp days where it rained all day. When I picked the painting up it was wet again even though I had brushed off any salt: the salt that must have been absorbed by the paper seemed to have attracted any moisture. I know they use salt in caravans in winter to attract the moisture and stop dampness. So how do you avoid a painting re-damping if salt has been used? Thanks.

[@LizChadertonArt]

hi Kerry, keep your eyes open in Poundland etc and you might find a similar set. salt is a problem in humid atmospheres. you need to remove the salt once dry. I just scrape off with my thumb nail. as you have discovered you don’t get it all off. Think about the storage of your paintings. I use the silica sachets you get with shoes/covid tests etc and pop them in the portfolio or drawer. You can use rice grains. If framing a piece, make sure it is sealed with tape. There is no perfect solution, so that’s why some artists don’t use salt, but I think the effect is too lovely to miss. I’ve only had rewetting once on a canvas piece when I hadn’t removed the salt properly.

[@kerry5586]

@@LizChadertonArt Thanks for the speedy response Liz. I had cut some watercolours done with salt up for book marks. I need to find them quick and remove them from the books!

[@LizChadertonArt]

@@kerry5586 No, give them a quick spray with varnish or wax and that would seal them and you can use happily!

[@kerry5586]

@@LizChadertonArt Thanks for the tip Liz, I hadn't thought of that.

[@LizChadertonArt]

@@kerry5586 my pleasure

[@LonitaFraser]

I'm guessing they aren't vegan. They look like how gucai/gansai paints are packaged, and those are generally made with a hide glue binder.

[@LizChadertonArt]

There is no info on the packaging at all about the binder or pigment 😟

[@LonitaFraser]

@@LizChadertonArt Not surprised. It's hard to get info about some of that stuff. It's even hard to get consistent colour naming when you CAN get info.

[@LizChadertonArt]

@@LonitaFraser I always work from pigment codes not names, but even the same code can give different results…

[@LonitaFraser]

@@LizChadertonArt Oh I know! Sometimes the differences are crazy!

[@LizChadertonArt]

@@LonitaFraser agreed!