Paint pictured: Golden Heavy Body Iridescent Bright Gold (Fine)
Iridescent versus reflective varnish painting
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- This topic has 36 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 3 months ago by SAS Designs .
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July 16, 2015 at 9:52 am #993191
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I would like to increase the light reflected from my oil paintings, so that even in poor light (no spotlights and maybe less natural light) they appear reasonably bright. Is adding (more) marble dust to acrylic gesso a solution? If so, fine, medium or coarse dust? Are there other solutions? Thanks,
Michael
Michael
www.michaeljuleslang.com
July 16, 2015 at 10:11 am #1228575
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I would like to increase the light reflected from my oil paintings
Do you mean this as in making it shinier? In this case I would recommend oiling it out + glossy varnish.
If you want your pictures to appear “lit from within” (especially in regards to skin tones) I`d advice you to experiment with layering techniques. I`m not a big fan of layering myself so I cannot give detailed information but I know that there are certain layering techniques for archieving this glowy look. I don` really see how marble dust would help you, though. The marble dust I know is mat without reflecting properties and it cannot make your canvas any brighter than white gesso can. Maybe I just don’t know the right marble dust.
July 16, 2015 at 1:48 pm #1228553
Anonymous
iridescent paints reflect more light.
July 16, 2015 at 5:06 pm #1228540
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Sounds like a job for transparent glazing on a blinding bright white surface to me. Marble dust does increase the reflectivity and gloss of paints when used as an addition to the paint. I would probably use a couple layers of white paint mixed with marble dust and a bit of oil to get even coverage, should result in a very nice glossy white surface. Also, painting in a higher key will assist with the feeling of brightness. Hope that helps!
– Delo Delofasht
July 16, 2015 at 8:19 pm #1228564
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Marble dust does increase the reflectivity and gloss of paints when used as an addition to the paint.
Marble dust is used in primers to increase tooth. If it makes the surface rougher then how can it increase gloss?
It is also used in mediums as a bulking agent and from Natural Pigments; “Marble dust has little color in drying oils, so it can be added to oil paint without affecting the tint of the color.” If it is mostly transparent then I can’t see how it could increase reflectivity. It will make the surface more uniformly matte though, which would be a good thing. Glazing may make a painting more luminous, but it needs to be lit more brightly than an opaque painting.
I’m afraid that, unless you want to get into speciality paints as Sid suggested, the only thing you can do is use as white a ground as possible, and maybe paint in a high key (light value paintings).
Ron
www.RonaldFrancis.com
July 16, 2015 at 9:29 pm #1228554
Anonymous
Ron’s comment also brought this to mind.
It seems to me that a very smooth surface paint application would also tend to
reflect more light than a rough paint film. Also, you wouldn’t want any sunken in areas, so maybe use a glossy medium and smooth out your paint film as much as possible, and yes darks absorb more light than lights.
I did a painting of a couple of lions, and it is a low key painting, and I admit I must hang it in a spot that gets a lot of light or you just can’t see it very well.
July 16, 2015 at 9:57 pm #1228563
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Painting in a higher key might work–but then again, the paintings might look blurry and indistinct in low light and not be very interesting. Instead, I’d make higher-contrast paintings, and use the shapes of the contrasting darks and lights as compositional elements. Here’s a link to an article on making notan sketches that explains what I mean in more detail: http://www.artistsnetwork.com/articles/art-demos-techniques/the-value-of-notan You could still get away with a little bit of subtle glazing to adjust colors, but darker or heavier glazes need good light in order to show well–the light has to be strong enough to pass through the glaze, bounce off the white of the ground, and still be strong enough on the return trip so you can see the forms and colors. Glazes eat light. They eat it like…well, like I eat cake. So I’d advise working with more opaque pigments and application techniques as well.
July 16, 2015 at 10:11 pm #1228541
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Marble dust is used in primers to increase tooth. If it makes the surface rougher then how can it increase gloss?
I assume it’s actually an optical illusion created by the way the layer transmits light. For a ground it should disperse light more evenly which in turn allows for more “glow from within”, when added to a paint film layer it should create more space between the pigment particles allowing more light to pass through the layer. The gloss itself is imparted from the oil in the paint itself, but with opaque pigments paints tend to seem more matte, with transparent pigments it’s more glossy looking; putting more space between pigment particles in a layer of paint film should result in a glossier look (certain pigments react a bit differently). These are notes from my experiences with using marble dust for a ridiculous number of things (just repaired a DVD for my daughter with it tonight actually :lol:)
– Delo Delofasht
July 17, 2015 at 2:33 am #1228547
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I don’t know if this will achieve the effect you’re looking for, and I haven’t really experimented enough myself to be sure that there’s a difference, but, a while back I played around with toning my canvas with gold acrylic paint. It seemed to make the paintings glow somewha t: 
Both of these were more sketches than actual paintings, since they were done for the Daily Painting Challenge earlier this year. In both, I painted over the gold acrylic paint, but somewhat thinly for the backgrounds. However, please be aware that the photos may be a llittle deceptive; for some reason the photos show the gold tone of the canvas more than it shows IRL. I won’t have time until next week but maybe I can see if there’s much of a difference in what they look like when viewed in bright light vs a darker environment. I’d like to know that for myself. I don’t want to say this is what you need, since I really was just fooling around with it – maybe if I played around some more I’d discover it really doesn’t work that great. But it might be worth experimenting a bit with gold acrylic toning with a semi-transparent layer on top to see if that does what you want. OTOH, maybe you’re looking for some entirely different effect!
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July 17, 2015 at 3:27 am #1228568
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You can try to use high Titanium White pigmented groung, with minimum chalk or other poor pigments, but with high amount of highest quality Titanium White. It will prevent ground from white discoloration and darkening when oil penetrates into it. Also use opaque paints in “High Key” for all lights and transparent paints only for shades and darks. Lights must be done with strong opacity using Titanium White and Cadmium based paints. Any transparent paint will always darken.
But you can’t do nothing with Metamerism. It will kill your work anyway. In the darkness, all the best works looks like gloomy crap. People can’t see wide color gamut in darkness.
Therefore, go to a Supermarket to buy powerful light fixtures, buy quality CFL lamps, illuminate each of your painting using 20W CFL bulbs for each of your painting. And you will see how great the better illumination is. Do it, use more light! Use POWER OF LIGHT!
July 17, 2015 at 3:44 am #1228550
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Radium paint is what I use when I really want a luminous glow. Dave.
“What peaches and what penumbras! Whole families shopping at night! Aisles full of husbands! Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes!—and you, Garcia Lorca, what were you doing down by the watermelons?”
— Allen Ginsberg
Are you ready for a Journey?
PS Critiques always welcome but no plaudits or emoting, please don’t press the like button.
July 17, 2015 at 5:20 am #1228569
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Radium paint is what I use when I really want a luminous glow. Dave.
Or you can translate a digital image of your painting on 27 inch LCD monitor and hung it on the wall instead of oil painting. You just need one, $250 USD LCD monitor for each paintings you have. Actually, it is not too much. Four paintings will cost one thousand USD, while one, poorly illuminated Gauguin’s painting can cost a couple of waggons, full of LCDs!
LCD can’t crack, don’t need varnishing and frames.
Never be yellow and it is less prone to darkening. You can replace it over time with new LCD without damaging of your painting! :thumbsup:
July 17, 2015 at 5:51 am #1228551
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The trouble with using LCD for those who worry about the archival nature of their work is the short life of an LCD screen and digital storage, whereas Radium has a half-life of 1600 years. Dave
“What peaches and what penumbras! Whole families shopping at night! Aisles full of husbands! Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes!—and you, Garcia Lorca, what were you doing down by the watermelons?”
— Allen Ginsberg
Are you ready for a Journey?
PS Critiques always welcome but no plaudits or emoting, please don’t press the like button.
July 17, 2015 at 11:52 am #1228542
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Like Annie, I have been fooling around with metallic underpainting overlaid by transparent colors. This does produce a very reflective, glowing surface when you view it from the correct angle! There is a great selection of metallic and, as Sid suggested, iridescent paints today; I have found the metallic are much brighter than the so-called iridescents. Using a medium with a bit of varnish in it helps product a nice glow. Mussini paint contains varnish and they have an excellent selection of metallic colors. Of course the advantage of the acrylic metallics is the short drying time.
July 17, 2015 at 3:01 pm #1228555
Anonymous
Increasint the light reflected from a canvas
oh yeah, first thing to do, don’t use canvas, use a smooth masonite surface.
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Golden Interference Acrylics
Golden Interference Acrylics are great for artists who want to create shining, vibrant works of art with a unique aesthetic. Adding interference paint to your practice can give your work a three-dimensional effect that influences feelings of depth. The color in interference acrylics will change depending on how you view them, which can help your artwork come alive in ways you never imagined!
This color shift you see comes from light refracting off the tiny particles that make up the pigment. Refraction happens when light is bent as it passes through one transparent material into another, like air into water, or in this case, air into the transparent binder in Golden Interference Acrylics.The light is scattered within the paint and, when viewed from an angle, produces a striking visual effect. This optical illusion happens on the microscopic level and is called a “structured surface.”
Paint pictured: Golden Heavy Body Interference Gold (Fine & Coarse), Blue (Fine & Coarse), Violet (Fine), Red (Fine & Coarse), Orange (Fine), and Green (Fine & Coarse)
Golden Iridescent Acrylics
Golden Iridescent Acrylics are a brilliant way to recreate the look of shiny jewelry and other metallic-like subjects in your paintings. Whether you want to create a subtle sheen or outright glitz, these paints are an excellent choice for producing a wide range of dynamic, eye-catching effects.
When light hits a smooth surface, the rays bounce back, which is called the reflection of light. When light hits a rough surface, part of it reflects, and part of it is absorbed. The more light that is reflected, the brighter the effect. So, if you want a shinier finish on your piece, we recommend using Golden Iridescent Acrylics on primed surfaces that have been sanded smooth.
Golden Heavy Body Iridescent Bright Gold (Fine), Gold (Fine), Gold Deep (Fine), Bronze (Fine), CopperLt (Fine), Copper (Fine), Pearl (Fine), Silver (Fine), Stainless Steel (Fine), Gold (Coarse), CopperLt (Coarse), Copper (Coarse), Pearl (Coarse), and Stainless Steel (Coarse)
Tips for Adding Golden Interference & Iridescent Acrylics to your tool kit
- Applying interference colors on top of a dark surface, like black, will intensify its flashy effects! Adding the tiniest bit of black to these paints will also do the trick, and you can mix in more black to achieve darker colors. (Golden recommends a 1:100 ratio or less.)
If you’re looking to experiment with some unique effects, either of these paint lines would be a great addition to your ARTsenal! We hope the information we’ve shared in this post helps light the way on your painting journey.
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Question:
In the January 2001 Painting Clinic, I answered a question about iridescence in ultra-thin coatings applied to aluminum mirrors. The question posed by J.C. was as follows: “I try to deposit a thin layer of varnish (5-8 microns) onto an aluminum mirror. So far I have had some problems since I see iridescence once the coating is dried, even with a thickness up to 15-20 microns. How can I solve this problem? Thanks for any help.”
Although I am not an optical physicist (where is my son in-law when I need him?), I believe the phenomenon results from light reflected at different angles (as from a prism) by some crystallinity in the film. My guess is that, in this case, it is caused by the filler in the varnish. Fillers are often added to varnishes for flow control. I suggest you either change the filler in the varnish or the varnish itself”
On reflection (no pun intended), I realized that only half the answer was given. Although the crystallinity in the film causes the optical interference (iridescence), the real reason is the low coating thickness. According to my rounded-off calculations, if 1 micron equals 0.0394 mil, then 5 micron equals 0.1968 mil, and 8 microns equals 0.3149 mil. At these calculations it is possible that filler agglomerates can be thicker than the resinous part of the coating film. They would stick out of the film causing the apparent crystallinity. To correct the answer, add “increase the film thickness” to the aforementioned suggestions. I hate to be half-right. It’s almost as bad as being half-slow or half-____.
