If you’ve ever felt unsure about using metallic watercolour paints, perhaps worried they’re too flashy or tricky, consider this your invitation to explore.
A little water, a small shift in technique, and suddenly shimmer becomes a versatile tool that enhances rather than overwhelms.
Two technics to blend metallics with colours
This year, when the urge hit to paint a few Christmas cards, I reached instinctively for our All That Shimmers collection. As I started playing, the Gold, Silver, and Bronze surprised me all over again, sometimes giving soft, delicate washes of sparkle, other times building into rich, opaque, mirror-like finishes depending on how much water I used.
I wanted to see how these metallics would perform when blended with some of the other colours in our range, and I absolutely love the results.
Gold & Vermilion Hue
Gold & Prussian Blue
Silver & Art Scribe Green
Wet on Wet
The swatches on the left came from a wet-on-wet approach: I laid down a base colour and, while it was still wet, brushed in the metallic. The pigments bloomed into each other, creating fluid, unpredictable transitions that still let the depth of the base colour shine through. The metallics are opaque and reflective.
Mixing in the palette
On the right, I tried something gentler. I used a mixing palette to blend the metallics with colour before brushing onto paper. These swatches created a subtle tint to the colour. The shimmer is quieter and more integrated with less opacity to the metallic.
Playing with the paints reminded me that our shimmer range doesn’t have to be bold to be beautiful. It can be playful, subtle, dramatic, or delicate depending on how you approach it and the effect you are after.
Whether you’re making Christmas cards, adding highlights to sketches, or simply wanting more magic in your palette, the All That Shimmers collection can adapt to your style.