A comprehensive introduction to pearls/ metallizers
Since about 2014, I've been using almost exclusively powder-based paints for any work that requires a metal or iridescent finish. This seems complicated at first, but once you try it out a few times, it's incredibly easy (and inexpensive, for the most part)! It's like the pearl paints at the craft store, but you mix the color yourself, and have full control over the consistency and opacity! I typically use a plastidip spray gun and mix my powder into the quart/gallon cans. This is an investment, however, and you don't "save money" by doing this until you A. have the spray system and B. have extra dip pearl topcoat without any pearls in it. in my opinion it was well worth the investment, but there are more cost effective ways to experiment with pearls, such as clear paint medium or clear plastidip in a can!
lets begin with some basics!
Since about 2014, I've been using almost exclusively powder-based paints for any work that requires a metal or iridescent finish. This seems complicated at first, but once you try it out a few times, it's incredibly easy (and inexpensive, for the most part)! It's like the pearl paints at the craft store, but you mix the color yourself, and have full control over the consistency and opacity! I typically use a plastidip spray gun and mix my powder into the quart/gallon cans. This is an investment, however, and you don't "save money" by doing this until you A. have the spray system and B. have extra dip pearl topcoat without any pearls in it. in my opinion it was well worth the investment, but there are more cost effective ways to experiment with pearls, such as clear paint medium or clear plastidip in a can!
lets begin with some basics!
"pearls"
Pearl powder is any powder with "pearly" or "sparkly" sheen. this is the powder used in many craft paints. the base color of the pearls can be any hue, but where the light hits, you get that secondary color. in darker base colors, you get more color intensity than in lighter base colors. to the right is an early Zelda accessory set, when it was a periwinkle ( lilac mixed with blue) pearl powder over black primer. As you can see, it’s got a light pearly sheen where the sun hits, but it has a uniform color. a side note: layering pearls creates a slightly different look than mixing them in my opinion. Try layering them before you mix them together to see how you like it! You also have a little more control over the color this way. |
"colorshift or interference pearls"
We're getting more interesting now! Color shifting pearls are-- as described. instead of one color, you get two! Color shift pearls vary greatly in intensity, and are very popular for nail polish colors. if you've ever picked up a bottle of nail polish with a pretty dual-tone, it's a pearl powder mixed with the solution. It really depends on what you're looking for in a project, but interference pearls and color shift pearls have the same idea. in my personal experience, interference pearls have a little more of an obvious shift, where color shift pearls are a bit softer. in conditions with direct lighting, an interference pearl looks better to me. Pictured here is another version of Zelda’s accessories, but using two colorshift pearls over a light purple base. As you can see, it’s not a harsh shift, especially over the soft base color. we also have Ghosting Pearls! ghosting pearls are like a... build your own color shift? They show up better on flat colors as opposed to a metallizer or pearl. But say you want your project to sparkle in blue, there's a powder for that! It’s “ ghosting” because it’s only intense under direct light, whereas a shifting pearl will show up in most lighting, or even look better in lowlight. |
"Nebula and Alien pearls"
to be perfectly honest, I've only used nebula pearls once. They are more complex in color range and include some very odd combinations (looks fabulous on cars though). All the silver pieces on my Midna costume are a 50/50 mix of a blue/turquoise nebula pearl and a graphite metallizer. it looked just how I wanted, but you really can't tell it's a nebula pearl (just made the graphite more bluish). Maybe I'll expand this section later... |
"Pearl Metallizers"
Metallizers are easy! It's a bag of powder that makes your pieces look like metal. It comes in many shades of gold, silver, and bronze! you can mix it in a clear solution (the same formula as your primer) or you can brush it on (with a makeup brush or sponge), then finish it with sealant. If there's any project in my gallery with "metal" looking pieces, it's metallizer over a black base. Pearl Metallizer is NOT a metal powder coat. It's a pearl powder in the color of an existing metal. |