Metal mania: bring out the twisted sister and the motley crue CDs 'cuz we're going heavy metal, baby!

Expression, Jan-Feb, 2005 by Hilari Ford

I remember back in the early stamping days when finding a metallic anything was a cause for much rejoicing. Did it matter that the metallic stamp pad ink was virtually translucent and more gray or brown rather than silver or gold? Not at all. Did we mind that colored pencil that looked metallic, but colored flat and lifeless? Not really. Or how about that craft paint that floated all the metallic mica bits to the surface only to end up on your hands the moment you touched it. It didn't matter at all, we had the idea of metallic and that was the important thing.

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And so, as we hopefully held on to the dream of sharp, rich, opaque, metallic colors that looked good on both light and dark backgrounds, artistic science was in the lab stirring up pots of pigment and formulating just the right combinations of glitz to tint for our art pleasure. Now we have a stimulating array of metallic offerings, one for nearly every media, to inspire us.

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First we have ColorBox Mica Magic that comes in the expected gold, copper, silver, and bronze colors as well as a plethora of vivid colors. Very rich and thick. All of the colors absolutely POP on dark paper. I also used them with Clearsnap's Style Stones. Using the small inking brush I was able to get the colors in the crevices of the tiniest areas. Wherever ink showed up where it wasn't supposed to, I was able to wipe away with paper towels. And, the colors still showed metallic when embossed with clear embossing powder.

Next is the Crafter's Metallic spray paints by Krylon. They remind me of the silk flower spray paints that you can layer on white orchids to make a custom-colored bouquet. The spray was very uniform and fine, and as you spray back and forth the layers go from translucent to opaque. I tried them on both dark and light backgrounds to good effect. I think they'd work well with wood because the fine spray would sink into the grain and color it as well.

Finally, our journey through all (well, some) things metallic ends with a really cool patina system from Mayco. Magic Metallics have a base coat formula that you can paint on virtually any surface. Let that dry for an elegant metal finish, or apply the patina topcoat or rapid rust oxidizer for a unique variety of aged finishes. You can have a purple marble-y, rusted or verdigris finish--each has a depth of color that I've not seen in other products. You can use a brush, a cloth or the provided spray pump to apply the finish. Let it sit and watch the colors change before your eyes--sort of like the art version of sea monkeys.

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So, here we've highlighted three new metallic products. Each one provides a rich metallic finish that is certain to enhance your art, whatever your chosen media of expression is. From paper to wood to metal, these three hearty paints will, I'm sure, inspire you to works beyond the intended suggestions because of their versatility and ease of application. Buy one, two or all three today and start playing!

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