Embossed book

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Today I’d like to share a picture of some books I created using an embossed panel that I decorated with Daler Rowney Interference colours. This first one features, Shimmering Blue and shimmering gold interference colours.

Blue & Gold embossed book

This one features Shimmering copper and Shimmering Gold; interference colours and the Swirls; Cuttlebug embossing folder.

Embossed book with interference colours

Aren’t the colours just lush! I ‘m looking forward to experimenting more with these paints, I love how they work so well with each other and over a variety of surfaces. Hope you get to try some of this paint soon, its amazing. More pics next week.

Best wishes and thanks for reading, see you soon

Billie

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Video Tutorial: Purple Distressed Panel

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As part of the online workshop

Vintage Purple Distressed Panel

You Will Need

• Winsor & Newton Galeria Flow formula Acrylic paint: Winsor Violet
• Daler Rowney; Shimmering Colours: Shimmering Gold
• Cotton Rag
• Jar of Water
• Palette Knife
• White Mount board
• Plate to mix colours on

Method

• Apply a layer of Winsor Violet to the mount board using the palette knife. Allow this layer to dry before you move on.
• For a darker finish apply a second layer of Winsor Violet to the mount-board. If you apply the paint generously, you can also dab the flat of the knife into the paint to create additional texture. Allow this layer to dry fully before you move on.
• Put some Gold Interference colour onto the plate. Pick up some of this colour using the rag. Dab off the excess paint on to a clean area of the paint. You only want a small amount on the cloth.
• Swipe the rag over the board, just catching the top surface. The colour will catch on areas of texture and highlight them. While you get used to the technique, start on the sides of the board and work inwards, if you have too much paint on the cloth you will get a different effect! By starting at the edges of the board and working inwards, the excess paint will be worked off a little on the sides of the board.

Options/Added Extras

Vary how you apply the paint, for different effects. Use varying amounts of paint at each stage and experiment to discover an effect that you like. Try applying the Shimmering gold over other dark colours of card or paint to find more colour combinations you like.

Links

• Introducing Shimmering colours
• Daler Rowney
• Daler Rowney Shimmering Colours
• Shimmering colours at Jackson’s Art Supplies

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, do let me know what you think and I’d love to see your experiments with this technique.

Best wishes and thanks for reading see you soon

Billie

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Purple Distressed Book

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It’s nice to be posting pictures of projects again This book features a purple distressed panel that I’ll show you how to create in friday’s video tutorial.

Distressed Purple book, check out the gold.

Delicious isn’t it? You only need two paints to achieve this effect, come back on friday to see how to create this effect.

Best wishes and thanks for reading, see you soon

Billie

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Video Tutorial: Introducing Interference Colours

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After my review in the last post, today I’d like to share a video with you as part of the online workshop series Adventures In Acrylics. In the film I’ll show you around the interference colour palette and some of the amazing results that you can achieve with it.

You Will Need

• Daler Rowney; Shimmering Colours. Interference colour of your choice
• Jar of water
• Cotton Rag
• Dark and Light card stock

Here’s a few examples of items that feature Daler Rowney Interference Colours

Interference Colours; So many possibilities

Links

• Daler Rowney
• Daler Rowney Shimmering Colours
• Shimmering colours at Jackson’s Art Supplies

Quote: Daler Rowney Site: EFFECTS

Shimmering Colours (Interference Mediums) Available in six colours: Shimmering Gold, Copper, Violet, Red, Blue and Green. Used straight from the tube and applied to a black surface they produce a magical shimmering, metallic, transparent lustre. The most dramatic effects are on black, where colour shows with electric intensity. – Gold  Code 128 075 709 – Violet  Code 128 075 710 – Blue  Code 128 075 711 – Copper  Code 128 075 712 – Red  Code 128 075 713 – Green  Code 128 075 714

Shimmering Colours Set  Gives a shimmering pearlescent metallic lustre when mixed with pure acrylic colour. – Code 128 900 125

End quote

Hope you will give these Shimmering Colours a try, they are stunning on dark surfaces. In the coming weeks I’ll share some techniques using them, and I’ve got plans for a Christmas project with them later in the year. As I mentioned in the film, if you can only get one colour, I’d go for the Shimmering Gold, its the one I use the most and I find the most versatile.

If you already have these paints, I’d love to hear how you use them and see your projects with them too.

Best wishes and thanks for reading, see you soon

Billie

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Product Review: Daler Rowney; Shimmering Colours

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In today’s post I will be reviewing; Daler Rowney Shimmering Colours set. Shimmering colours are Daler Rowney’s interference colour acrylic paints.

Daler Rowney; Simmering Colours. Interference colour acrylic paint

Product Details

• Manufacturer/Brand; Daler Rowney: Cryla
• Item number: 128 900 125
• RRP at time of writing: Individual Colours £6.95 for 75 ml tube. Shimmering colour set

Reason For Buying

I have interference colours from another brand, but they aren’t easy to source, the Daler Rowney ones however are much more widely available. I have enjoyed using interference colours so much, I was interested in trying more colours.

Pros/Cons

Pros

Super smooth although the packaging lists them as being heavy bodied they are more fluid than Cryla, had I know this, I’d have bought them AGES ago.

Easy to mix with other acrylic paint for interesting results

Subtle ‘mother of pearl’ like effect when used over light colours or on white card

On dark card the interference colour REALLY pops.

Translucent so you can see some of the earlier layers through it.

No granulation from the mica

Cons

I haven’t got any. There is some smell, but nothing too fierce (and I’m REALLY sensitive to smells). If you have used Daler Rowney Cryla, they smell similar to that.

Build Quality

Fantastic. Really impressive colour flip on dark surfaces, no granular particles visible. As I mentioned before the packaging lists this as heavy bodied acrylic paint, but it is more fluid than Cryla. The texture is more like that of room temperature butter, super smooth and velvety.

Value for Money

Good. Not the cheapes-but well worth it for the quality and versatility of the product.

Would I buy it Again?

YES! I bought a couple of individual tubes to try (careful not to pick the ones that were in the pack) and loved them so much I immediately bought this Shimmering Colours set. I wanted something more fluid than they Cryla paint and these were just that.

Summing up

Interference Colours; So many possibilites

Buy them, they are better than chocolate! Simple as that If you see the colours on the card and went WOW, then this paint is for you. If you are still on the fence (why?) but check out friday’s video tutorial where I’ll show you all the colours on camera. If you are unsure buy a single colour to see if it works for you. My advice would be to buy a colour that isn’t in the set though, as once you try one, you are bound to love them and want them all.

You will see a selection of videos using these paints in the next few weeks.

Links

• Daler Rowney
• Daler Rowney Shimmering Colours
• Shimmering colours at Jackson’s Art Supplies

Quote: Daler Rowney Site: EFFECTS

Shimmering Colours (Interference Mediums) Available in six colours: Shimmering Gold, Copper, Violet, Red, Blue and Green. Used straight from the tube and applied to a black surface they produce a magical shimmering, metallic, transparent lustre. The most dramatic effects are on black, where colour shows with electric intensity. – Gold  Code 128 075 709 – Violet  Code 128 075 710 – Blue  Code 128 075 711 – Copper  Code 128 075 712 – Red  Code 128 075 713 – Green  Code 128 075 714

Shimmering Colours Set  Gives a shimmering pearlescent metallic lustre when mixed with pure acrylic colour. – Code 128 900 125

Best wishes and thanks for reading, see you soon

Billie

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Watercolour Holly Berries

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Today I’d like to share a picture of some holly berries that I recently painted.

Holly Berries in watercolour

At Christmas my sister-in-law put a sprig of holly to decorate my parcel, since I’ve been trying floral painting I thought it would be a good chance to practice with my new pallet of colours. My colour choice was based on Billy Showell’s pallet in her book; Flower Portraits.

The great thing about this subject is that it doesn’t quickly deteriorate like fresh leaves and flowers, which is VERY useful when you are as new to all this as I am and everything takes you ages! This was painted in my Daler Rowney sketchbook, perhaps not the ideal paper for the number of layers of paint I used. Great for practice though.

 Here’s another view of the painting, without the help of Photoshop enhancing the dull light of the day the photo was taken on. It’s a dilemma in the winter, the light is too dark to take good photos without flash bleaching out all the colours, but if you use Photoshop to brighten things back up, it often changes the colours too much.

Holly Berries in watercolour

Items used

• Daler Rowney hardbacked Sketchbook This is suitable for sketching and a small amount of watercolour, but for many washes of colour, choose one of their water-colour pads.
• Winsor & Newton; Artist quality watercolours

Hope you like it too.

Best wishes and thanks for reading, see you soon

Billie

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Product Review; Daler Rowney Cryla paint

Welcome Back

In today’s post I will be reviewing;

Daler Rowney Paint set

Product Details

• Manufacturer/Brand; Daler Rowney/ Cryla Heavy Body Acrylic Paint
• Item number Art Code; 128900400 (this actual set is discontinued, the review is essentially for the paint itself rather than the specific set)
• RRP at time of writing: Single 75ml tubes £5.95 – £10.95

Reason For Buying

I had an introduction set of 22ml tubes of these from YEARS ago, that I bought for my late father. I love using them, so I bought this set to expand my pallet. I wanted a reliable quality acrylic paint, which would give me plenty of options for finished results and styles of painting.

Content

Item shown in picture is; Cryla Artist Qualtiy Heavy Body Acrylic; Classic set and contains 8 x 75ml tubes in the following colours; Titanium White, Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red, Crimson, Coreulum, Ultramarine, Burnt Sienna.

 (This actual set is discontinued, the review is essentially for the Cryla paint itself, rather than this specific set)

Daler Rowney Cryla Acrylic Paint

Pros/Cons

Pros

• Artist quality Paint
• Large colour pallet to choose from including metallic and interference colours
• Large range of mediums to mix with the paint to create different effects and finishes
• Well known established manufacturer & brand
• Heavy Body Acrylic gives lots of possibilities for finishes

Cons

Haven’t really got any, there is still some smell, until the paint dries, but it is minimal with these paints. MUCH less than the System 3s that I had trouble with.

Build Quality

 Superb quality and very reliable.

Value for Money

Excellent! This is a top quality reliable paint that is worth the investment. The tubes are metal and look like they will last well. If you are confused by the pricing I quoted at the top of the review, the prices vary dependant on the pigment used in the paint. There are four different series of colours grouped by price, at the time of writing they are as follows

• Series A; £5.95
• Series B; £6.50
• Series C; 8.75
• Series D; £10.95

To see the full colour pallet available and which colour will fall into which price band, please visit the manufacturer’s website, which I’ll link to at the end.

Would I buy it Again?

Yes, these are superb.

Summing up

I love the quality and versatility of the Cryla range. It blends and mixes beautifully and with the addition of the mediums you have a huge range of options for how the paint looks and performs. Well worth the price and I highly recommend it to you all.

Links

• Daler Rowney manufacturer site
• Daler Rowney Blog
• Daler Rowney Forum
• Find a Daler Rowney Stockist
• Cryla Paint; Colour charts, paint sizes etc

Best wishes and thanks for reading, see you soon

Billie

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