Gold paint/pigment review

I used to know there is only one gold shade on earth which is gold brick gold. Soon after I start to paint I realize that I need a gold paint. I search for them, buy some of them, try them. They are all different. There are no two identical gold shades. Because I paint mostly in oil so I want an oil based gold paint which can provide a gold leaf like finish. I tried gold leaf gilding and made a hell of mess. Therefore I prefer a paint for details and line work.

Today I receive my new gold pigment for oil painting and decide to make a summary of all the gold paint I have. I hope this can help when you are looking for your perfect gold shade.

From top to bottom

Pictures above are taken under daylight (sunlight).

Royal Talens Deep Gold and Utrecht Arists’s Iridescent Gold are similar. They have more brass color and aren’t shiny. Royal Talens Light Gold is more of a gold paint and has the yellow tint. I use this a lot.

Liquid Leaf is a solvent based craft paint. I remove most of the solvent and replace with pure linseed oil then it becomes a pinkish gold oil paint. It can be touch dry in 2 days. The only problem with this paint so far is any varnish on top will eliminate the shine. So I may only use it when I need to paint on wood or shell or other stuff rather than my canvas.

Speedball Simple Leaf has the most shine among these paints. And it is the yellow gold shade. But it is not easy to deal with when you want the delicate line work.

The new pigment powder I received is Schmincke Oil Bronzed Rich Pale Gold. They also have Pale Gold (pinkish tone than Rich pale gold) and Rich Gold (yellowish tone than Rich pale gold). I cannot have all 3 at the same time so I pick the lightest shade which is Rich Pale Gold. I test it with this swatch and love it! It is the one that can give gold leaf finish in oil painting. The disadvantage is it needs special medium that you need to buy separately. It almost shines like Simple Leaf. Looks fantastic~!

The Eye Candy Powder is a mica pigment which I bought long time ago in a sample box. The particle is not fine enough as a paint or film. However it acts well as a dazzling glitter.

I also have a box of metallic watercolor paint. I don’t use them that much. The picture is for color reference.

Besides all these, there are also Antique gold which will look more greenish in color. For what I experience now, I would recommend Schmincke Oil Bronzed pigment. They also have Aqua Bronzed for watercolor. In the future I may have all their shades. 😀

Well, there are so many gold shades. Finding the perfect one can be challenging. Let’s relax a little bit.

LINA IRIS VIKTOR, I discover her work while searching for gold paint. Her works are like dream. Skimpily wonderful~❤ The work is not just painting but also sculpting. Truly amazing.