Schmincke Aqua Bronze
5 metallic colours
Schmincke Aqua Bronze is a range of five colours of dry metallic powders with a watersoluble binder. There are three shades of gold, plus silver and copper. Mix it with watercolours and gouache to add a bit of sparkle or use it by itself to add areas of metallic shine to your painting.
I enjoyed discovering what the Aqua Bronzes will do. The moment when the water touches the powder and it changes to liquid metal is fascinating, it’s a bit like painting with molten gold!
(click images for larger views)
Schmincke Aqua Bronzes
Schmincke Aqua Bronze
Schmincke Aqua Bronze
Pale Gold
water added
Schmincke Aqua Bronze shown in powder, mixed with water and mixed with yellow watercolour.
Schmincke Aqua Bronze
Pale Gold
on the right: dry, on the left: stroked with a wet brush.
Aqua Bronze is opaque so adds opacity to the Ruby Red Horadam watercolour on the right. The Aqua Bronze was mixed with the watercolour but it floats to the surface of the colour and sits on top of the red.
Comparing the Aqua Bronzes to the metallic colours in Schmincke Horadam Watercolour
The Aqua Bronze is much more opaque and is more metallic. The high opacity is due to genuine bronze pigments, instead of pearlescent pigments in Horadam.
Aqua Bronze is well adhered to the paper as it is suspended in glue, yet it lifts well when you wet it.
The same image as above, later when dry. The area that was lifted and wetted with lots of water brushed away when dry.
Painting red watercolour OVER a solid layer of Aqua Bronze. The Aqua Bronze acts like a resist.
Painting red watercolour over a layer of Aqua Bronze mixed with red watercolour. The mixture does not act as a resist.
Painting Aqua Bronze with different amounts of water over a layer of red watercolour. It picks up a little of the watercolour and becomes pink.
Aqua Bronze mixed with blue and yellow watercolours. When dry, a wet brush lifts a stripe through the circle. The Aqua Bronze is lifted away but the colour is painted out in a stripe.
Aqua Bronze mixed with violet watercolour painted on and now dry. Note how the Aqua Bronze floats on the surface. A wet brush is brushed out through the circle. The Aqua Bronze is lifted away but the colour is painted out in a stripe.
Aqua Bronze sprinkled on top of wet red watercolour. As long as the binder is fully wetted the Aqua Bronze will adhere.
The same as above, fully dry and all the excess un-adhered Aqua Bronze has been brushed off.
Some Illustrations Using the Schmincke Aqua Bronzes
An apple sketch with a touch of Aqua Bronze mixed into the watercolour.
An apple sketch using three colours of red each mixed with Aqua Bronze. The Aqua Bronze rises to the surface and floats on top of the colour.
For these I used the Aqua Bronze with just water, not mixed with any watercolour, to paint only the stems.
I used Schmincke Masking Fluid, the top brand in our masking fluid review, to mask off some areas for this flower sketch. I find the tip of the applicator bottle is not fine enough, so I use a brush (with some washing up liquid in the hairs).
The flower sketch finished. I painted the stamen with Aqua Bronze.
Detail of the Aqua Bronze on the flower sketch.
The Colours of Metals
(click image for a larger view)
left to right: Silver, Rich Gold, Rich Pale Gold, Pale Gold, Copper.
You might also like to read:
• Using Schmincke Horadam Watercolour, Masking Fluid and Aqua Bronze
Click on the underlined link to go to the current offers on Schmincke Aqua Bronze Powders on the Jackson’s Art Supplies website.
Postage on orders shipped standard to mainland UK addresses is free for orders of £39.
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