All About Metallic Pigments

Metallic pigments are the most fascinating tool to achieve a golden, silver or copper metallic shimmer to our creations due to their ability to reflect the light.

They are mostly made of aluminium or bronze flakes, have a structure similar to glitter and, due to their expensive price, are often substituted by MICA pigments for the production of acrylic paints.

Types of metallic pigments

Metallic pigments come in various types, each offering unique effects and properties. All of them are used in different fields such as car paints, industrial coatings, art, cosmetic, etc.

Here are a small list:

• Aluminium Pigments: Made from aluminium flakes, these pigments provide a bright, reflective silver appearance. They are also used to improve the colour-shifting effect of chameleon paints and coatings (the so-called hyper-shift colours).

• Bronze Pigments: Made of a combination of copper and tin alloys, bronze pigments deliver a rich, metallic shine with warm, golden-brown hues.

• Copper Pigments: Pigments with a reddish-brown metallic finish.

• Gold Pigments: Made from fine gold flakes or mica coated with gold-colored metal oxides, these pigments create a luxurious, shimmering effect.

• Silver Pigments: Similar to aluminum pigments, silver pigments provide a bright, reflective finish.

What is the difference between metallic pigments and mica pigments in acrylic paints

Mica pigments and metallic pigments, both lightfast and with a high durability, can be both mixed to an acrylic binder or to other absorption pigments based acrylic paints to create new metallic paints.

When mixed, the metallic pigments will add a reflective, shimmering quality, while the absorption pigments will provide the base color. The resulting colour will incorporate depth and complexity, as the metallic flakes reflect light differently depending on the viewing angle.

However, due to their characteristics, acrylic paints made of MICA pigments and acrylic paints made of metallic pigments, will be slightly different to each other in the shimmering.

As already explained in my previous post, mica pigments are made from mica flakes coated with metal oxides, such as titanium dioxide or iron oxide which reflect the light through interference. Thi s means that the metallic effect of the final paints will be more iridescent, changing according to the angle we observe the paint, than a mirroring strong metallic shimmer given by true metallic pigments such as aluminium, copper or bronze.

Each type of pigment has its unique advantages and its choice depends only on what we want to achieve in our project.

Thank you for reading. If you like the post, leave a like, a comment and don't forget to follow my blog and Instagram and share the content on your social media.

I wish you a creative day.

Laura