I’m on a bit of a Luminart products kick here at CTD WHQ- and today I want to share with you my impressions of the Silks Acrylic Glazes.
Silks acrylic glazes are translucent shimmering acrylic-based paints, but lack the opacity of your “normal” paints.
Here’s the description I found on a vendor’s website:
What makes Silks so special? It’s the secret mix of mica and other proprietary mineral particles that refract light, like a crystal. Silks are easy to use paints that create a semi-gloss glaze – not too shiny, not too flat, but just right. Simply brush Silks onto your project, using a wide brush for broad strokes or a fine brush for details. Or use a brayer if you want even wider swaths of color. Allow Silks to dry between colors to keep the glaze layers distinct and create depth, or blend the colors while still wet if you prefer that effect.
What surfaces are suitable for Silks? Silks are formulated for paper, wood, pre-washed fabrics, papier mache, acrylic and other plastics, canvas, gourds, silk and silk ribbon, terra cotta, paper-clay, air-dry clay, air-dry polymer, leather, faux leather, and more. They dry faster on paper and other porous surfaces, more slowly on non-porous materials. Thinner applications dry faster than heavier layers. Climate conditions are a factor as well. Silks are fully cured after 48 hours. 1 ounce wide mouth jar.
When you open the jar, you might notice a milky glaze. You’ll need to re-mix them to the the mica particles fully mixed in.
You can apply Silks with a paintbrush, stencil brush, or foam brush. Or you can pour in on and then brayer it around.
I made a little video so that you can see the swatches and the Silks in action!
Here are the photos of my swatches:
Silks come in 35 luscious colors…and I heard a rumor that there will be a bonus color added at the end of this month! I kind of want them all.
Here are a few things I made with my Silks!
And here it is in my journal! I found that Silks have a pretty low water content, so it didn’t buckle my paper too badly.
I also made some ATC’s for a swap. I used the Silks to stamp the “2” as well as the gold honeycomb effect.
So here’s the nitty-gritty. Silks retail for about $6.99 a pot, which is about an ounce. That makes Silks one of the pricier items of it’s kind. However, it is very high-quality and artist-grade. (And with most paints, you get what you pay for.) So I can totally justify having a few pots in my stash. (Note to family- YES, these WOULD make a nice Mother’s Day Gift!)
They might be a challenge to find, so ask for them wherever you shop for art/craft supplies. And it just so happens that Silks are available online through Susana’s Custom Art and Card Design (SCACD.) **Yes, they are also an advertiser here at CTD, but that is just a happy coincidence.**
So… what do YOU think? I’d love to hear your comments and I’ll do my best to answer any questions you might have.
Disclosure: sample provided for review.
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Sharon Gullikson says
These look gorgeous. I love that they have mica in them (hey, my son’s name is Micah!).
Brenda B says
I love the way these shimmer! I want to find some to play with. I assume the brushes clean up with soap and water.
Jennifer K says
Crafttestdummies’ review of these Luminarte Silks Acrylic Glazes comes just at the right time for me. I bought 3 old fashioned wooden artist’s painting brief cases, sometimes called a “pochade”, to make art supply storage boxes for my granddaughters’ art supplies kept at my house. One can find a pochade, new, for about $20 (empty of supplies) if you dig around online or go to a big crafts store. My oldest granddaughter is very glamorous, so I wanted her pochade to be glamorous rather than just covered with pink acrylic paint. I had just received a few bottles of the new Martha Stewart pearl acrylic paints, and thinned them down 50/50 with JoSonja wood sealer and then “stained” the entire background of the first pochade in a Watermelon shade, so the beautiful wood grain of the box shows through the base coat. The pearl paint I used does irridesce, and the first pochade I made is beautiful, but now that I’ve seen the broader color spectrum of these Luminarte Silk Acrylic Glazes I am going to buy some and paint the second pochade using those colors as background and detail in a flower color other than pink. If you want to try making a “glamorous girl’s pochade” start by irridescent staining the entire outside of the pochade with that 50/50 glaze and sealer mix, then paint on detail. For the glamorous granddaughter’s pochade, the detail is based on tole painted roses in warm pinks and light reds. The big “top” of the wooden briefcase/pochade is painted with pink chalk board paint at its center surrounded by acrylic tole paintings of roses with a clear irridescent glaze over of everything but the chalkboard paint. The back painting of the pochade is irridescent tole roses in pink and light red, with irridescent leaves in the same green as real rose leaves. That big back of the pochade also has the granddaughter’s name in large darker pink irridescent script. I suspect that even though these new Silk Acrylic Glazes by Luminarte are sold by “paper people” that with a proper sealing base coat and a proper acrylic varnish top coat these paper oriented irridescent glazes will work on this painted wood project.
Jenny says
Jennifer- thank you for sharing your product! However, I disagree with one statement- that Silks are for “paper people.” Currently, CI is licensed to sell Silks, but the owner, Dreaming In Color, certainly sees these as an artist’s medium for any surface. Glad you are using them that way- Leslie will be thrilled! : ) -Jenny
Diana says
I see that the Silks can be used on acrylics, which is a smooth non-absorbent surface, so I am wondering if it can be used on glass successfully?
Jenny says
Diana- I’m not sure that Silks can be used ON acrylics, because it’s an acrylic base. Acrylics don’t adhere well to non-porous surfaces as they peel off in a sheet. I’d stick to the Martha Stewart Paints or Deco Glass Enamels for glass- unless the design was going to be UNDER glass and protected from wear and handling. Good luck!
Kim says
What are the names of the 3 colors you used here? Thanks!
Jenny says
That’s Olive Vine, Emperor Gold, and Snapdragon (purple.)