I've only ever used Gilder's Paste to color metal. Then my friend and reader, Aims sent me some pictures of her gorgeous pendants which she had colored with Swellegant. She painted the Swellegant colors onto metal pendants and charms as shown in her carefully photographed examples. Thanks, Aims for sharing them!
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| Swellegant with Inka Gold Metallic Rub |
Each photograph below shows an uncolored piece so you can see how dramatic the transformation can be.
She did not mix the colors. All the pieces were thoroughly cleaned and scrubbed with isopranol (rubbing alcohol which you can purchase from any drugstore) before the Swellegant and other metallic color applications. She then sprayed with an acrylic protector, Pymll.
As you can see from her photographs, Swellegant dramatically changes the look of the pendants.
I really like the fact that Swellegant is liquid which is easily painted on and with some precision. Gilder's Paste is a solid and can dry out with time (you can moisten it with a suitable thinner).
There are actually
3 types of Swellegant colors -
Metal Coatings (metal with a resin binder),
Dye-Oxides (dyes which react with metal)
and
Traditional Patinas (like the rapid darkening one).
B'Sue Boutiques has an excellent article which explains more about Swellegant as well as compares with Gilder's Paste and Vintaj/Ranger Inks.
While Aims did not do any patina designs, others appreciate Swellegant for getting the look of aged metals. If you've ever used liver of sulfur to patinate metal or some of the more noxious examples, you'll be glad to know that Swellegant doesn't stink, has low toxicity and low VOCs (volatile organic compounds). You do have to wear gloves otherwise you will be staining yourself!
Here is
a basic tutorial on how to use it. The trick is to build up the effect with different colors. You also need to allow some time for the patina to "bloom".
Also check Heather Powers of
Humble Beads' wonderful blog post
where she shared her tips and patina recipes!
And then there is the delightful Christi's Friesen's video tutorials. A polymer clay artist, she rocks Swellegant! My first pick is the one on the
Tips, Tricks and Techniques with Swellegant.
You are not limited to metal either! Swellegant can be used on leather, wood and polymer clay. This is
Christi's tips and tricks for using Swellegant for polymer clay. Very important to know which to use it on - unbaked or baked clay!
Here is a little trivia for you. Swellegant is obviously a portmanteau (blended word) - swell and elegant.
It was first coined by Cole Porter in the 1930's during the Jazz age.
DisclosureI do receive a small fee for any products purchased through affiliate links.
This goes towards the support of this blog and to provide resource information to readers. The opinions expressed are solely my own. They would be the same whether or not I receive any compensation.
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