There’s something irresistible about metallic shimmer in watercolor—mica pigments dancing on the paper, catching the light, and bringing your painting to life. When I saw the prompt to share textures for metals, for Thursday LIVE with John Cogley, it took me a moment to think about the best way to show this magic.
The solution came from the Interference (IF), Iridescent (IR), and Duochrome (DC) series of colors. Each series offers a unique way to make metallics shine.
Above is a swatch chart of my favorites (left to right):
At the bottom, you’ll see my own recipes for mixing a GOLD and STEEL color:
Close-ups show why I love the Interference colors for maximum shimmer. Interference Silver gives a soft white sheen, while Interference Copper adds a warm coppery glow that’s simply delightful. The Duochrome Saguaro Green has a wonderful golden shine.
This giant watercolor pouring swatch shows the GOLD and STEEL mix in action. Pouring the colors onto a wet sheet of paper lets you see how they blend and interact—a perfect preview of how they will behave in a painting and when diluted. Notice the balance of warm and cool tones, like a metallic dance across the paper.
Finally, I used Iridescent Copper, Iridescent Bronze, Duochrome Saguaro Green, and the STEEL mix to bring a lifeless painting of rusty chains to life. Transparent, tea-like glazes in certain areas added movement and subtle reflective light, enhancing depth without feeling gimmicky.
I’m thrilled to share some favorites from the Luminescent line of watercolors by Daniel Smith—because sometimes, a little metallic magic is all it takes to turn a painting from ordinary to extraordinary.
Born and raised in Southern California, Buffy Kaufman creates captivating watercolor pieces through intriguing color choices and delicate technique. Her distinctive approach embraces spontaneity and abstraction, resulting in dynamic works full of movement, emotion, and layered color. Inspired by the natural world, she uses stylized hues, expressive shapes, and the interplay of positive and negative space to bring her vision to life. In this season of life, she has found the blessings of community through art. She is a Signature Member of the Louisiana Watercolor Society and Women in Watercolor.
A self-taught artist, Buffy understands the value of guidance and encouragement when learning to paint. She believes in sharing what she’s discovered along the way and loves turning her personal explorations into approachable lessons. With over eight years of experience mentoring at-risk youth and teaching children’s art classes, she now leads watercolor workshops for adults, both in person and online. Buffy’s teaching style focuses on exploration, confidence-building, and cultivating joy in the process.
EN 
JA 
FR 
IT 
DE 
ES 
NL 
UK 
VI 
ZH 
ZH_TW