Top 10 Reasons to Use Silks

Silks Acrylic Glazes 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 broad or fine strokes as your project dictates. Use a brayer to achieve even wider swaths of color. Allow Silks to dry between layers/colors to keep the glaze layers distinct and create depth, or blend the colors while still wet if you prefer that effect. Colors stay true without muddying!

Here are just a few of the many reasons you should consider trying Silk Acrylic Glazes in your artwork:

1. Easy to use, Silks are ideal for beginning painters, as they require very little knowledge to use successfully and to achieve vibrant results. Of course advanced painters love the colors, sheen, smoothness of application and more!
2. Everyone loves the rich colors and shimmer — as in all Colourarte products. Silks feature Colourarte’s secret mix of mica and other proprietary mineral particles, which refract light like a crystal.
3. Use immediately — no need to hydrate Silks in advance.
4. Silks paint on very smoothly, leaving no brush strokes (that’s how they got their name!) Please note depending on the technique you are using, you may or may not want to use a dry brush. If a dry brush is used, the colors will not blend and you can see the colors independently.
5. Silks do not cause paper to buckle when painted — your work remains flat!
6. As an acrylic-based medium, Silks are suitable for a variety of surfaces, both porous and non-porous: paper, wood, pre-washed fabrics, papier-mâché, 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.
7. Silks have an extended open time to make them easy to use, but dry quickly for most applications.*
8. Silks are great for layering! You can paint colors on top of each other, and colors stay true instead of becoming muddy. It is like layering colored stained glass sheets on top of each other.
9. Since the Silks can be layered, they can also be blended to create your own custom colors.
10. Since they are acrylic-based, Silks can act as a resist for Twinkling H2O Watercolors — try painting the Twinks over the Silks for a wonderful effect!

Visit our online store to purchase Silks!

* As with most art mediums, thinner applications dry faster than heavier layers, and climate conditions can be a factor in drying times as well. Silks dry faster on paper and other porous surfaces, more slowly on non-porous materials.

Silks are fully cured after 72 hours. It is not necessary to coat projects like greeting cards, scrapbook layouts, or items that are purely decorative. Once projects have cured for 72 hours, you can protect and seal them with water-based polyurethane, a spray sealant, or a 2-part resin coating.

Visit Judy’s blog to learn more about using Silks Acrylic Glazes and Twinkling H2Os.