Winsor And Newton Gold Ink Test

 

I recently became very interested in using metallic paints in my work.  It's not difficult to find decent silvers, pearlescents, and even iridescent paints, but it can be a challenge to find a good gold paint, and the definition for a good gold paint can be flexible.  I wanted a gold paint that was:

A nice shade that is neither too warm and rosy nor too green. 
Waterproof
Applicable with a brush

When I picked up Winsor and Newton's gold ink, I carefully scanned both the box and bottle for information regarding how waterproof the ink was, but found nothing.  I assumed (naïvely) that it would be waterproof like India Ink once fully dry, rather than completely non waterproof like it's shelfmates.

In order to get the metallic particles evenly distributed, you need to shake the bottle vigorously for a couple minutes.  The ink has a faint odor, and if you leave it open for awhile, it'll evaporate a bit, thickening up.  This is useful, as initial applications are runny.

Prior to this photo, I'd recently inked Kara holding an acorn charm, and had recorded it with my camcorder.  I hope to have that video up on my YouTube account soon.

It applied fairly cleanly, didn't have much of an odor, and was a decent gold shade.  I was pretty happy with the results, but as soon as I applied my first watercolor wash, the gold started to melt!

 

I decided to roll with the punches and kept painting.  My initial layer of gold ink dispersed, leaving a gold sheen on the paper (not visible in this scan).  I reapplied the gold ink after everything dried.

 

Would I use Winsor and Newton gold ink again?  Sure, I've already got another project planned, this time with the intention of it melting with the application of water.  I'd also recommend it to other artists. 

 

I'll probably test out a few other gold inks (like FW's Acrylic gold ink) and share the results here as well when I have time.