What is metallic?

. . . materials and colours with a metallic sheen. The shine depends on how bright the metal is combined with the angle of light reflecting off its surface.

Metals like silver and gold have played an important role in art and culture for centuries. Their shine, iridescence, shimmering properties and versatility are universally captivating. Modern creatives in every industry have made metallics synonymous with futuristic design. So we’re sure metallic are here to stay, in art, mixed media, product design, fashion and more!

SFXC 22 Carat Gold Leaf Transfers - 12 sheetsSFXC Silver Leaf Transfers - 12 sheets

Metallics in art and design

Interior designer, architect, or installation artist? Warm metals like copper and bronze easily compliment natural materials like wood, stone, and ceramics with their rustic metallic texture. Sculptures and statues are amazing options to show off these materials. Use their natural lines and silhouettes to your design advantage. Incorporating statement pieces coated with these colours is sure to increase the selling value of the room it resides in. Even placing a gold paint covered statue in front of or beside a feature mirror can elevate a space.

Dark neutrals like black or brown, are great background or base colors when working with metals and metallics. The rising popularity of trends such as warm minimalism and the art world's continued love of antique and contemporary art make these materials and colours go-to choices.

What if you want to use metallics in textiles? Create amazing fashion by coating fabrics in silver paint to design metallic gold heels, silver heels, metallic dresses and more! SFXC gold and silver leaf transfers such as our 24ct gold work well in gilding projects. They make the ultimate metallic decoration material when upholstering furniture. Or, you could use metallic paint for furniture too.

The home of Metallics

Nowadays, with many of us spending more time at home, it can feel hard to get away from the screen. As a creative business, we love screens—of the arty kind: screen printing!

So why not take up a new hobby and stretch your creative muscles. Give it enough time and passion, your new side hustle could turn into a business! On social media, your audience is just a click away!    

For screen printing supplies, ink and equipment, sfxc.co.uk is the place to go!

 Our Screen Printing Kit with SFXC inks is perfect for beginners!

Screen Printing Kit with SFXC inks

Hop on the never-ending metallic trend train: visit SFXC’s home for metallics—our Metallurgy page. Browse golden shades and silver hues to your heart’s content!

Or, simply make make your house a home by giving it a makeover with creative, colourful, character-defining art and shiny chromatic colors.

Metallic Materials

SFXC water-based products can be formulated into metallic paint, ink, plastic and more. Or you can simply apply them to paper, board, textiles, and fabrics to craft luxury and eye-catching graphics, packaging and marketing and advertising collateral too.

Our orders are shipped with signature SFXC holographic metallic effect labels!

We have Metallic Metal Lick Screen Printing Ink in silver and gold. It's reflective and gives a gorgeous wet look.

 SFXC Metallic Screen Printing Ink

Metallics and Pearlescents

The difference between materials such as pearlescent paint and metallic paint is that pearlescents use mica powder and metallic inks are made with metallic pigments.

We stock several metallic effect Pearlescent pigments:

Bright Gold Pearlescent Pigment

SFXC Bright Gold Pearlescent Pigment 

Shimmer Gold Pearlescent Pigment

SFXC Shimmer Gold Pearlescent Pigment
Bright Bronze Pearlescent Pigment

 SFXC Bright Bronze Pearlescent Pigment

Lustre Bronze Pearlescent Pigment

SFXC Lustre Bronze Pearlescent Pigment 

Not sure which Metallic pigment to try first? Our Metallic Pigment Trial Pack is the perfect way to see which variety you like!

 SFXC Metallic Pigment Trial Pack

 Our 金属顔料 are best combined with clear varnishes, binders and resins. To create shiny inks and coatings using SFXC pigment and powder, our Metallic Screen Print Binder is the perfect companion. When screen printing with metallic pigments, this water-based product helps to maintain its metallic luster. In addition to silk screen printing, SFXC metallic powders can be printed with offset and gravure/flexographic techniques.

SFXC Metallic Screen Print Binder

Gallium

Gallium is great. A by-product zinc ore production, this silver metal has super space-like qualities: a low melting point, which means its liquid above 29C and has a mirror-like, metallic paint effect. When solid, Gallium resembles chalk and has a weighty feel when held.

 SFXC Gallium

When combined with other elements, Gallium really comes into its own. It partners well to create three main alloys, each producing individual properties used in specific applications – mainly electronics.

If merged with the arsenic, Gallium Arsenide is formed. This compound is favoured in mobile phones, fibre-optics, semiconductors, solar panels and even satellites.

Gallium Nitride (made using the element nitrate) is a brilliant semi-conductor in smartphones, LEDs, and lasers. Its dynamic capabilities mean the compound conducts electricity and produces blue light, used Blu Ray discs use. When applied to battery development, there is potential for electric car technology to advance exponentially. In addition, this compound could replace silicone in the future, due to its high heat resistance.

Gallium Citrate is superior in medical applications. If injected into the body, it can detect infection, cancer and inflammatory conditions by concentrating in areas with quickly dividing cells. Pure Gallium is often used as a safe alternative to mercury in thermometers. Equally safe options include Liquid Crystal thermometers, which display specific colors at certain temperatures.

Gallium does not bind to graphite or Teflon, a non-stick coating used on cooking pans. Yet Gallium does corrode other metals such as aluminium. Don’t store Gallium in glass or metal containers because it expands at freezing temperatures and when transitioning from liquid to solid.  

Other metals such as chromium and iron are included in our Lake and Oxide pigments.

SFXC Chromium Green Oxide Pigment Powder

Electric paint and magnetic Ferrofluid are perfect materials to demonstrate how amazing metallics are in exhibitions and displays.

SFXC Conductive Electric Screen Printing InkSFXC Magnetic Ferrofluid



 What is your favourite metallic material? New to metallics? Which are you excited to try?