Please can anyone suggest what colours to use in watercolour for painting silver , copper or brass ornaments.
At night school our challenge is to paint a jug or tankard but everyone else uses acrylics but I will be using w/c but have only tried animals. I just don't know where to start or what colours to try.
Does anyone have any suggestions please!

Hi JanePastels! Perhaps the best way of considering this question is to take a step back;
Have a look at any bright metal object, and move it around in different lights and positions and you'll see that the colours which you see in it are mostly reflected by what is close or around it.

A very basic start may be to consider for;

Silver, is essentially a shiny and bright grey, so that gives a clue as to the general colour, with whatever is being reflected, and how polished the surface is; it its very polished then reflections will be sharp and, of course, following the curves of the object. If its satin or matt, then the refections will be less distinct.

Copper, is generally a kind of "Burnt Orange" in general shade, and;

Brass, is a cooler slightly greyer Gold in shade. The same would apply for reflections as written regarding the Silver, and how polished the object is.

I hope the above makes sense, but come back to me if I can help any further.

Good Luck and very best wishes,

Steve Williams
PA & RSC Wigan / Warrington / St Helens

Thank you Steve,

I will give it a try and really look at the colours reflected. It sounds quite scary and I could use acrylics like everyone else but ideally do want to try water-colour...... Jane

what ever medium you use, you'll need to be able to mix all shades of grey, from a blue grey to a brown grey, use a opaque white, and try to mix your own black from all your colours, you'll also need a range of blues too, this should produce a good chrome to stainless steel effect. As for gold, you'll need every shade of yellow you can get your hands on, failing that buy some gold paint.
Hope this helps, but experimentation is the word.
Carefull painting chrome effect, this has in the past given me severe migrains.
Terence Rogers

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