COLOR

before painting.. top row is mostly embossed metal, bottom row are 3 pairs of earrings cut out of copper and then textured with hammers and stamps.

 I love adding color to metals.  The absolute best way to add color, traditionally is enameling.  Enameling where you add dust like particles of glass and bond it to the metal with heat is on my to do list.

I have most of the tools and equipment required to actually enamel, except for a particle respirator.   Now I know there are folks out there that happily enamel without using any mouth covering, and get along fine, but it's unsafe over the long term.  I have Asthma and other breathing issues, so the last thing I want to do is compromise my breathing further with carelessness.  (and I'm clumsy, I admit it freely.  What some folks can get away with I'll trip and fall and eat the stuff by accident...)  Besides if I buy one more product before I use all the stuff I have now to play with the hubby will kill me!! Heck, I will kill me!  So Enameling is on the wish list and there it will stay at least for now.  (though I just bought a great new book on it.... heheheh)

So I've been looking and playing with other methods of colorization.  I'm very fond of heat patina, and I think it's my favorite with it comes to copper. 

Vintaj just came out with a new series of patina paints made to bond specifically with metals.  I bought them all and I've been experimenting.  So far I really like them.  It's fun to combine them the alcohol inks and I love the effects I'm getting using them really sparingly on my heat patina on copper.

I'm still playing, and probably will be for years.  Life is good!

I love the mix of aqua blue and a touch of purple!

This one is etched then I used onyx patina paint and then sanded down.  Makes the cat face that my Niece Ame drew and I etched just jump out!

Patina paint, in the traditional  "Verdigris" goes well with turquoise.