I have secretly promised this blog many times, but I found it a bit exciting to make it. I put my fears aside to create this blog, and guess what? I immediately made a video about it ;). In the video you can clearly see what I actually mean in the blog. I'll start right away with a brief introduction to what Coliro Pearlcolors actually are.
What is Coliro?
Coliro is a metallic paint that can also be used very nicely in calligraphy and illustrations. You apply it with a brush or a calligraphy pen. By using relatively little water, with Coliro you actually have the letters on the paper. In addition, it is completely opaque, so also beautiful on dark paper. Coliro really has a metallic finish, so the paint reflects the light very beautifully. Coliro consists of mica pigments and gum arabic.
How does Coliro work?
I often get the question: 'but how do you use Coliro ?'. Understandable, because it is of course confusing, because you cannot simply dip a calligraphy pen into the Coliro palette. It's super simple but nice to copy from someone else. That's why I'd like to show you in this video.
In the video I use the following materials:
- Strathmore watercolor paper 400
- Oblique pen holder calligraphy
- Zebra G nib
- Coliro palette silver and gold
- Coliro palette 12 colors Pearl
- Princeton Heritage Round #8
The paint works exactly the same as watercolor. By mixing the paint with water, you activate the paint. The more water you add to the paint, the more transparent the paint becomes. The reverse also applies, of course, the less water, the more opaque the Coliro is. Due to the structure of the color, you can easily absorb the pigments with the brush.
Can it be compared with another product?
Coliro is the only line that has so many beautiful opaque metallic colors. The Coliro palette is often compared to Kuretake's Starry Colors palette for comparison. I'm not going to do that in this video, but I will summarize the results of these comparisons for you. What is actually always the outcome of these videos: the Kuretake is slightly cheaper, but the Coliro has the best coverage and colors. The coverage of the Starry Colors and the Coliro is not much different.
This is how you use Coliro!
Drop water on the paint and wait.
What is very important to do at Coliro : really let the water take effect. So drop some water on your palette and let it work for about three minutes. Then the water mixes well with the pigments. Mix with your brush, it always looks so beautiful! You can then clearly see that they are minerals that sparkle so much, beautiful!
Do you work with a brush?
Then you can easily adjust the thickness of the paint to your taste. Do you think the paint is too thick? Then you add some water, do you think the paint is too thin? Then you wait until the paint is slightly thinner.
Do you work with a calligraphy pen?
I'll show you the trick. The first step is just the same, drip water, let it work and blend with the brush. Instead of dipping the pen into the paint, spread the paint with the brush on the back of the pen. You have to try it out to find the right consistency. The rule of thumb is broad: if the Coliro does not come off your pen, then the paint is too thick. Does the Coliro come off too quickly? Then you have used too much water. The water in the paint will of course continue to dry, so keep adding some water to the paint.
If too much Coliro dries on the nib, it will affect the ink flow. Clean the nib in between by briefly dipping it in water and wiping it with a cloth.
You can shop Coliro in my webshop. There are palettes available with pre-selected colors, but you can also put together a palette yourself.
Do you have any questions?
Let them know in the comments!
Love,
Judith
