Metallic Oil Paints with Oil Bronzes

Last updated: March 31, 2026
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Using Schmincke Oil Bronze Powders and Bronze Medium you can create truly metallic oil colours. Paint liquid gold, silver and copper colours onto your oil painting. Made with genuine metal pigments in the following colours: Rich Gold, Rich Pale Gold, Pale Gold, Copper, and Silver.


Schmincke Oil Bronze Powder

Schmincke Oil Bronzes are fine, dry powders and need to be mixed with the Bronze Medium to make an iridescent metal effect paint. Mix 3 parts Oil-Bronze powder and 2 parts Bronze Medium with a painting knife or your brush shortly before application. The metal is shinier if you mix the powder and medium right before use. If required you can thin with solvent.

Schmincke Oil Bronze Medium

Schmincke Oil Bronze Powder

The metal paint dries wipe- and water-resistant, just like regular oil paint. It adheres even better if you use more bronze medium. Colour layers remain soluble to solvents after drying, like regular oil paint. Paint directly on oil paintings or other pre-primed surfaces, such as wood, metal or gypsum. When used on absorbent surfaces, it is recommended to apply an additional first layer of solvent-thinned bronze medium.

Schmincke Oil Bronze Powder

Schmincke Oil Bronze Powder


Shop Schmincke Oil Bronze Powders on the jacksonsart.com

Postage on orders shipped standard to mainland UK addresses is free for orders of £39.

Julie Caves is a long-standing contributor to Jackson’s Art Blog and previously served as its Editor for ten years. With an encyclopaedic knowledge of art materials, she writes in-depth articles, particularly about oil and acrylic painting, bringing an extensive research background to each piece. Julie studied journalism in California, fine art at the University of Texas at Austin, and completed both an MA at Camberwell College of Art and the Turps Studio Painting Programme in London. She exhibits her work regularly and continues to write part-time for the blog.

14 COMMENTS

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14 thoughts on “Metallic Oil Paints with Oil Bronzes”

  1. Can you paint them as an underpainting under oil? Will they
    show through the oil or be obscured? Or is it better to use on
    top of the oil painting only?

    1. Hi Susan
      You can use the oil bronzes as you would any oil paint. But if you paint over them you will obscure them to some degree, depending on the transparency of the colour you are using on top.

  2. Will these materials in combination with the
    Bronze Medium tarnish after several years?
    Has this been tested by the manufacturer?

    1. Hi Michael
      Thank you for your question about Schmincke oil bronzes.
      Tarnish of bronze is only possible if oxygen or water came in contact with the metal.
      If you follow all recommendations of technical information below you get a good and stable film over the bronze to protect it from air and water.

      – Shake well before use.
      – Mix 3 parts Schmincke oil bronze and 2 parts bronze medium with a painting knife shortly before application. Do not mix in advance as the shine will be less.
      – The product is ready to use but the mixture can be diluted with turpentine substitute if desired.
      – Dries wipe and water-resistant. Colour layer remains soluble to turpentine and turpentine substitute after drying.
      – When used on absorbent surfaces, it is recommended to apply an additional pre-treatment with bronze medium thinned with turpentine substitute to the surface to seal the surface.
      – Can be varnished carefully when dried completely (oil paintings should dry at least 8 – 12 months before varnishing; pre-tests are required because the painting layer remains soluble in turpentine or turpentine substitute.)
      – Only suitable for indoor objects and not suitable for objects in damp rooms. Not suitable for outdoor use.
      – As always when using a new product, individual pre-tests are required.

    1. Lisa Takahashi

      Hi Malcolm

      I’m afraid we haven’t tried this and after a search around online I can’t find any clues. However I suspect you can, but you’ll need to try it out. Please let us know if you do and whether it worked!

      Many thanks
      Lisa

  3. Hi,

    It looks really interesting. Are small samples
    available to play around with the effects? I’d
    love to try the colours before purchasing a
    bottle.

  4. Judith Demaestri

    Heollo,can the oil bronze powders and
    medium be used over colored pencils on
    paper and drafting film please? Thank you
    very much,Your friend and mine,Judith

    1. Hi Judith
      I have read that oil paint doesn’t adhere as well to draughting film as it does to something with a primer.
      Using oil-based paints on paper that has not been sealed from oil with a primer layer means it will soak up the oil like chip paper. This will leave oil halos around your painted areas and soaking that much oil away from the bronze (or any other pigment) will mean it is under-bound and may crumble off.

      You can always try it and see. Or an alternative would be to use a bronze acrylic paint like Schmincke Acrylic Inks metallic colours or the creamy Golden Fluid iridescent colours. There is also a wide variety of metallic watercolours.

  5. This looks exciting! Can’t wait to try it out.
    I often paint in thin layers and glazes with
    oil paints using ‘Liquin’ instead of linseed
    oil.
    Is Liquin compatible with these oil bronze
    powders and medium? …either underneath
    them or with a translucent glaze over
    them?

    1. Hi Kris
      Yes, alkyd oil mediums like Liquin will be fine layered over or under the bronze paints.

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