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Don't see a lot of posts about using Iridescent medium mixers on models. So I thought I would share what I have here.

Started painting my Tau stealth suits this week and wanted to try something different for them.
A while ago I had bought some Liquitex Iridescent medium and thought to give this a try.

Normally you would mix this stuff with the desired color beforehand, but I wanted to try something. The recommended dilution for the medium is 30% mixer. So I am mixing the medium with water to better control the paint.
These pics are after two layers of the Iridescent over black paint. As you can see it doesn't quite have the desired effect but instead looks like clear glitter paint.
The Liquitex website does warn of overuse causing a frosted look in the paint. I'm going to keep trying the layer method over the mix to see what this frosted effect looks like without a mix.
I'm hoping as the layers are added the more the glitter fills in before it Frost's over.

Edit: so far, after several tests, not much progress.
While it may not be suitable for stealth suits, it might be useful for Harlequins. It would be a good way to represent their holo-fields.

Interesting experiment. A Tau stealth suit is a good choice for iridescent as it could be a cool effect to show them using cloaking systems.

SergentSilver wrote:
Interesting experiment. A Tau stealth suit is a good choice for iridescent as it could be a cool effect to show them using cloaking systems.

That is my hope as well. To have some kind of stealth suit in action look for them. I figured the homing beacon was a great piece to use. If it doesn't work I don't have to worry about stripping it if I don't want to.


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As many of you can tell, it just doesn't show up well in pictures.

Tried another layer of Iridescent mixer.
Think I might have some decent pics.

As you can see, up close, the Iridescent has more of a sparkle like glitter than like an oil slick.
On one hand it does have a static screen look that isn't entirely unwanted.
Sad thing is you have to get up close to notice it. The in game explanation for it doesn't make sense either. If you see static moving, shoot the static.

It's a cool effect that I could see being used sparingly... I'm thinking Kastellan robot face plates, visors, screens, stuff like that. It would also provide a ton of contrast next to anything flat or weathered. Have you tried it over a white base or a very light color?

 MacPhail wrote:
It's a cool effect that I could see being used sparingly... I'm thinking Kastellan robot face plates, visors, screens, stuff like that. It would also provide a ton of contrast next to anything flat or weathered. Have you tried it over a white base or a very light color?

Have not tried it on white, or similar color. I'm sure I have a bit I could try out.

As suggested, I tried the Iridescent mixer on white.
It looks more like a pearl than the black. You can't see the frosting of the mixer.
Overall, the look for me is closer to high gloss.
These photos are after two layers.
I have found anything less than two thin coats has no visible effect.

I wanted to give an example of a single thin layer of the mixer.



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I am hesitant to just paint one of my stealth suits just to see how the mixer will look.
Liquitex Iridescent medium is water resistant. So jumping in and trying it out is not an option unless I can be sure.

Essentially, I have decided to shelf this idea for now.
Layering the Iridescent over paint didn't have the effect I had hoped.
Mixing the Iridescent medium with paint and a bit of water had a effect that wasn't noticable in small amounts.
It could be used sparingly in specific effects. The only problem is you need to apply quite a bit to see an effect.

I hope I inspired you to do your own experiments with this. Show them off and let us know what you used.

What kind of base did you apply it over, flat or gloss?

Pearls, Iridescent paints, and Metallics all benefit being put over a glossy coat. All 3 rely on light to penetrate the gaps between pigment, get reflected off the underlying coat and more or less "backlight" the pigment.

But yes, obviously the larger the surface you have the better the effect. Color shift paints can be put onto Eldar vehicles but the color shift is a lot more subtle than the same paint being put onto a real life car/truck/boat/whatever.