The discovery set that I purchased includes 6 different colors. They are Turquoise, Veil of Smoke (grey), Carmine (red), Metal Blue (dark cool blue), Apricot and Gold.
The back of the packaging briefly explains how to use these paints and what the consumer can expect. It states that it is " Solvent based effect colours which can be mixed together. Opaque, textured and pearl finish. Easy brush application in thin or thick layers. Immediate effect. Can be applied on all surfaces. Used with freshly painted Vitrail colours, marbled effects can be obtained. Mix well before use."
Here's what the colors look like outside of the packaging:
They are so beautiful! I love how iridescent they are.
I took the cap off the top of one of them and took a picture of the inside of the bottle.
It already has a textured look to it just sitting in the jar. I pulled out a brush and just used what was on the cap to do some swatch tests on a piece of 140lb watercolor cardstock. First I did a thin layer and then a thick layer.
The thicker layer is the top of each labeled color. The thinner layer is on the bottom. If you go too thin then you won't get the cool hammered effect. I had trouble with the color Carmine for some reason. I may have needed to shake up the bottle more. I got it to do the effect a little bit when I went back in with a thicker coat. It's there but it's not showing up very well in the picture.
For the most part I was super pleased with how instantaneous the effect was and how rich and shiny these paints are. They dry pretty quickly to a beautiful glossy coat. There is definitely a chemical smell to them since these are solvent paints. I didn't find it too strong but you don't want to be putting your nose in the jar. Also I noticed that the paints are very sticky. I had to really scrub my brush to clean it between colors. These dry to almost a varnish type of finish and they get very hard. I tested it out on watercolor paper but these will also work on non pourous surfaces such as the Pebeo Liquid Art Panel shown below.
This panel has a raised edge on a gessoed surface. It makes it so you can pour your medium on it and not worry about it running off the sides. I purchased these paints to use for small accent areas on a much larger canvas that I will be working on soon. It's actually 4 canvases that will make one image. These paints will add a lot of interest to a few areas. One reason I would never use these as more than an accent paint is the cost. I purchased these 20 ml bottles in a 6 pack for $19.99. That breaks down to $3.33 per 20 ml. That's a bit on the high end if you plan to use these paints for large areas. They are sold in larger jars as well and that may or may not be more economical. I have not done the math on it. Another idea I have is to use these in my card making. I can totally see painting these on a flower or other stamped image for some major wow factor!
I hope you enjoyed my review of the Pebeo Fantasy Moon Discovery Kit. I definitely recommend getting a set of these if you are looking to add something that makes an interesting effect to your stash of paints. There's also a slightly more expensive set that comes with other types of effect paints. It's called the Mixed Media Discovery Collection. For about $30.00 you get twelve 20ml paints.
If you have any questions or want me to review something, please leave a comment below. Thank you!
