Continuous gold contour of a sleeping cat on charcoalGold, charcoal. Chalk the line first, then follow it once with a gold paint pen without lifting.
Five gold brushstroke arcs stacked like a rainbow on blackGold, black. Load a flat brush well and pull each arc in one pass, letting it run dry at the end.
Gold antlers rising from the bottom edge of oxblood redGold, oxblood red. Pencil one antler, trace it flipped for the other, and fill both flat.
Gold clockwork wheels meshing tooth to tooth on blackGold, bronze, black. Trace lids for the wheels, notch the rims, and paint the lower gears in bronze.
Gold crescent moon and three stars on flat navyGold, navy. Paint the navy, dry it fully, then lay the gold in strokes that all run one way.
Gold dragonfly on teal black, wings veined with a linerGold, teal, black. Glaze the wings with thinned gold so the dark ground shows through them.
Gold feather on navy, its barbs splitting near the tipGold, navy. Pull the barbs out from the quill with a liner brush and leave two gaps.
Gold fern fronds printed from real ferns on forest greenGold, forest green. Brush gold onto a fern, press it down under paper, and lift it straight up.
Gold ginkgo leaves drifting down a black canvasGold, black. Paint each leaf from the stem outward so the brush marks follow its ribs.
Gold honeybee, wings left as thin outlines, on blackGold, black, white. Fill the body in gold, stripe it in black, and outline the wings in thinned white.
Gold horizon stripe splitting a plum canvas in twoGold, plum. Tape two level lines a finger apart, fill between them with gold, and peel.
Gold initial with a darker drop shadow on emeraldGold, emerald, deep green. Paint the shadow letter first, offset down and right, then the gold on top.
Gold keyhole pouring rays of light across dark brownGold, dark brown, pale yellow. Paint the keyhole solid and drag thin gold outward with a dry brush.
Gold polka dots thinning toward one corner of deep greenGold, forest green. Print the dots with a cotton swab, close together at one corner and sparse at the other.
Gold raindrops falling in slanted rows on charcoalGold, charcoal. Press a round brush down and lift for each drop, all leaning the same way.
Gold skyline on deep blue with the windows left darkGold, deep blue. Fill the towers in gold and leave small unpainted squares as windows.
Gold sun with long needle rays on midnight blueGold, midnight blue. Pull every ray outward from the disc with a liner brush, long and short by turns.
Gold wheat stalks leaning across burnt umberGold, burnt umber, ocher. Paint each grain as a short dash off the stem and add whiskers last.
Made-up gold constellations joined by hairlines on indigoGold, indigo. Dot the stars with a swab, large and small, and link them with a liner brush.
Pair of gold carp circling each other on black waterGold, black, bronze. Shade the belly of each fish in bronze so the gold backs stand out.
Silver, pewter and moonlight 12
Moonlit heron in silver standing among dark reedsSilver, black, navy. Paint the reeds black over navy and the bird last so it sits in front.
Pewter mountain range under a thin silver moonPewter gray, silver, navy. Paint the range flat and edge only the moonlit ridges in silver.
Pewter rain clouds with a silver edge along each topPewter gray, silver, slate. Blend the clouds in gray, dry them, and touch silver only along the upper rims.
Pewter teapot with one hard silver highlight on its bellyPewter gray, silver, cream. Shade the pot in two grays and place a single silver comma on the curve.
School of silver fish turning together on deep tealSilver, deep teal. Paint each fish as one leaf-shaped stroke and point them all along one curve.
Silver bicycle against a wall, its spokes hairline thinSilver, brick red, black. Trace two lids for the wheels and rule the spokes with a liner brush.
Silver birch grove at night on blue blackSilver, blue black, charcoal. Pull each trunk down with a flat brush and nick the bark in charcoal.
Silver dandelion seed head on storm graySilver, storm gray. Pull fine lines out from a center dot and tip each with a tiny V.
Silver full moon over a pewter sea, its path in dashesSilver, pewter gray, black. Paint the moon path as short level dashes that narrow toward the horizon.
Silver rings widening on black water where a drop fellSilver, black. Paint thin ovals one inside the next and break each line in two places.
Silver spoon holding the reflection of a window, on blackSilver, white, black. Paint the bowl of the spoon silver and add a small bent white rectangle inside it.
Silver zipper half open down the middle of a navy canvasSilver, navy, black. Paint the teeth as small paired dashes and open the top into a V of black.
Copper and bronze 12
Bronze bell streaked with dry-brushed greenBronze, sea green, black. Paint the bell bronze, dry it, and drag a little green down from the shoulder.
Bronze horse head in profile, like a statue, on dark greenBronze, dark green, black. Shade under the jaw and mane in black mixed into the bronze.
Bronze scarab on olive, a copper sheen on each wing caseBronze, olive, black, copper. Split the back with one dark line and add a copper highlight to each half.
Bronze sunflower head on navy, seeds stippled in blackBronze, navy, black. Stipple the center with a stiff brush and pull the petals outward.
Copper fox curled asleep, tail tip in cream, on deep greenCopper, cream, deep green. Paint the fox as one curled teardrop and add the cream tip last.
Copper kettle on slate blue with a wisp of white steamCopper, slate blue, white. Lighten one curved band of the copper with a touch of white.
Copper maple leaf with darker bronze veins on creamCopper, bronze, cream. Fill the leaf in copper, dry it, and draw the veins from the stem out.
Copper mesa at sunset under a rust skyCopper, rust, plum. Paint the sky in plain rust and plum so the copper rock is the only shine.
Copper pipes and elbow joints as a maze on grayCopper, gray, black. Tape the straight runs, fill them, and paint the joints freehand.
Copper rooster weathervane against a storm-gray skyCopper, storm gray, black. Paint the rod and the letters black and the bird in flat copper.
Copper stripes in five widths on matte blackCopper, matte black. Tape stripes of different widths, fill them, and peel.
Scatter of copper coins, each disc with a darker rimCopper, bronze, charcoal. Print the discs with a round sponge and ring each in bronze.
A metallic accent on a flat painting 12
Butterfly in flat blues with silver wing veinsSilver, cobalt, navy. Fill the wings flat and draw the veins outward from the body.
Flat blue teacup with a gold rim and handleGold, cobalt, white. Paint the cup flat and add the gold in two thin strokes.
Flat lemon branch where the lemons are gold, not yellowGold, leaf green, cream. Paint the leaves and branch flat and fill each lemon in gold.
Flat pink peony where only the stamens are goldGold, pink, deep rose, sage. Dot the stamens with a swab in a tight cluster at the center.
Flat-color mountains with a silver line along the ridgeSilver, slate, pale blue. Paint the peaks flat and trace only their top edge in silver.
Goldfish in flat orange, each scale edged in goldGold, orange, white, teal. Paint the fish flat, dry it, and add small gold U shapes in rows.
Matte black cat whose copper eyes are the only shineCopper, matte black, gray. Paint the cat as one flat shape on gray and add two copper almonds.
Matte portrait silhouette with a gold disc behind the headGold, black, dusty pink. Paint the disc first, dry it, then the flat black profile over its edge.
Monstera leaf in flat green with its veins traced in goldGold, sap green, cream. Paint the leaf flat, dry it, and run gold along the midrib and side veins.
Night window scene with only the lamp inside in goldGold, navy, charcoal. Paint the house dark and flat, then the lampshade as a small gold trapezoid.
Plain green valley with a river painted in silverSilver, olive, sage. Leave the river until last and paint it in one winding stroke.
Striped hot-air balloon with a single gold stripeGold, red, cream, sky blue. Paint the stripes flat and swap one of them for gold.
Abstract: rings, pours and drips 12
Agate bands in plum with a silver seam through the middleSilver, plum, lilac, white. Stack wavy bands dark to light and run one silver band between them.
Black and white marbled pour threaded with copperCopper, black, white. Tilt the pour until it veins, dry it, then follow three veins with copper.
Bronze spiral on navy widening off the canvas edgeBronze, navy. Start the spiral small near one corner and let the last turn leave the canvas.
Fine gold cracks branching across a matte white fieldGold, matte white. Draw the cracks with a gold paint pen, forking each one twice.
Geode rings in teal and white with a gold line between eachGold, teal, white, navy. Paint wobbly rings from the center out and trace every join in gold.
Gold drip lines of unequal length from the top edgeGold, deep teal. Load thinned gold along the top and stand the canvas up until the drips stop.
Gold dry-brushed over a rough turquoise groundGold, turquoise. Build texture with thick turquoise, dry it, and skim gold across the high points.
Loose mosaic of silver and pewter squaresSilver, pewter gray, black. Press a flat brush once for each tile and leave black showing between.
Metallic fade from copper through gold to pale strawCopper, gold, cream. Blend the three while wet, working in level strokes from one side.
Three overlapping discs in gold, silver and copper on blackGold, silver, copper, black. Trace one bowl three times and fill each disc flat.
Torn-edge color blocks with gold along every tearGold, rust, cream, navy. Tear paper for a mask, paint up to its edge, and line the edge in gold.
White palette-knife ridges with their tips touched bronzeBronze, white, pale gray. Spread thick white with the knife, dry it, and graze the ridges with bronze.
Gold leaf 12
Cracked teacup with its break lines filled in gold leafGold leaf, adhesive, pale gray, white. Draw one forked crack in adhesive across the cup and leaf it.
Full moon in imitation gold leaf on a black groundImitation leaf, adhesive, black. Trace a plate, brush adhesive inside the line, and press one sheet down.
Gold-leaf halo behind a small painted bird on deep blueGold leaf, adhesive, deep blue, brown. Brush adhesive into a traced circle, lay the leaf, then paint the bird.
Gold-leaf honeycomb on ocher with two cells left emptyGold leaf, adhesive, ocher, brown. Stamp hexagons in adhesive with a cut potato and leaf all but two.
Gold-leaf initial on a linen-gray groundGold leaf, adhesive, linen gray. Paint the letter in adhesive with a small brush and lay the leaf over it.
Gold-leaf lightning fork across a painted storm skyGold leaf, adhesive, slate, charcoal. Draw the fork in adhesive with a liner brush and press leaf over it.
Gold-leaf river running through a matte black landscapeGold leaf, adhesive, matte black. Brush the adhesive in one winding band and brush away loose leaf when dry.
Gold-leaf sun sinking into a flat painted seaGold leaf, adhesive, coral, navy. Mask the sea line with tape so the leaf stops at the horizon.
Night house with its window panes in gold leafGold leaf, adhesive, navy, charcoal. Paint the house flat and leaf only four small squares.
One square of imitation leaf centered in a color fieldImitation leaf, adhesive, any deep color. Tape a square, adhesive inside it, lay the leaf, and peel.
Painted moth whose wings are laid in gold leafGold leaf, adhesive, umber, cream. Leaf the wing shapes first and paint the body and veins over them.
Torn scraps of imitation leaf scattered across indigoImitation leaf, adhesive, indigo. Dab adhesive in patches and press on torn pieces at random.
How it works
Mica gives many metallic paints their shine: the mineral carries a coat of another, usually titanium dioxide. On most of these canvases the metallic goes on last, over a darker ground; every idea names its metal and plain colors.
Read the full guide
Gold painting ideas on a dark ground
20 ideas put gold on a dark ground such as navy, black or plum. Paint the ground flat and let it dry fully. Lay the gold in strokes that all run one way, because the direction of the brush shows. Gold crescent moon and three stars on flat navy is the plainest start.
Gold leaf painting ideas
Gold leaf is gold hammered into very thin sheets. Leaf with no real gold in it is called metal leaf or imitation leaf, and brass is one of the metals used. Either kind is laid on a thin layer of adhesive over dry paint. Full moon in imitation gold leaf on a black ground takes one sheet.
The easy ones sit under More filters, Level.
Questions and answers
What colors go with metallic gold paint?
Dark, flat ones. Navy, black, plum, emerald and oxblood red all appear under Gold on a dark ground. On this list copper and bronze sit on slate, cream and deep green, and silver on blue black and storm gray.
What is an easy metallic painting for a beginner?
Gold horizon stripe splitting a plum canvas in two: tape two level lines, fill between them and peel. Copper stripes in five widths on matte black is the same move repeated.
Can I add metallic paint to a painting I already have?
Yes, as one accent. In A metallic accent on a flat painting the picture is matte and a single part shines, as in Monstera leaf in flat green with its veins traced in gold.
What can I paint with silver paint?
Moonlight and water. Silver full moon over a pewter sea, its path in dashes and Silver rings widening on black water where a drop fell both set silver on a dark ground.