A must-include for an eye-catching painting technique book is a description of fluorescent and phosphorescent paints. Here are ways these two luminous paints differ from each other and tips for use.
Fluorescent paints come in a wide range of colors that glow when exposed to UV light found in sunlight and some artificial lights. Often called black light paints, they look even more luminous under a black light. Fluorescent paints are made of dye-based material and will not last very long, often turning quickly to a gray-brown as they fade. Applying UV protection is not recommended because it will also inhibit the specific light needed to make them glow. One solution is to limit the artwork’s exposure to light. American Modernist Frank Stella used these paints in some of his minimalist works, which still look good exposed to the low light of museum settings. Used for artists’ books, they will last longer as exposure to light is also limited in a book.
There are two types of fluorescent paints: visible and invisible. The visible are bright in the light and more brilliant under black lights. Invisible ones are almost transparent in light, and only glow under UV light. These are more limited in color choices.
Phosphorescent paints are glow-in-the-dark paints, often used as stars applied to ceilings and walls. They are fairly invisible in the light, yet glow luminescent in the dark. The green phosphorescent paint may be the easiest (and only) color available in phosphorescence. The ability to glow in the dark will last for up to twelve hours after being exposed to light. This trait, though, will not last long. For painters, therefore, these paints should be used as an extra subtle element. If painted thinly and in minor or peripheral imagery, the painting will still be complete in daylight, while the phosphorescent imagery is invisible (as well as after the phosphorescence has faded). As available light dims and goes dark, the painting transforms when the phosphorescent imagery magically glows. Apply thinly so it is invisible in light, yet will still appear luminous in the dark.
Phosphorescent paints will continue to produce a luminous quality for a longer time than fluorescent paints and do not turn a gray brown like fluorescent paints as they start to fade.
Matte black paint surrounds the fluorescent colors and brings out their glow more than the white background. Fluorescent paints are perfect for black-box entertainment environments such as theaters, bars and shrines. Outside in natural light the effect is often dulled.
Mix a fluorescent paint with a regular paint in a similar color. For instance, mix fluorescent orange-yellow with C.P. Cadmium Orange paint. As the fluorescent fades, the Cadmium Orange paint will still be visible in the artwork.
Another option is to first paint a layer of regular paint color. When dry, overlay with the matching fluorescent color either thickly or thinly as a glaze. Here fluorescent orange-yellow is painted over a dry layer of C.P. Cadmium Orange paint.
A black background richly illuminates fluorescent (or neon) greens and yellows.
NIGHT VISION
Donna Wetterstrand
Acrylic on canvas
30" × 24" (76cm × 61cm)
Pink fluorescent paint adds striking visual elements in this abstraction.
HELEN OF TROY
Juana Olga Barrios
Acrylic with graphite and fluorescent paint on board
10" × 8" (25cm × 20cm)