How to Paint Silver

I love painting metal, especially pieces that are highly reflective and polished.  This small silver cup reflected everything around it including me.  To paint silver you have to remember to look at the colors.  Usually you will see grays, blacks, and whites.  Anything around it will also be present in the metal.  Paint what you see and forget what you think silver looks like.  On one of the days, my shirt was a dark pink and that reflected right down the middle so I put it in.  The next day I wore a black shirt and the pink wasn't there.  Lesson learned:   wear black if you don't want to put your reflection in the metal.  Look closely at the long striations of color and determine if the edges are soft or hard.  Blend according to how diffused the edges appear.  Reflected objects are never as clear and bright as the real objects.  The reflected lemon was bright and very clear in the metal but I took down the intensity to make it read correctly. 

If you have painted silver before please share your experience and any words of wisdom for my readers.