Color Shift vs. Iridescent Pigments: How They Work and What Makes Them Different

Color-shift and iridescent pigments create shimmering effects in writing inks and artists’ paints.
Color-shift inks and paints change their apparent hue due to the viewing angle, created by microscopic flakes coated with precise layers of transparent metal oxides. These layers bend and disperse light, displaying contrasting colors similar to butterfly wings or beetle shells.
Iridescent pigments, by contrast, don’t change hue and reflect light in a luminous, multicolored sheen. Built from mica or glass flakes coated with transparent metal oxides, they generate a soft, pearlescent sheen.
Both types can be used with dip pens, and some formulations are suitable for fountain pens depending on particle size and dye composition, be sure to check your pen’s specs.
Shop Iridescent Art Materials here: https://www.dickblick.com/search/?q=i...
Shop Color-Shift Art Materials here: https://www.dickblick.com/search/?q=c...
Shop Shimmer Art Materials here: https://www.dickblick.com/search/?q=s...

🧑‍🎨 Presentation by Becca from our Merchandising Team
😁 Thanks to our vendor partners at Plaid, Kuretake, and Winsor & Newton for the footage
🫶🏽 Special thanks to artist Jeannie Dickson, whose work we included here
🎥 Filmed at Blick Studios in Chicago, Illinois
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