Metallic Prism: My Very First Set
The beginning of everything
When I think back to where Lisilinka started, I always come back to two colors: gold and silver. Long before there was a brand and long before our first own colors, these were the colors I reached for instinctively. A touch of gold on the wing of a bird. A silver highlight along the edge of a leaf. These small accents made my paintings feel finished to me, alive in a way that regular watercolors alone never quite achieved.
So when the time came to develop my very first set, the decision was not difficult. Metallic Prism was built around the colors I had always painted with. It felt like the most natural place to begin.
The perfect entry point
From the very start I wanted Metallic Prism to be a set you can pick up and use immediately. Classic metallic tones like gold, silver and copper work in almost any context. Whether you paint animals, botanicals, fantasy motifs or abstract details, these shades find their place naturally.
If you have never worked with metallic watercolors before, Metallic Prism is where I would tell you to start. Not because it is simple, but because it gives you the most direct experience of what metallic colors can do, without unusual shades or complex combinations.
Warm meets cool
What I am particularly proud of with this set is the balance between warm and cool tones. Crystal Gold, Crystal Copper and Crystal Rosé bring warmth, a soft glow that works beautifully on fur, feathers or flowers. Crystal Silver, Crystal Ice and Crystal Mint sit on the cooler side and add clarity to highlights and details. Crystal Lavender sits in between and connects the two.
Together, these seven shades cover a wide range. You can work entirely within the warm tones, entirely within the cool tones, or let the two sides of the palette flow into each other. I think about that a lot when I develop a set: every color should be useful, not just beautiful on its own.
Extreme sparkle
This is something I feel strongly about: there is a difference between a soft sheen and real sparkle. Many metallic watercolors produce a satin-like sheen. Pleasant, but not what I was looking for. I wanted a sparkle that catches the light from across the room.
Every shade in Metallic Prism was developed with that in mind. The pigment density is high, one brushstroke is enough for full opacity, and the sparkle is what sets these colors apart from anything else I have tried. That was the standard I set for myself when I started developing Lisilinka colors, and it still is today.
Loved since the beginning
Metallic Prism has been part of the Lisilinka collection since the very first day, and it is still one of our most loved sets. Many artists started their metallic watercolor journey with it, and whenever someone tells me that this was their first set, it means a lot to me.
Time to get started ✦
If you are curious about metallic watercolors and not sure where to begin: this is where I began. I hope Metallic Prism brings as much sparkle to your paintings as it has brought to mine.
Discover the Metallic Prism set
Lisi
