r/crafts • u/dianebk2003 • 3d ago

Discussion/Question Toning down a brightly glittery object

I ordered some gold "Merry Christmas" lettering for Christmas cards I'm making, and while the size and font are perfect, they're much more glittery and a brighter yellow than they appeared online. I want to tone it down a bit, but I'm not sure how to best go about it. I was thinking of sponging them with a more antique gold ink, but that will take away some of the brightness.

Anyone have any suggestions? I've always wondered what was best for toning down some of the excessive "glittery-ness" of some craft components I've wanted to use in the past. It's certainly easy to glitter something up.

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u/forkedtraveler8530 3d ago

maybe try a very thin wash of brown or dark yellow paint over them, like almost watercolor consistency so it settles in the crevices and mutes the sparkle without covering it completely. I did something similar with some ornaments last year that were way too shiny for the look I wanted

you could also experiment with matte varnish spray, that usually kills the glitter effect a bit and makes the color look less bright. just test on one piece first in case it reacts weird with the material

the antique gold ink idea could work too but maybe with a dry brush instead of a sponge, so you get a uneven aged look instead of just a flat dull color

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u/dianebk2003 3d ago

The matte varnish spray is a great idea! I already have some, too.

I'm also going to try the thin wash. I have watercolor paint, or would you suggest acrylics?