The Origami Forum

I wanted to make tissue foil with a solid color tissue on one side. I wanted the other side to keep the metallic look but in a different color. So, can you paint aluminum foil? And, what paint would I use? Right now, all I have is acrylic paint.

Painting aluminum foil will not get you a metallic sheen if that's what you're asking, colored foil is colored because of chemical processes that are done on the surface of the aluminum. as to whether acrylic will stick to foil. Well. Try it out!

It is unclear as to why you might want to paint one side of the foil.
You can easily buy various color sheets of foil, or even rolls of colored foil.

Maybe you're looking for an economy route via coloring common silver/matte household foil.
If so, you must be aware that coloring a non-absorbent material like foil may well require electro-plating or chemical/acid washes .
Not for the amateur, feint of heart or inexperienced practitioner .

There are specialized metallic spray paints at artist stores, but they would require a multistep process of layering down one or more base foundation coats before even starting the final metallic spray.
Whether even that process would stand up to multiple foldings, without cracking, would sorely test even the most optimistic among us .

Packs of colored foil, American and Japanese, come in a variety of sizes. Origami USA has a nice selection, as does Origami-shop .

Thanks for your replies. I guess I wasn't thinking clearly. Anyway, I tried it out with acrylic paint and it was the WORST. I've painted paper with acrylic paint before but I diluted it with water to make it less stiff to fold and it was okay. When I painted the foil, I didn't dilute it. When I started brushing it, the paint spread and wasn't even. Eventually, I stopped and decided to make Lang's Samurai Helmet Beetle, which has no color change

Just asking because I'm curious - would it not be possible to add a paper layer on the foil side, keeping the folding properties of foil while losing the metallic shine? I assume the sheet would get to thick to be foldable, but I have no experience with tissue foil.

Candy foil is an option but much more expensive, as it does have a bigger colour palette (pastel) and patterns, even.

@ to be or I gami :
Sure !
Done all the time .
Mostly use spray contact cement/glue, versus methyl cellulose or white glue.

Many, many posts, on this forum, address the procedure.

Oftentimes, floral foil is more thin than cheapo aluminum foil. Silver, and gold, color seems the easiest to find.

I'm thinking if I should just try foil paper. Robert Lang mentions it here

Sure, excellent, informative article !
Far better than the paltry info that I could offer.
Don't know how I missed it !
I'm going to enjoy the gold nuggets of info !

I found metallic tissue paper at my dollar store for 50 cents. Looks great on tissue foil =)


edit: Forgot you mentioned you wanted it colored, my bad.
I usually use thin white tissue on the shiny side of the foil, then paint over it. The shine usually goes through the thin tissue.

wriggles, what you found is much better. What I was trying to do was find a metallic colored shine, what you found is what I need. I didn't know they made metallic tissue paper. I'm just wondering if they have different colors. I'm thinking if they have gold metallic tissue paper, I can make the Iron Man Mask by Brian Chan.

The method I mentioned above works alright if you can't find any gold tissue. This is yellow paint mixed with a tiny bit of red/blue (I think), it was puke green before I painted it on and ended up a nice goldish bronze.

I have found golden tissue paper at a stationary store before, and I think I've seen gold leaf but that might be for putting on top sculptures, and not be at all like foil. Still, I thought I'd mention it I hope your paper works!

Life is Origami wrote:I'm just wondering if they have different colors.

I bought gold, silver, and bronze a while ago
http://www.michaels.com/metallic-tissue ... 06108.html

it is a bit thicker than the usual tissue paper but totally opaque. I used the copper one here:

Quentin Trollip - Bald Eagle