How to paint opals

Opals are a form of deposited silica that diffract light to create gemstones with a varied array of colours.

Opals contain 3-21% water by weight and they are a hydrated, amorphous type of silica that has been used in jewellery for centuries. Some people are wary of using opals in jewellery because if they de-hydrate they can shrink and come loose or even fall out of settings.

 Most Opals that you see in jewellery are blue or white but you can also get red and orange varieties but these are rarer and more expensive.

 Opals are found all over the world and occur in nearly all types of rock. Over the years opals have come in and out of fashion but large, well-coloured stones have always commanded a high price.

How to paint opals, step by step tutorial

 Opals are a great, if time-consuming stone to paint because of the flashes of colour you can get in a stone.  In some cases, in one stone,  you can see a range of blues, greens, yellows and reds. You can get really good results when doing paint ups using gouache watercolours.

You will need . . .

For this tutorial we used 7 different colours by Daler Rowney & 2 different size brushes, they were,

Rowney Blue 119

Azure Blue 106

Marine Blue 151

Brilliant Green 309

Emerald Green 335

Lamp Black 035

Permanent White 008

Naples Yellow Deep by Windsor Newton (not pictured)

4/0  ProArte, Polar, White Nylon brush  and a 10/0 spotter,

system 3 Daler Rowney brush.

 You will also need a pencil, a palette, some water and some paper (grey is best).

Opal tutorial

 Step 1

Draw your shapes, we’ve done an oval ( using an ellipse stencil) for this tutorial.  Ovals are a very popular shape for Opals although you can see them in almost any shape including totally abstract shapes, to see some examples check out our opals and opal jewellery board on Pinterest.  You can use a stencil, like we have, draw them by hand or use a program like rhino or illustrator to create your shapes.

Step 2

Using your Rowney Blue 119, paint a base colour.

Step 3

Using Marine Blue 151, paint a strip of colour over the top of the base colour, don’t blend at this stage.

Step 4

Use your black and white to add some dimension to your stone.  Use black, for parts of the stone that will be further away, or in shadow depending on where your light source is . Use white for areas that are closer to you to create a 3d effect.

I hope the images below show the process in a way that is helpful.   When painting opals the blending doesn’t have to be so neat because of the fractured nature of colour in opals.

Also you will be adding lots of paint on top of these base layers.

Step 5

Time to start adding flashes of colour to your stone.  This is where you really start to give your stone some character.

Get a tiny amount of your Naples Yellow, Emerald Green, Brilliant Green and Marine Blue on a pallet and start adding flashes of colour.  Use your 10/1 natural hair brush and use less water than you normally would to add these flashes of colour, a dry brush helps to mimic the way colours look in an opal.

They don’t blend, rather they are distinct areas of colour that change as you move the stone around.

Step 6

To give your opals a 3-dimensional look you need to use a series of layers. Once you have applied a layer with flashes of colour, you need to go over this with a layer of marine blue. Use more water on your brush than in previous layers of blue. This will make this layer more transparent. The idea is not to obscure the flashes of colour but to dull them a little. This makes them seem further away, deeper into the stone.

It is very important to let the flashes of colour dry before you apply this layer. Wait as long as possible before applying the wash coat and go quickly.

Step 7

Again it is very important to let the previous layer, in this case, the blue wash, dry. When it is totally dry you can repeat step 5, adding flashes of colour.

Repeat this process of adding layers of flashes and colour washes until you have a stone you are happy with.

The End.

I hope this tutorial has been helpful and has inspired you to start painting opals.  If you found this tutorial helpful then please feel to comment and link to examples of your work if you have given them a go.

It would be great to see them also good to hear any feedback!  I will be happy to answer any questions, especially if there are any stages that are not clear.

Good Luck!