Hands down, my favorite product at Creativation this year was a brand new product from FolkArt called Dragonfly Glaze. This stunning new product is a top coat that gives your paint projects a magical, color-shifting finish. I was sent the full line to play with (pinch me!), and I tested them all out on some inexpensive dollar store candles. Keep reading if you want to find out how to use Dragonfly Glaze to give your craft projects a one-of-a-kind sparkle!
I’m serving as a Plaid Creator this year, and this is my first post working with them. I am thrilled to be working with a brand that I love, respect, and whose products I have used for years! I am so thankful for the amazing job I have!
HOW TO USE DRAGONFLY GLAZE
What is Dragonfly Glaze?
Dragonfly Glaze is a multi-surface top coat that can be used over other paint colors to give them a gorgeous color shifting, shimmering finish. The colors shift depending on the angle of the light making them look something like the body of a dragonfly (hence the name!).
What Colors are Available in Dragonfly Glaze?
The glaze consists of color shifting pigments suspended in a base that applies milky but dries clear. The six varieties of Dragonfly Glaze available are (from left to right):
- Violet-blue-green
- Full spectrum (a full rainbow shift)
- Gold-red-violet
- Red-violet-blue
- Green-gold-red
- Blue-green-gold
Tips and Tricks for Using Dragonfly Glaze
Check out this video to see what each of these stunning colors looks like in action. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more creative videos like this!
- Because it is a top coat, you need to put a base color of paint down on your project before you use Dragonfly Glaze. You can use either dark or light colors which will give you different looking results.
- Because the pigments are suspended in a milky base, you want to make sure to give the bottle a really good shake before you start working to make sure the pigments are fully dispersed in that base.
- I have found that you get the best results using multiple thin coats of the Dragonfly Glaze. The glaze doesn’t take very long at all to dry, so you’re not going to add any work time to your project by doing multiple coats.
- I think that this looks great on just about any surface, but those pigments really shine when you use them on a rounded surface. A rounded surface allows you to see the colors shift from one color to the next from any angle.
- I also like to use a firm, tightly-packed bristle brush to apply this Dragonfly Glaze. They make sure that you can work out any brushstrokes and remove excess product without adjusting the pigment placement on your project.
- If you apply multiple coats, I recommend alternating the direction of the brushstrokes from one coat to the next. That makes sure that you don’t end up with any streaking of the pigments since your brushstrokes will be going in the opposite direction.
- The Full Spectrum Dragonfly Glaze requires more coats than the other varieties do to achieve full coverage of pigments. The color shift is still definitely there, it just requires a bit more time and effort.
Where Can I Buy Dragonfly Glaze?
Dragonfly Glaze is available on Plaid’s online store and in your local craft store. When it is available on Amazon, I will link it below in case you can’t find it locally.
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Can I use this on leather shoes?
I am not sure. I have a feeling it might crack anywhere the shoe creases.
if you paint the dragonfly glaze on clear glass – can you still see through it. would a candle light shine through or silhouette shine through? we are thinking of making some jar lanterns with fairy, mermaid, or dragon silhouettes inside
Yes, it is a top coat, so it would let light shine through it.
If I apply to glass, can I bake in oven to seal? Thanks
Does the color shifting sparkle still work if you apply
A sealer, such as spar urethane, over it?
I haven’t personally tried it, but I believe if you use a gloss formula it should work just fine.
Thank you for these hints. I just discovered the Dragonfly glaze, and bought a bottle of the full spectrum at Joanne’s. Haven’t tried it yet, but these hints will really help.
Thanks for your info. I plan to do a note card. You really helped me get started.
Can dragonfly glaze work on canvas shoes?
It is not waterproof so it would need to be sealed with a clear sealant after.
I just used the violet-blue-green Dragonfly Glaze on lamp bases, shook it well, followed instructions. For some weird reason, I could see hints of all three colors as I was brushing it on, but after a second coat, “blue” is the predominant color seen. Doesn’t matter if I move around as I look at the lamps or if I move the lamps to another area with different light, the color that you see is “blue”. I notice in the photo at the top of your article that some of the pieces shown also display with a predominant color. I was expecting an iridescent look, violet, blue and green all shifting and showing as the light in the room changed but that’s not what I got.
The color change is less about the quality of the light and more about the angle from which you are viewing the piece. The dominant color will be most visible when you are looking straight on. The other colors will show up when viewed from an angle. FolkArt says that the glaze looks best on rounded surfaces for this reason. Hope that helps!