Artist Review: Painting the Buddha with Fuumuui 8-Color Metallic Watercolors

Capturing the perfect "radiance" in fantasy art is a creative quest many artists share. In this review, artist Zara Kimbley-Henry captures the essence of tranquility by painting Lord Buddha using the Fuumuui 8-Color Metallic Watercolours (featured in our 16-Color Pearl Pigment Set).

By pairing these radiant golds with the rich tones of the Opaque Watercolour Vivid Set, she bridges the gap between traditional watercolour and fantasy art. From first sketch to final golden highlight, Zara shares the story behind her creative journey.

First Impressions: Unboxing Fuumuui Metallic Watercolour Set

It is always exciting to open a brand new paint set, and the Metallic set was one I was eager to test for a while.

In recent years, I have concentrated on creating Fantasy Art, which is an Art form that I have loved since childhood, and created many paintings in different media. I have incorporated metallic paints into my Acrylic works, but I have never used them in Watercolour, being a complete novice to the medium.

This set is neat and compact, making it ideal for travel or sketching on the go. The paint really shines, which immediately caught my attention.

The Artistic Concept: Painting Buddha with Fuumuui Metallic Paints

For this painting, I wanted to draw inspiration directly from the name of the paint—Radiance—and apply it to a subject that I felt would fit perfectly.

• The Power of Imagination: In my preferred Art form, I am used to igniting my imagination to interpret how I feel the character would look. For this, I wanted to portray a person whom I consider to be the most radiant of them all: Lord Buddha.
• The Divine Vision: I envisioned Him in meditation, serene and beautiful, but elevated with the glistening gold skin of a heavenly being. I knew that the Metallic paints by Fuumuui would be the key to achieving this ethereal effect.
• The Novice's Enthusiasm: Although I am still learning to navigate Watercolour techniques—fully aware that this does not happen overnight—I was so captivated by these particular paints that I just had to give them a go.
  

Planning and Execution: The Buddha Painting Process

Initial Sketching and Watercolour Fundamentals

I first sketched in the beginnings of a face; I never trace, as I believe basic draughtsmanship is important. It can set you up for many creative endeavours, and can help you greatly if you plan on trying sculpture.

From the first brushstroke, I reminded myself of the light-to-dark rule of watercolour, although keeping this mindset consistent can be challenging when coming from acrylic painting.

Layering Washes with Fuumuui Opaque Vivid Watercolour Set

I began with light washes of Hansa Yellow Light, Pyrrol Orange and a small amount of Ultramarine Blue for the background, the curls on Buddha’s head and the ushnisha (crown or cranial protuberance).

Later, I used the same light wash of Hansa Yellow Light for his face, especially the part in sunlight, and Hansa Yellow, which is more of an orange-yellow, for his shoulders. These colours were all from the Vivid Solid Opaque Watercolour Set.

After those washes were done, I got really impatient and opened my Metallic Watercolour Set, but took a moment to study what may work best for the elements of Buddha’s skin.

Applying Metallic Watercolours for Skin Tones

When it came to rendering the Buddha’s skin, I focused on building a dimension that felt both divine and natural.

• Choosing the Base: The first colour that stood out to me was Bronze Gold. I felt it would work well as a base for the shadowed areas of the face.
• Layering & Blending: This metallic performed best when built up in thin layers. Once it was almost dry, I added a light mix of Olive Green from the Vivid Set and blended them gently.
• Creating Cohesion: This combination created the effect I was looking for. I knew I would later use a stronger olive tone in the background, which would help reinforce the facial shadows.

At this stage, I could see the paint glistening, which I loved. Buddha’s skin was starting to feel closer to how I had imagined it.

Adding Metallic Details: Curls, Lips, and Highlights

For his curls, which are in shadow, I mixed Ultramarine Blue with Burnt Sienna instead of using black. This was also used for his eyebrows and lashes. For the curls coming into the sun, I used Bronze Gold, as I wanted them to catch the light.

For Buddha’s lips, I applied a light wash of Burnt Sienna, waited for it to dry and went over them with Bronze Gold.

A really exciting but experimental part for me was using the metallic Yellow Gold for parts of the face in the light, and painting over the shadows with a touch of Real Gold, which is my favourite colour in the set. I darkened the ear crevices with a mixture of Olive Green, a small amount of Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna.

Developing Buddha’s Robes with Layered Washes

I did not want to put too much detail into Buddha’s robes as I feel this would have distracted attention away from the face, and I wanted the finished piece to retain the appearance of a Watercolour sketch.

I built the robes gradually using washes from light to dark—starting with Hansa Yellow Light, then Hansa Yellow, Pyrrol Orange, and a small amount of Olive Green for shadows.

Creative Exploration: Adding Depth to the Background

The portrait was done, and now was the time to have a little fun with the background. I have said previously that I have no idea how to achieve certain looks with Watercolour, and even at this stage, this was still true, so I just let myself go a little.

I took one of my favourite colours from the Vivid set (Olive Green) and darkened the background to make the figure pop. I also took pigment out in places, which gave a smoky effect, which I quite liked, so I decided to keep it.

I dabbed on a little light blue in places to add interest and to break up the green, and the very last thing I did was add Real Gold metallic highlights to the brows and the lashes.

Summary: Why Fuumuui Metallic Paints Ignite Creativity

I did enjoy creating this painting of Buddha, and loved using Fuumuui Metallic Paints.
These sets are ideal for Artists that, like me, love to use their imagination; they just make painting fun again, where you don’t have to hold back and stick to rules or colour theory all the time.

With Metallics, you can experiment and let go, because sometimes your creativity needs a break from the norm.

Happy Painting!

Fuumuui 8-Farben Hochleistungs-Perlglanzpigment für Aquarell, zwei Sets

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