Color has always been a fascinating subject.  Years ago when I worked for a major coatings company I was introduced to the psychology of color and how important a topic it was.  Prior to that I never really thought much about color -  just took it for granted.  Today we have yearly studies issued by pigment suppliers and coatings manufacturers telling us about the latest architectural and automotive color trends.   Personally, I have never followed popular trends in selecting my household paint, but I do think the trends are interesting reading – so are the creative color names!   All my interior walls at home are various colors (anything but contractor beige, off white or light grey!!!), but my cars – like Henry Ford – are always black.  

Today I happened to see on the internet a patriotic looking Lamborghini with a hidden Captain American coating image.  A popular German graffiti artist, Rene Turrek, once again turned his “graffiti” into a painted work of art. It began as a black Lamborghini Gallardo and Turrek, using a temperature-sensitive paint, created quite a stir.  Once hot water is splashed on the car, the black fades into the familiar red, white and blue stripes on the back and Captain America’s face appears on the front.   Prior to this endeavor, Turrek had used a heat sensitive paint on a BMW which, when exposed to hot water, became a Hulk-mobile.  Check it out on google.

It’s not new technology - these temperature sensitive paints have been around for a while and can also bear the smart coatings label.  It’s not much different than when HOT WHEELS® had cars for kids years ago that changed color when put in warm water.  Today they offer their COLOR SHIFTERS COLOR SPLASH SCIENCE LAB PLAY SET. I think it’s a great way to get kids interested in science and color.

The Lamborghini should not be confused with the supposedly paramagnetic paint cars that were popular viewing on YouTube over a year ago.  Those cars and the paramagnetic paint claim generated lots of interest but was a hoax and made to look very real with available software.
Another interesting aspect of color/pigment and paint technology is paramagnetic or electroluminescent paint.   At litcoat.com you can see some interesting examples and video of electroluminescent paint.  It consists of LitCoat pigment dissolved in a carrier, sandwiched and electro-powered between two electrodes.  Without current it looks like normal paint on an object.  When energized, the electroluminescence is activated.   The potential is there for painting all sorts of objects both from a safety perspective and just for fun.

Tell us what you think…  Does color affect your purchasing decisions?  Or your moods? 
Would you like to see more color-changing effects on painted objects?  Do they add value or are they just distractions?
Want to read more on color changing pigment technology? 

Share some interesting color changing technology you have seen with our readers.

Darlene