Didn’t Know About The Brief History of Luminous Paint? Know It Here
When imagining luminous paint, people of a certain era, remember all the amazing psychedelic art they created while consuming magic mushrooms! While tapestries and VW buses have forever been memorialized, fluorescence has been around a bit longer.
The Brothers of Phosphorescence
Brothers from Berkeley, California, Robert and Joseph Switzer began their quest of luminescence in the 1930s through identifying naturally occurring fluorescent compounds with a black light. The brothers quickly started mixing the compounds in different mediums, such as shellac, thus, fluorescent luminous paint was created. The simple mixture was used in their magic shows in both their props and costumes. The brothers developed a knack for business and proposed their paint to companies to use for advertising purposes, and later partnered with Warner Bothers Pictures. Soon their luminous paints would be seen in movie posters and displays across the country.
In the 1940s, they continued to innovate the industry and conceived fluorescent pigments that converted fluorescent pigments that converted ultraviolet light to visible light making a color brighter than all daytime pigments! The military made use of this invention in World War 2 when they used this pigment for many purposes:
Fabric Panels: The fabric panels were used on ground troop uniforms in North Africa to prevent bombs being dropped on allies.
Aircrafts: Pilots has the luminous paint used on aircrafts to prevent mid-air collisions, and the Navy used the black light fluorescent paints for a guided landing strip at night.
As the war wrapped up, these pigments or luminous paints were used for safety equipment including construction cones, safety vest and street signs, as a result of their high daytime visibility.
Toy manufacturers also took advantage of this novel luminous paint and began using it hula hoops and posters.
Luminous Paint Use in Psychedelics and Beyond
This luminous paint is best known for the psychedelic art of the hippie era as seen in musician’s album covers, such as cream. San Francisco artists emerged on the forefront of psychedelic art and included Victor Moscoso, Rick Griffin, Wes Wilson, and Bonnie MacLean. Today, a new era of artists have come forth including Android Jones, Justin Guse, Alex Grey, and Amanda Sage. An artist specifically using fluorescent luminous paint as a medium is Cristoforo Scopiniti.
Company such as Techno Glow arrived with industry-leading glow paint that can be combined in any liquid medium and used in graphic arts, plastics, packaging, coating and paints, safety and security, and textiles and apparel.
Because of the versatility of UV luminous paint and its ability to be mixed with virtually anything, you can apply it to almost everything. It’s wonderful in kids art projects such as mapping constellations on the ceiling, glow-in-the-dark luminous paint bowling at home, glow-in-the-dark luminous paint t-shirts, glow-in-the-dark luminous paint volleyball, glow-in-the-dark luminous pain furniture. Adults can also get creative and craft luminous garden stones, paintings, and even jewelry! If you are entertaining, make glow-in-the-dark luminous paint lawn games such as twister, tic-tac-toe or beer pong.
Techno Glow makes amazing glow-in-the-dark luminous paint products for all ages. Illuminate your creativity! Try Techno Glow products today!
