What are mica powders and 6 ways to use them in your art

By Nicole Tinkham

Let’s talk mica! You may have heard of mica powder before as the mineral has been around forever. It’s a non-toxic mineral that gives off a shimmery and metallic like appearance. You can actually find mica powder in cosmetics, soaps and lotions as well as art supplies. So WHY should you look into using mica powders in your artwork? They basically leave a magical glow on whatever you use it on. They’re also super versatile and can be used for a bunch of different projects. Enough said! Now that you’re already sold on mica powder (which we’re sure you are!), let’s get into how you can use it in your art projects.

1.    Art journal

To get a nice shimmery background for your art journal or scrapbook page, combine water and mica powder in a spray bottle. Simply spray it right on your paper. Have fun! 🙂

2.    Painting

You can mix mica powder right into oil paint, acrylic paint, or mediums to give the painting depth.

3.    Clay

There are two ways you can use mica powder with clay. You can either mix it in with the raw clay to add color or you can brush the pigment on, sealing it with a finish. You can also brush mica powder onto metal and apply a finish.

4.    Glass

Mica powder can be used on glass but you’ll first have to mix it with a clean burning glass glue (or Bullseye Glastac) and rubbing alcohol. Use 2 parts mica, 1 part Glastac, and 1 part rubbing alcohol to paint directly onto your piece. Next you’ll want to put it in the kiln for about 1325° F.

5.    Soap

We mentioned how mica can be used in soap earlier but we thought we’d add it into the list of art projects because it’s really cool what can be done with it.

We recommend using micas in the melt and pour method. All you have to do is add the powder to your melt. If you get any mica bubbles float up to the top, spray them with just a little bit of rubbing alcohol. Once everything is mixed, pour the soap into your mold.

For transparent melt: Use ½ teaspoon per pound of melt

Note: Mica powder works best with transparent melts.

6.    Furniture

Remember we said mica powder can mixed into practically anything? We weren’t lying. You can also mix it with waxes, glazes, varnishes, lacquers, and top coats to apply it to furniture.

Mica powder is really a lot of fun and adds a unique element to your artwork. What’s your favorite way to use it?? Drop a COMMENT below and tell us about your experience!