Pearlescent Mica Use Tips
Sandy Lemons
Greetings!!
Last week I offered to send those of you who requested it a Tip Sheet
on the use of pearlescent powdered mica.
The response was more than overwhelming!!!! I expected a healthy
response, but nowhere near what I recieved!! Hundreds!
There is no way I could forward the email to all who asked. It would
take hours. I'd love to do it, but my ability to sit at the computer
for as long as it would take is just not there!
I do humbly apologize for the inconvience. I've decided the best and
hopefully the most fair thing is to post them here. Wish I'd thought
of it in the first place!! <G>
please visit my website http://home.earthlink.net/~sandylemons
So here goes with my blessings.
Copyright Sandy Lemons 1998
Pearlescent Mica
Powdered Pearls are pearlescent powered mica. The only difference
between Powdered Pearls and the other
brands are Powdered Pearls are completely skin safe. The products are
identical.
What do you do with pearlescent powders?
· Mix them with the gum Arabic for a pure wash of pearlesence.
· Mix them with transparent water colors to add a glow to the
watercolor color. Dark colors work
the best.
· Don't throw away any leftover color, it can be rewet like
watercolors and will work just as it was
just mixed. I keep several of those inexpensive water color mixing
wells with a complete set of
Powdered Pearls and gum arabic. They are dried like pans of watercolor
and are always ready for a
drop of water to be set to go.
· Brush or rub them on dry Lightly spray the area with the
Powdered Pearls with a good brand of
fixative. Krylon is a very good choice
· Use them with stamps on sealing wax. Mix with the sealing wax
for a whole new color. Swirl
marble patterns are beautiful. Use the Powdered Pearls as a release
agent in place of embossing fluid
or ink.
· Use Miracle tape for a border of pure shine. Subtle and
classy.
· Mix them with embossing powders for extra punch. Gold or
Silver with the dark colors of EP are
especially dynamic.
· Mix with polymer clay while pliable or brush on after it's
baked. I often use polyclay as imitation
sealing wax or as beads for use on books and boxes. You can also
stamp in polymer clay, bake and use
the Powdered Pearls. Be sure to seal. The sun face stamps with gold
Powdered Pearls make very nice
pendants or package add ons for special gifts, to your secret pal,
perhaps?
· Sprinkle some powder on an old stamp pad and then re-ink.
Beautiful!!
· Mix with Perfect Paper Adhesive or Mod Podge for a glimmer
finish. I have tried other thin
bodied white or clear craft glues with good success. You may also use
acrylic gel or medium.
· Mix gold Powdered Pearls with just enough clear embossing
powder to make it stick and sprinkle
over black and brown mottled background for a great faux tortoise
shell. Powdered Pearls don't need
fixative when mixed with embossing powder or glues.
· Use dye re-inkers and make matching pearl colors for your
inkpads.
· Thin the paint you make with the Gum Arabic and Powdered
Pearls down to a ink consistency and
use it in a dip pen for calligraphy. The 'old fashioned' dip type pens
like Hunt work the best. Stop and
clean out your pin nib frequently. Any dried or caked on Powdered
Pearls will soap right off with
warm water and a short wait.
· Powdered Pearls powders also mix well in your paste mixture
for making paste papers.
· Use Powdered Pearls with your markers. Color a bit of your
favorite marker on to a non porous
surface, pick up some powder on the tip if your marker and mix back in
the puddle to mix, then use.
The tip cleans up easily with a damp tissue.
· Use thin mixes of Powdered Pearls and gum arabic to mix and
wet your watercolor pencils instead
of plain water.
· Sponging is one of the most dramatic uses of pearlescent
pigments. Coarse sponges on black is
just breathtaking! Mix colors. Jade and copper are particular
favorites.
· Use them with foil glue. Put your dimensional foil glue where
you want it, let it dry for the
suggested time on the label, with your finger, rub the powder over
the glue. Be generous, you can tap
off the extra and save just like your embossing powder. A list mist
of fixative is needed.
· Either dust your skeletonized leaves with it or mix it to
watercolor consistency and 'dry' brush it
over the surface, letting it catch on the raised veins. You don't
need a fixative if you used gum arabic
in mixing your fluid color. Mist with fixative if you have dusted the
dry powder.
· How to mix with Gum Arabic.
Use about 1/4 to 1/3 parts of Gum Arabic to one part Powdered Pearls.
Use a non absorbent palette (I use
one of my acrylic mounting blocks). I also use the tip of a thin,
narrow palette knife to do my measuring
and mixing. Mix the two powders together, then add drops of water,
stirring after each one. It may take a
minute or two for the Gum Arabic to become saturated with water, so be
patient. Paint is the right
consistency when YOU are satisfied with it. Thin for a shimmer wash,
thicker for complete coverage.
Medium for sponging.
Powdered Pearls come in seven colors, White Pearl, pure pearl, no
color each way. Gold, a pure
shimmering gold with no antique or off colors. Copper, a red copper,
not a brownish hue. Wisteria, a red
violet, very close to the Crayola brand crayon of the same name!
Crimson, a deep, rich, intense red. Jade, a
true jade with a hint of sliver in the background. Silver, a
breathtaking true white sliver with just the slight
hint of deep pewter.