Thanks. I just make videos on all the questions I ask myself (and from my audience). Regardless if the results are amazing or not. I feel like people can learn way more from an imperfect results than a wow painting every time.
I've tried different mica powders and one thing i've learned is after you mixes them in your choice of medium is to let it sit for awhile then come back and stir again. Some mica's take longer to dissovle then others.
Suggestion: With each color, make enough paint to color about 1/2" (12mm). Then color the top of each cap. Makes it so much easier to find the color you want, and to get the right cap back unto the right bottle. Personally I buy white dot stickers to put on the caps and the paint the sticker.
I agree. I think the transparent mica mixes work best as a glaze embellishment on top, not as a paint to pour, because their effect comes from light reaction on the surface; deeper paint with them is just lost.
You are one of the most informative and helpful artists on TH-cam. I appreciate you sharing all your painting videos and especially the testing videos. You are awesome. Thank you.
I decided to start making my own homemade natural acrylic paint; I chose Mica of course for my colorant and I've tried 2 different types the first one which came in pouches was well decent, but pretty much just gave me one helping of the color. While the second Mica I got came in jars and I'm more pleased with it! I use Earth Pigments Acrylic Gel Medium for my Medium
The most vibrant beautiful colors I've ever seen is the primary elements.. you should definitely look into those. But you definitely worth the price, you would definitely not be disappointed. But those aren't bad. 😊
About a year ago I bought these micas because of this video. Such a good price!! Now after having viewed the video again I am finally building the courage to try them! Thanks so much!!!
I am intrigued by what you showed us with the mica powders...but I am a long way from ready to try it yet, since just starting out trying "paint pours". But am ok with that ~ still like you experimenting & me just checking it all out. I really like "experiments" of things, generally. Raised my niece same way I guess, or so my brother tells me. I only "helped out with her" a whole lot until she was 6 & they moved to Idaho. Lived at my house more than 50% of time from age 2-6 & she took to, "maybe we can try something & see what happens" thing quite naturally. Very smart kid, like her Dad when he was a kid. But HE got me in trouble alot doing that! I had no teaching degree yet - went better when I did it with his child, years later. Started NO unintended fires inside or out, like he did! LOL "What happens if....?"
Hello. Thank you for continuing to make these comparison videos. I have enjoyed many of them and learned a lot. A little over a year ago one of your instructional videos was the one that pushed me over the edge into pouring my first painting. I was addicted immediately, and it has only gotten worse for over a year now. But truly thank you again and more for being the catalyst that helped me find my ultimate hobby and low level business that could become more important later. I have dabbled in mica powders and also pigments (so far just Color Art but soon to try TLP pigments as well). The best deal I've found on mica is at JoAnn's fabric, they have a 6 pack of Color Pour brand (1/3 oz. each) for 9.99 that is about 5.00 with a coupon, I've been working on my first pack for months, but have gotten another that I haven't opened yet. I think your find is a better deal that I may need to get, but I have also seen some pretty expensive sets out there. On Color Art and TLP the price is about even, so I will have more to go on there once I've tried TLP pigments (I've watched many artists use TLP, and they look similar to CA), I do so love Color Art pigments. So far I have just used the house paint and Polycrylic mix, but have gotten some JoSanja and plan on trying that as well. I do use (a few drops per oz. of paint) Liquitex Gloss PM and GAC800 to stop crazing/cracks etc... but so far to me it's just too expensive to use as a full fledged PM on their own and use mostly Floetrol. Again thank you so much, I have an actual studio in my studio apartment now and fluid art has become an important part of my life! Talk to you soon.
Thanks for suggesting the use of a mask when using mica powders. Even with non-toxic pigment, the powder can irritate your lungs and airways, especially if you already have respiratory problems.
I had used mica powder in a paintings before with premixed pouring paint and it was super bumpy in my finished result and I was so disappointed. I just mixed a big old scoop right in like 1oz of paint and it didn't mix well at all so I haven't touched my mica powder since then. I am now confident enough to retry introducing my mica powders to my paintings after I got some useful knowledge from this video and the comments. Thank you so much!
I love adding a little sparkly to my paintings and this gives me the ability to do it at a much cheaper cost than premixed paint. It does take some extra work though for sure.
You need to mix mica powder with water first (small amount like tea spoon or less can be enough) before putting it directly in the medium + painting. Mica powder doesn’t dissolve well in Piti g medium.
I'm new at fluid art and you have taught me a lot and always make the right video for every question I have lol. Thank you so very much for your time and advice to others.
Thank you so much this was extremely good information and a wonderful experiment good to know thank you for taking the time to do this experiment and film it
Hi David, thank you so much for explaining and testing micas using different pouring mediums. I love watching your videos because you explain things very well. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼❤️
@@LeftBrainedArtist absolutely! Will do. After watching your video I may have to get some liquitex medium. I will try with floetrol first because thats what I have on hand 😃
Ohhhh ok, when I tried pouring w/ mica powder (before seeing your vid) I was mixing them into my paint/pouring medium, so not just mica/pouring medium. It made the mica effect almost non-existent. Soooo gotta go try this method!
Can't thank you enough for such informative video's, I have learnt so much from watching & understand paint pouring concepts much better to the point that I know where I've been going wrong. Thank you so much 😍🤩
Oh god.. I am going outside to pour before I get anymore more crazy ideas from these video's. I love mica rocks. I love working with them. I am not debating about making my own mica pigments. ;) Pray for me bahahaha.
"I want to do a bunch of tests & I'm gonna' take you with me." I just love that sentence, that idea & concept is so exciting!😁😉😁 With paints, it's also fun & colorful!
Thank you for your time sharing with us how to use mica powder. I am relatively new to paint pouring and just ordered some mica and undoubtedly would have used it wrong. Your tutorials are so good that I may get some good results. You may be referring to your channel by left brain, but obviously your right brain is in on the action. You're a great teacher!
I did a search for mixing pigment prefers and found this video. I came across the same set you reviewed so snapped it up. Now i need to watch the party where you mix it again. 😊
I bought this exact same mica kit about 2 weeks ago. I haven’t tried using them yet, so I was very excited to see you doing a video on the product. Great video as usual!!!
Thank you so much for this! I bought a big pack of powdered mica pigments and I thought they were useless. I kept trying to mix them with floetrol. I used a ton of pigment, but they would never incorporate. I just bought liquitex pouring medium today and the difference is night and day! I hardly needed any pigment and it readily blended to a beautiful, smooth consistency.
So I watched your video and as always I love how you explain things so simply. I didn’t have any mica powder. However I have a bunch of eyeshadow that I don’t use anymore. I mixed it as you explained and it worked great. It’s still wet so it we will see. Thanks again!♥️
I just love you! You are so informative and easy to watch, you answer questions I did not even know I had and you have made me a better artist. Thank you!
I'm so happy you reviewed these on your podcast. This is the brand I was looking at. Now I know how to use the powders. Thank you! I really love your tutorials! Thanks again!
I have used mica powder with resin before to make coasters. Didn’t know one could do acrylic pour as well! Learning something new everyday 😀 Good experiment, might give it a try.
I've tried TLP and others. I found eye candy mica pigments and wow!! I will never buy the way expensive ones again. Your painting is great! I dissolve my pigments in liquitez pm or my favorite, Blick brand mediums.
That was really cool. I didn't know Mica was used in so many products. When I was a kid we used to collect Mica from, where else, Mica Hill. I loved playing with it. I enjoyed separating the layers. Anyway, I love the shiny paints. Thank you David.☮️💖🎶
Thanks for sharing Marcey. That sounds like it was a blast. I loved looking for cool rocks when I was a kid and taking apart cool rocks was even more fun. It was sandstone layers here in Utah.
As a kid spending the summer in the mountains, my brother & I ran across piles of mica dust. We were convinced it was gold. We both took double handfuls and ran back to dad claiming we're rich. He kept trying to tell us it wasn't gold, and we kept trying to convince him it was. Short story: we didn't get rich. :-)
@@LeftBrainedArtist I bought some about a year ago …I just added them to my acrylic paints ..didn’t really know what to do with them ..lol I’m going to give them another try after watching you today ….thanks again for you time showing us different ways to mix them ! Enjoy the weekend ❤️
Again, thank you for saving me from myself. Who knew to check and see if the mica powder was water soluable? Not me, for sure. I'm not quite up to speed yet to start on mica powders, but I already have some from a previous life. All set to go when I finally get there. Your help has been invaluable to me in getting started.
Thanks so much for this video. I have some different colours of mica powder and have wanted to use them in acrylic pouring but didn't really know how. I will now have a go!!
David ,Thanks for this video . I make soap and have tons of mica. I'm thinking I'll try to use it for paint pouring. You've got my wheels turning 😊With the Polycrylic the color really glitters and pops.
Thank you for all the info you always share in your videos. You're always so helpful and explain things in such a good that my brain understands them. I really appreciate you and the content you provide!
I just did a pour using the red gold as one of the colors, and liquidtex. The gold is beautiful. It is the exact same kit you recommended. Also, I use these pigments for watercolor and they are pretty good. Of course you use a different medium to mix. Thank you so.much, this helped so much!
I am an engineer. You so speak to my brain!!! Thank you! I enjoy the other artists, too, but you answer my questions in a way others don’t. (Proving there are many methods of learning!) I have two questions I have not see address, please. 1) Micas, or at least my micas, are translucent. How do I make them less translucent without dulling their color? I have tried adding a little titanium white, but that negates much of the reason I want to use the mica. 2) Do you have a ratio of mica to pouring medium at which you would recommend starting? I seem to make mine too concentrated, but I cannot tell until the painting dries. Thank you for your channel!!!
1) You can't without adding a ton more pigment. Or at least I haven't found a good way. My favorite thing to do is add a TINY bit of regular acrylic that is about the same color. By TINY i mean a pea size for two ounces of paint. It brightens up the pigment but still lets them shine quite a bit. 2) I use maybe a 1/2 teason per ounce of medium. Each pigment is different though. These are the lesser quality from Amazong. I haven't tried this little piggy or anything like that yet but I assume it would be slightly less.
I have already purchased a lot of pigments from eBay however have not used them yet would be very interested in finding out how to make my own paints like you described thank you so much for all of your informative videos they have taught me so much God-bless
@@LeftBrainedArtist Yum!? Is it edible? Teaching preschool, art eith 3-5 yr olds was EZ... but art with 2yr olds a challenge cuz' they still put things in their mouth - even paints! I used to have them finger paint with puddings -- could put color in the vanilla, other "color" was chocolate. They love to fingerpaint & pudding is slippery fun. I did not encourage eating the "paint", but no worries when they put it in mouth.
I recently bought a set of mica powders and I am seriously regretting my choices because mine are all in grip-seal bags. Total nightmare! They are great fun to use though 😊
Not sure why but thought I had to mix pigment powder into untinted paint 1st then medium so good to know I can skip that step! Think I commented b4 but thanks again anyway! lol😁
Can I use the pigments with either Liquitex or Polycrylic as mediums in other paintings besides the blooms? And do I need to add water or anything else? Blooms have not worked for me yet and I have some beautiful pigments I want to use! Thanks!!!
Thank you for this. I have a question for you which had nothing to do with his video. I have just started pouring and I use both canvas board and framed canvas to pour on. How do I preemptively stop the bowing of the canvas? All of my artwork ends up pooling in the centre. Thank you and I look forward to your hacks.
The only way is to completely seal your canvas board before pouring. Maybe putting down a thin coat of glue-water mixture and let it dry and then pour over that with the back taped off. If water gets in to the cardboard center it is going to bow Stella.
I see in the comments that people have mentioned eyeshadow, which is a great idea. I've thought about using nail varnish pigment and micas, but was put off by how to mix. However watching this doesn't make it look too hard. Thanks very much! Also in your video, I noticed a lot of air bubbles in the glue mixture, which might account for it's funkiness upon drying.
The bubbles were totally the problem. Glue and Floetrol does get rid of some of the luster and shine. Doing some more experiments with those this week.
Thanks! Good intro to mica powder. I hate mixing paint, but I REALLY want to try this. Tomoko Fluid Art has a really good tutorial on mixing the paints. She uses Polycrylic and a housepaint. You might want to check that one out if you're still interested in powders.
Thanks for the video. I’ve been wanting to play with mica pigments, but the brands I see used by other artists are too expensive. I just ordered these! Can’t wait to start experimenting
A very interesting and informative video. I'm looking forward to seeing if making your own paints with the mica powders work. Thank you and missed having one of your videos last Saturday to watch.
Mica powders were always a bit of a mystery to me. I've seen other people's video where they use them but not really with an explanation as to what they are or how to mix them. So this video goes straight to the top of the tree. Many thanks. With regards to your merchandise - any chance of a shirt with your picture or your artwork and the words 'Hello Pouring Nation"? That would be cool.
Yeah those are in the works. We have some ideas of some sarcastic pouring related ones too. That first one was just to get all the integrations working. It took weeks to make it work and I was out of time with the summer. More to come for sure Hawk.
You remind me of my step dad. And myself! I’m beyond sarcastic. Gets me in trouble REGULARLY. I am a huge introvert. And I hate People! My stepdad is in I.T. So I can see you two getting along well! Cept he would have no idea about painting!
Thank you for showing the pro and con with all the different mediums with mica. Do you ever work/experiment with resin & mica, or with resin, mica & paint. ?
I was thinking of sprinkling the powder directly onto the painting (wet paint or wait to dry and add clear medium to sprinkle it on) do you think the powder would stay put during the varnishing process?
@@LeftBrainedArtist I have some chrome powder for nails 💅 and some mica powder from Island Mina's and More. As soon as I go to Lowe's for more tiles I'll give it go.👍💕
Excelente video, only question is if after diluted very well it’s possible to increase the size of the amount with a pouring medium that no distorsión the color like Liquitex or the minwax polycrylic or maybe the polyurethane triple tick and how much I imagine to keep a vivid color ?!!
What a great comparison! Thank you so much, I am struggling with finding the right medium to mix the mica powders that I have with. I have some Josoja varnish, GAC 800 and Floetrol. What is the Liquitex product that you used?
Just the professional pouring medium. Josanya or GAC will work great. I only use a little to get the pigments suspended than mix that just like my paints (depending on their consistency).
Maybe. Silicone generally doesn't work well with pearlescent/metallic paints as they are already usually lighter than other paints but I'll have to test more with mica.
Can you use micas for swipes? I really only see them used for blooms? If I were to use the minwax poly for micas, how would I thicken them so I can use them for swipes? Also, can use them for larger canvases?
Absolutely. Swipes work great with Micas. You can use them in any acrylic pour type as long as you get the same consistency, don't mix mediums that don't work with each other, and have enough color and choose the right colors so the shine doesn't get lost like I had in this video's pour.
@@LeftBrainedArtist I usually use glue/water as a pouring medium, but that didn’t seem to work well with micas. Can I use minwax poly with glue for a pm?
Thank you. I am so pleased that u r playing with micas. U explain things so well. Getting mica to show up and dry smoothly in paintings has had me stumped. I found they mixed nicely with a clear pva but paints seem to overtake. I heard u can mix with transparent paint so may try that next
Here is Mica Powder kit I am using in this video. So far, for the price, it seems like a great deal - Mica Powder 36 Color Set - amzn.to/3sEodif
Just got different brand going to mix with what I have thankyou for doing this very happy you shared this :)
@@blankandfriends6606 Good luck. Let me know if you find some tricks of tips while working with your Mica Powders.
How to do the Mica?? How to use Mica for molds?
@@lamarshall4459 Sorry I don't use molds. Pouring Your Heart Out channel has some great tutorials on resin and pigments.
I’m 2 years late to this party, but thank you for this video. It is the most comprehensive I’ve seen on micas. I learned a lot 🎉
No problemo. Glad you found it useful.
When it comes to "TH-cam Best Experimental Channel" competition, you are very high on the list for me.
Thanks. I just make videos on all the questions I ask myself (and from my audience). Regardless if the results are amazing or not. I feel like people can learn way more from an imperfect results than a wow painting every time.
I've tried different mica powders and one thing i've learned is after you mixes them in your choice of medium is to let it sit for awhile then come back and stir again. Some mica's take longer to dissovle then others.
That is a great tip. Thanks Terry.
Thanks for that tip! Prob also helps decrease bubbles i'd assume too!
For what?
Suggestion: With each color, make enough paint to color about 1/2" (12mm). Then color the top of each cap. Makes it so much easier to find the color you want, and to get the right cap back unto the right bottle. Personally I buy white dot stickers to put on the caps and the paint the sticker.
Great idea Tom. I was thinking about turning them upside down or something. That would work way better though.
Great idea! All of mine are currently upside-down or have funky stickers that I colored myself. Silly me. Thanks Tom!
I use mica powders mixed with water to “brighten up” some pours that turn out dull.
I just paint it on in appropriate places and it is very effective.
Ooh, I hadn't even thought about doing something like this Bernadette. Thanks!
I agree. I think the transparent mica mixes work best as a glaze embellishment on top, not as a paint to pour, because their effect comes from light reaction on the surface; deeper paint with them is just lost.
Im def trying that thanks!!!!
You are one of the most informative and helpful artists on TH-cam. I appreciate you sharing all your painting videos and especially the testing videos. You are awesome. Thank you.
Wow, thank you Margie. I really appreciate that.
I decided to start making my own homemade natural acrylic paint; I chose Mica of course for my colorant and I've tried 2 different types the first one which came in pouches was well decent, but pretty much just gave me one helping of the color. While the second Mica I got came in jars and I'm more pleased with it!
I use Earth Pigments Acrylic Gel Medium for my Medium
Awesome!
Wish i could "like" this one twice! I mixed my powder with liquitex and it cane out BEAUTIFUL! TY
Wonderful! Glad to hear it.
I love how detailed you explain everything. Thank you
You are so welcome!
The most vibrant beautiful colors I've ever seen is the primary elements.. you should definitely look into those. But you definitely worth the price, you would definitely not be disappointed. But those aren't bad. 😊
Thanks Christina.
About a year ago I bought these micas because of this video. Such a good price!! Now after having viewed the video again I am finally building the courage to try them! Thanks so much!!!
Glad I could help! I really love how they have worked for me.
I am intrigued by what you showed us with the mica powders...but I am a long way from ready to try it yet, since just starting out trying "paint pours". But am ok with that ~ still like you experimenting & me just checking it all out. I really like "experiments" of things, generally. Raised my niece same way I guess, or so my brother tells me. I only "helped out with her" a whole lot until she was 6 & they moved to Idaho. Lived at my house more than 50% of time from age 2-6 & she took to, "maybe we can try something & see what happens" thing quite naturally. Very smart kid, like her Dad when he was a kid. But HE got me in trouble alot doing that! I had no teaching degree yet - went better when I did it with his child, years later. Started NO unintended fires inside or out, like he did! LOL
"What happens if....?"
Those are some of my favorite words.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I have spent the whole afternoon watching your videos.
let me know if you have questions. I am alwasys looking for new ideas for videos.
Hello. Thank you for continuing to make these comparison videos. I have enjoyed many of them and learned a lot. A little over a year ago one of your instructional videos was the one that pushed me over the edge into pouring my first painting. I was addicted immediately, and it has only gotten worse for over a year now. But truly thank you again and more for being the catalyst that helped me find my ultimate hobby and low level business that could become more important later. I have dabbled in mica powders and also pigments (so far just Color Art but soon to try TLP pigments as well). The best deal I've found on mica is at JoAnn's fabric, they have a 6 pack of Color Pour brand (1/3 oz. each) for 9.99 that is about 5.00 with a coupon, I've been working on my first pack for months, but have gotten another that I haven't opened yet. I think your find is a better deal that I may need to get, but I have also seen some pretty expensive sets out there. On Color Art and TLP the price is about even, so I will have more to go on there once I've tried TLP pigments (I've watched many artists use TLP, and they look similar to CA), I do so love Color Art pigments. So far I have just used the house paint and Polycrylic mix, but have gotten some JoSanja and plan on trying that as well. I do use (a few drops per oz. of paint) Liquitex Gloss PM and GAC800 to stop crazing/cracks etc... but so far to me it's just too expensive to use as a full fledged PM on their own and use mostly Floetrol. Again thank you so much, I have an actual studio in my studio apartment now and fluid art has become an important part of my life! Talk to you soon.
Thanks for the comment Ed. I see you caught the bug as hard as I did. So much fun to be had with pouring.
Thanks for suggesting the use of a mask when using mica powders. Even with non-toxic pigment, the powder can irritate your lungs and airways, especially if you already have respiratory problems.
Yeah, and I have heard once it attaches to your lung tissue it is almost impossible to get back out.
have had mica powder for awhile and have never thought to mix it with polyacrylic so thank you so much for this fantastic experiment!
You are so welcome! It really is pretty amazing if you get all the ratios right. Still testing for that but I bet every powder will be different.
I had used mica powder in a paintings before with premixed pouring paint and it was super bumpy in my finished result and I was so disappointed. I just mixed a big old scoop right in like 1oz of paint and it didn't mix well at all so I haven't touched my mica powder since then. I am now confident enough to retry introducing my mica powders to my paintings after I got some useful knowledge from this video and the comments. Thank you so much!
I love adding a little sparkly to my paintings and this gives me the ability to do it at a much cheaper cost than premixed paint. It does take some extra work though for sure.
You need to mix mica powder with water first (small amount like tea spoon or less can be enough) before putting it directly in the medium + painting. Mica powder doesn’t dissolve well in Piti g medium.
Thank you David. You are an excellent Tatcher! Making it clear to me how to use pigments. I was struggeling with that.
I'm so glad it helped Lydia.
that is gorgeous. Thank you for all of the work you do so we can collectively make fewer mistakes.
You are so welcome Carrol. Hope it is helpful in your future pours.
Just today i was wondering about this and whaddya know? You did a video about it 2 years ago! Thanks so much 😊
Glad to hear it is still helping people. Thanks for watching Kris.
Real good down to earth common sense tutorial.
Good for you 👏👏👏
Glad it was helpful!
I'm new at fluid art and you have taught me a lot and always make the right video for every question I have lol. Thank you so very much for your time and advice to others.
You are so welcome again Christyn. Thanks for watching.
I love the way you teach! Thank you so much!
You are so welcome my friend. Glad the way I learn helps others.
Thank you so much this was extremely good information and a wonderful experiment good to know thank you for taking the time to do this experiment and film it
You are so welcome
Hi David, thank you so much for explaining and testing micas using different pouring mediums. I love watching your videos because you explain things very well. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼❤️
You are very welcome as always Sunita. Happy Saturday.
So glad I found your channel.. I like the way you explain things, thanks.
Glad you enjoy it Gloria. Happy pouring!
I just bought a set on Amazon yesterday! Happy I stumbled across your video because I will be doing my own experiments soon!
Good luck! Let me know if you find any awesome nuggets of info while testing.
@@LeftBrainedArtist absolutely! Will do. After watching your video I may have to get some liquitex medium. I will try with floetrol first because thats what I have on hand 😃
Ohhhh ok, when I tried pouring w/ mica powder (before seeing your vid) I was mixing them into my paint/pouring medium, so not just mica/pouring medium. It made the mica effect almost non-existent. Soooo gotta go try this method!
Oh no! Glad to help there. I can't say I've mastered this yet but I've learned a lot on the way.
Can't thank you enough for such informative video's, I have learnt so much from watching & understand paint pouring concepts much better to the point that I know where I've been going wrong. Thank you so much 😍🤩
Wonderful! So glad to hear that. Good luck and Happy New Year!
Thankyou so much your videos always teach me so much😊
You're welcome Maria. Happy to help. Have you used Mica powders?
Oh god.. I am going outside to pour before I get anymore more crazy ideas from these video's. I love mica rocks. I love working with them. I am not debating about making my own mica pigments. ;)
Pray for me bahahaha.
Rock on! 😅😉
"I want to do a bunch of tests & I'm gonna' take you with me." I just love that sentence, that idea & concept is so exciting!😁😉😁 With paints, it's also fun & colorful!
Thank you for your time sharing with us how to use mica powder. I am relatively new to paint pouring and just ordered some mica and undoubtedly would have used it wrong. Your tutorials are so good that I may get some good results. You may be referring to your channel by left brain, but obviously your right brain is in on the action. You're a great teacher!
Thanks so much Peggy. I hope your pours turn out amazing.
I did a search for mixing pigment prefers and found this video. I came across the same set you reviewed so snapped it up. Now i need to watch the party where you mix it again. 😊
They mix retry well. Leaving them to sit a it seems to have the best results.
I bought this exact same mica kit about 2 weeks ago. I haven’t tried using them yet, so I was very excited to see you doing a video on the product. Great video as usual!!!
Ooh, nice Rebecca. Let me know if you find some cool tidbits when you use them.
Me too. I bought the same ones.
Thank you so much for this! I bought a big pack of powdered mica pigments and I thought they were useless. I kept trying to mix them with floetrol. I used a ton of pigment, but they would never incorporate. I just bought liquitex pouring medium today and the difference is night and day! I hardly needed any pigment and it readily blended to a beautiful, smooth consistency.
I'm so glad to hear that K C.
So I watched your video and as always I love how you explain things so simply. I didn’t have any mica powder. However I have a bunch of eyeshadow that I don’t use anymore. I mixed it as you explained and it worked great. It’s still wet so it we will see. Thanks again!♥️
Wow, I would have never thought of that. I don't see why not. If it was for use on skin it seems like it should work find in painting.
@@LeftBrainedArtist if you ever in a pinch find some eyeshadow. Thanks for the info. I always learn more from you than anyone!
@@kimbrown6562 I’ve bought the eyeshadow from the dollar store for other projects and it’s worked. Do you think the cheaper kind will work?
Thanks David for the useful information. I just bought some mica powder and I'm going to experiment as well.
Best of luck Diane.
Thank you so much for showing this. I am new to this and this is helpful. I did sign up for Shelee course.
You are so welcome! blooms are pretty amazing.
Very informative! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
I just love you! You are so informative and easy to watch, you answer questions I did not even know I had and you have made me a better artist. Thank you!
Glad I could help Vicki. Thanks for watching and the lovely comment.
Thanks. Very helpful!
You're welcome!
I'm so happy you reviewed these on your podcast. This is the brand I was looking at. Now I know how to use the powders. Thank you!
I really love your tutorials! Thanks again!
Glad to help Debra. They work great for all the uses I have had so far.
Nice job - very helpful! I love pigments! Thank you.
You are so welcome Marna. Glad it was useful.
I have used mica powder with resin before to make coasters. Didn’t know one could do acrylic pour as well! Learning something new everyday 😀 Good experiment, might give it a try.
It is worth the try for sure. Might be cheaper than buying the different pearlescent and metallic colors too. We'll see after some more testing.
This video is great! I wonder if Vivid Enamel Totable Base would work as well or even better than the Liquidex?
I assume better since it was made for these as I understand it.
I've tried TLP and others. I found eye candy mica pigments and wow!! I will never buy the way expensive ones again. Your painting is great! I dissolve my pigments in liquitez pm or my favorite, Blick brand mediums.
Thanks for sharing Leah!!
Thanks, David. Useful and informative lesson, as always !
My pleasure Suzanne. Any additional questions? This week's video will show mixing mica with opaque and transparent paints.
@@LeftBrainedArtist Thanks, David. I have a question about the difference between Mica powders and pigments, like Colour Arte.
That was really cool. I didn't know Mica was used in so many products. When I was a kid we used to collect Mica from, where else, Mica Hill. I loved playing with it. I enjoyed separating the layers. Anyway, I love the shiny paints. Thank you David.☮️💖🎶
Thanks for sharing Marcey. That sounds like it was a blast. I loved looking for cool rocks when I was a kid and taking apart cool rocks was even more fun. It was sandstone layers here in Utah.
As a kid spending the summer in the mountains, my brother & I ran across piles of mica dust. We were convinced it was gold. We both took double handfuls and ran back to dad claiming we're rich. He kept trying to tell us it wasn't gold, and we kept trying to convince him it was. Short story: we didn't get rich. :-)
This is great I just bought these and was not sure how to use them so thank you very much
You are so welcome Pam. Glad to help.
Thanks for taking the time to do this informative video ! ❤️
Glad it was helpful Cathy. Have you tried Mica Pigments before?
@@LeftBrainedArtist I bought some about a year ago …I just added them to my acrylic paints ..didn’t really know what to do with them ..lol I’m going to give them another try after watching you today ….thanks again for you time showing us different ways to mix them ! Enjoy the weekend ❤️
Again, thank you for saving me from myself. Who knew to check and see if the mica powder was water soluable? Not me, for sure. I'm not quite up to speed yet to start on mica powders, but I already have some from a previous life. All set to go when I finally get there. Your help has been invaluable to me in getting started.
Glad I could help. Let me know how they work when you start.
Thank you, this has been so informative!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks so much for this video. I have some different colours of mica powder and have wanted to use them in acrylic pouring but didn't really know how. I will now have a go!!
Wonderful! Let me know how it goes T.
I'm really surprised you didn't also show it mixed in with an untinted base paint in your comparisons. I like that you do experiments.
Ooh, I didn't even think of that Lexie. I normally don't use those except for the blooms technique but that is a great idea!
David ,Thanks for this video . I make soap and have tons of mica. I'm thinking I'll try to use it for paint pouring. You've got my wheels turning 😊With the Polycrylic the color really glitters and pops.
It totally does Frances. Going to do some experimenting with my glue mixture to see if I can make it work and still get the bling.
@@LeftBrainedArtist I'd be very interested to see the results.
Thank you for all the info you always share in your videos. You're always so helpful and explain things in such a good that my brain understands them. I really appreciate you and the content you provide!
Happy to help Jaime.
I just did a pour using the red gold as one of the colors, and liquidtex. The gold is beautiful. It is the exact same kit you recommended. Also, I use these pigments for watercolor and they are pretty good. Of course you use a different medium to mix. Thank you so.much, this helped so much!
Thanks for letting me know. For the price I think they are great.
Thank you so much for teaching us. Love your videos
You are so welcome Diane. Thanks for watching. Glad they are helping.
@@LeftBrainedArtist can you mix the ColourArte pigments with Flotrol or does it have to be mixed with Vivid Enamel?
I have this same set of Micas. This was really helpful Thanks!❤😊
Let me know if you find some awesome color palettes with these
Very helpful. Thank you.
You're welcome!
Thank you for this, I just went ahead and ordered some! I can't wait to try the bloom technique.
Hope you like it! Let me know if you find out some cool tips and trick.
I am an engineer. You so speak to my brain!!! Thank you! I enjoy the other artists, too, but you answer my questions in a way others don’t. (Proving there are many methods of learning!)
I have two questions I have not see address, please. 1) Micas, or at least my micas, are translucent. How do I make them less translucent without dulling their color? I have tried adding a little titanium white, but that negates much of the reason I want to use the mica. 2) Do you have a ratio of mica to pouring medium at which you would recommend starting? I seem to make mine too concentrated, but I cannot tell until the painting dries.
Thank you for your channel!!!
1) You can't without adding a ton more pigment. Or at least I haven't found a good way. My favorite thing to do is add a TINY bit of regular acrylic that is about the same color. By TINY i mean a pea size for two ounces of paint. It brightens up the pigment but still lets them shine quite a bit.
2) I use maybe a 1/2 teason per ounce of medium. Each pigment is different though. These are the lesser quality from Amazong. I haven't tried this little piggy or anything like that yet but I assume it would be slightly less.
Your work is beautiful Congratulations
Thank you so much!
Oh I'm def going to have to snag me some mica powder!
So cool looking. Now to get the ratios with the paint and different mixtures right.
Hi!
Great video!!
Have you experimented with mixing mica powders directly to acrylic paint colors to give the acrylics more bling??
I have. You can't push much acrylic paintin or it overwhelms the mica but it works great when done properly.
I have already purchased a lot of pigments from eBay however have not used them yet would be very interested in finding out how to make my own paints like you described thank you so much for all of your informative videos they have taught me so much God-bless
Let me know if you find some cool tips and tricks with your pigments Cheryl.
@@LeftBrainedArtist I will
Love those "drips"!
Have you seen my BBQ drip pour?
@@LeftBrainedArtist Serious? No. What a cool idea that is! Really, or are you teasing?
@@LeftBrainedArtist Yum!? Is it edible?
Teaching preschool, art eith 3-5 yr olds was EZ... but art with 2yr olds a challenge cuz' they still put things in their mouth - even paints! I used to have them finger paint with puddings -- could put color in the vanilla, other "color" was chocolate. They love to fingerpaint & pudding is slippery fun. I did not encourage eating the "paint", but no worries when they put it in mouth.
I recently bought a set of mica powders and I am seriously regretting my choices because mine are all in grip-seal bags. Total nightmare! They are great fun to use though 😊
I totally agree Mary! I can't ever go back to zip lock. Too much mess.
Had to buy it thanks for sharing
Hope you enjoy it! I am totally digging making my own metallic/pearlescent colors.
Fantastic as always!!!
Thanks again Cynthia.
Not sure why but thought I had to mix pigment powder into untinted paint 1st then medium so good to know I can skip that step! Think I commented b4 but thanks again anyway! lol😁
You can totally use that too. I was just experimenting with things I had on hand.
Thank you very much for the education.
Glad it was helpful Marie.
Excellent as always! If you are not an instructor you have missed your calling.....
I am not. In the technology field. My mother was a teacher for years. I blame her for my teaching abilities.
@@LeftBrainedArtist well she should be proud, you do a great job. If it matters I have a masters degree so I’ve had a lot of instruction lol.
Can I use the pigments with either Liquitex or Polycrylic as mediums in other paintings besides the blooms? And do I need to add water or anything else? Blooms have not worked for me yet and I have some beautiful pigments I want to use! Thanks!!!
Yes you sure can Alicia. Add water for consistency just like with any other method.
Thank you for this. I have a question for you which had nothing to do with his video. I have just started pouring and I use both canvas board and framed canvas to pour on. How do I preemptively stop the bowing of the canvas? All of my artwork ends up pooling in the centre. Thank you and I look forward to your hacks.
The only way is to completely seal your canvas board before pouring. Maybe putting down a thin coat of glue-water mixture and let it dry and then pour over that with the back taped off. If water gets in to the cardboard center it is going to bow Stella.
@@LeftBrainedArtist excellent. Thank you. Do I just add water to thin out the glue or should I be aiming for a ratio?
Excelente video !!!!
Thanks so much.
I see in the comments that people have mentioned eyeshadow, which is a great idea. I've thought about using nail varnish pigment and micas, but was put off by how to mix. However watching this doesn't make it look too hard. Thanks very much!
Also in your video, I noticed a lot of air bubbles in the glue mixture, which might account for it's funkiness upon drying.
The bubbles were totally the problem. Glue and Floetrol does get rid of some of the luster and shine. Doing some more experiments with those this week.
Thanks! Good intro to mica powder.
I hate mixing paint, but I REALLY want to try this.
Tomoko Fluid Art has a really good tutorial on mixing the paints. She uses Polycrylic and a housepaint. You might want to check that one out if you're still interested in powders.
I am looking right now. Thanks Ron.
Thanks for the video. I’ve been wanting to play with mica pigments, but the brands I see used by other artists are too expensive. I just ordered these! Can’t wait to start experimenting
You are so welcome Victoria. Let me know if you find some hidden secrets.
Thank you for this information
My pleasure Carole. Thanks for watching.
A very interesting and informative video. I'm looking forward to seeing if making your own paints with the mica powders work. Thank you and missed having one of your videos last Saturday to watch.
Me too Mary. So many great experiments I can try now.
Mica powders were always a bit of a mystery to me. I've seen other people's video where they use them but not really with an explanation as to what they are or how to mix them. So this video goes straight to the top of the tree. Many thanks. With regards to your merchandise - any chance of a shirt with your picture or your artwork and the words 'Hello Pouring Nation"? That would be cool.
Yeah those are in the works. We have some ideas of some sarcastic pouring related ones too. That first one was just to get all the integrations working. It took weeks to make it work and I was out of time with the summer. More to come for sure Hawk.
You remind me of my step dad. And myself! I’m beyond sarcastic. Gets me in trouble REGULARLY. I am a huge introvert. And I hate People! My stepdad is in I.T. So I can see you two getting along well! Cept he would have no idea about painting!
Thank you for showing the pro and con with all the different mediums with mica. Do you ever work/experiment with resin & mica, or with resin, mica & paint. ?
I have but not very much. One day I'll get more in to that but there is so much to do still with pouring on my channel.
Amo que dejes en el video tus errores pues aprendemos todos también de ellos!!!
Gracias Ruth. Por nuestros errores aprendemos.
David , what can I use to thicken my mica paint if I’m using flo ?
You need a gel paste or a untinted deep base to thicken them.
I was thinking of sprinkling the powder directly onto the painting (wet paint or wait to dry and add clear medium to sprinkle it on) do you think the powder would stay put during the varnishing process?
Some will definitely stay but this isn’t its brightest unless it really gets mixed in and integrated. It isn’t like glitter in that regard
Great video! Very informative, I may look into Mica now. Thank you 💕
You should for sure. Trying to see if I can make my own shimmer paints for cheaper.
@@LeftBrainedArtist I have some chrome powder for nails 💅 and some mica powder from Island Mina's and More. As soon as I go to Lowe's for more tiles I'll give it go.👍💕
I wonder how the mica powder would work in a neutral paint base?
Definitely would Anna. That is what Sheleeart blooms are normally made with along with a thin varnish to help get the right consistency.
Polycrylic #1 & Liquitex #2
. I'm looking forward to seeing if making your own paints
Very soon for sure Jeff.
Excelente video, only question is if after diluted very well it’s possible to increase the size of the amount with a pouring medium that no distorsión the color like Liquitex or the minwax polycrylic or maybe the polyurethane triple tick and how much I imagine to keep a vivid color ?!!
The more you add of anything the more the color will get diluted unfortunately.
What a great comparison! Thank you so much, I am struggling with finding the right medium to mix the mica powders that I have with. I have some Josoja varnish, GAC 800 and Floetrol. What is the Liquitex product that you used?
Just the professional pouring medium. Josanya or GAC will work great. I only use a little to get the pigments suspended than mix that just like my paints (depending on their consistency).
@@LeftBrainedArtist Thank you
Great Review .. Thank You ❣️
Glad it was useful Erin. Thanks for watching.
Thank you
You're welcome as always Jeff.
Would you get more cells by mixing a spot of silicone oil with the mica mixture?
Maybe. Silicone generally doesn't work well with pearlescent/metallic paints as they are already usually lighter than other paints but I'll have to test more with mica.
Can you use micas for swipes? I really only see them used for blooms? If I were to use the minwax poly for micas, how would I thicken them so I can use them for swipes? Also, can use them for larger canvases?
Absolutely. Swipes work great with Micas. You can use them in any acrylic pour type as long as you get the same consistency, don't mix mediums that don't work with each other, and have enough color and choose the right colors so the shine doesn't get lost like I had in this video's pour.
@@LeftBrainedArtist I usually use glue/water as a pouring medium, but that didn’t seem to work well with micas. Can I use minwax poly with glue for a pm?
Thank you. I am so pleased that u r playing with micas. U explain things so well. Getting mica to show up and dry smoothly in paintings has had me stumped. I found they mixed nicely with a clear pva but paints seem to overtake. I heard u can mix with transparent paint so may try that next
My pleasure M S😊. I'll definitely be doing some tests like that soon.
Thanks for all the information.
Just curious. Could liquitex gloss and varnish be used as a pouring medium?
Absolutely it could.
@@LeftBrainedArtist thank you so much. I have a lot of it but no pouring medium. I’ll give it a shot.