I was very fortunate to be given several small containers of mica pigment powders (Jacquard Pearl-Ex Pigments) by a close friend. At first I wasn't sure what I would do with them, but then I saw a video on YouTube on how to make shimmery watercolor paints and decided to give it a try. I already have a growing collections of expensive shimmery watercolors that I bought from various makers on Etsy, so i was excited to add to my collection in a more budget friendly way.
To make them, all I needed was gum Arabic, which I ordered it online, as well as some half pans. Making them was fun, messy, and fairly easy. I used an old glass insert from a frame to mix them, then filled each pan half way with the glittery mixture. The remaining paint from each color was stored in the empty pigment powder containers with the lids screwed on tight. Filling the pans only half way insured that the paint would dry thouroughly in the pans before adding the remaining paint. Some of the colors took a almost a week to dry, probably because I added too much gum Arabic or glycerin. You can see an instagram video reel to see how I mixed them HERE.
Now that they are completely dry, I've been able to paint with them a little. You can see how different the colors look on white vs. black watercolor paper. The paint themselves are not perfect looking, but they work great. I know I'll have a lot of fun painting with them.