If you’ve been at a craft show lately, chances are you’ve seen resin art. Beautiful, glossy geode coasters or ocean wave cutting boards are popular picks amongst crafters everywhere.

If you want to start experimenting with epoxy resin, you need a few key
supplies. Pigmenting your resin is one of the most essential skills you’ll need as a resin artist. Keep reading to find out how to use mica powder in resin for custom colors. 

What is Mica Powder?
Mica powder has a unique and long history dating back to prehistoric times. Historians have reason to believe that ancient civilizations used it to make cave paintings and monuments. 

It has a very shimmery and glossy effect while other pigment options have a matte finish. Mica is very versatile and can be used in a variety of ways outside of resin projects. You may find it at the nail salon, in your makeup, or even in lotions and soaps.  Mica powder comes from ground-up natural stone materials.

There are natural and synthetic options on the market. Be sure when you buy mica powder you search for the most natural options.  We also recommend getting your powder from ethical resources. The mica powder mining industry in India puts over 22,000 children’s lives at risk every day. 

How Much Mica Powder Should I Use?
The amount of powder you’ll add to your resin will depend upon the size of your project. A little goes a very long way so it’s best to be light-handed at first and add more as you need it.

We recommend adding around four ounces of mica for every gallon of mixed resin. Of course, if you’re doing a smaller project, you will want to use much less. We suggest one milligram of powder per ounce of resin.

Use a popsicle stick to scoop a little powder from the container and add more as necessary. Don’t forget to use a new popsicle stick every time to avoid getting resin in your powder jar

How Do I Mix Mica in Resin?
High-quality mica powders have particles that are the right size to blend seamlessly into the resin. Once you have mixed your hardener and resin, add the powder and stir slowly until incorporated. The keyword here is “slowly” — if you are too aggressive, you’ll get bubbles in your resin. 

If you’re working on a project with multiple colors, have one mixing cup per color ready. Pour a little of your prepared resin into the mixing cups and add the mica pigment to each cup.

Scrape the sides and bottom of the cups while mixing to ensure the powder dissolves. Don’t be afraid to get a little creative here. Try mixing two powders to create a unique color scheme. 

How to Use Mica Powder in Resin Made Easy
We hope our blog has shown you how to use mica powder in resin projects. Resin art is very beautiful and the right mica powder techniques will make your work even more stunning. Keep browsing our blog for more useful lifestyle and home tips and tricks.