Are you confused about the difference between mica and pigments?
Pigments are a very specific category of material that has been used since the beginning of time to make paint. Well known pigments include ultramarine blue, cadmium red, zinc yellow, burnt sienna, and quinacridone violet. Some are natural and some are lab-created.
Mica powder is pulverized mica stone. It is sometimes coated with metal oxides to give it color. Mica powder is shiny, and it’s used in much the same way as pigments. But it’s not technically a pigment.
To an extent, I’m being pedantic because sellers are using the term “pigment” to imply that you can use mica to color things and create paint. And you can. But mica powder makes things metallic, pearlescent, or shimmery.
Pigments and mica are different materials and give a very different effect when you work with them. They achieve different things.
Pigments give paint or resin or polymer clay color.
Mica gives these things shimmer.
Some mica powders include pigment and mica. That’s seldom clear on the label.
It’s a bit like the difference between eye shadow that’s super frosted (mica) and matte (pigment).
Use the one that gives you the effect you want. If you want to color something a color, use pigment. If you want to make something shimmery, pearlescent or metallic, use a mica powder.
#polymerclay #pigment #micapowder
