If you don’t care about archival qualities, nail polishes can be used as paper glazes. The glitter is usually very fine and well distributed, it’s easy to get even coverage, and it’s waterproof, too.

I have tried using nail polish. Except for the smell, it worked fine. The artist trading card I used it on still looks great three years later.

Unlike acrylic medium, nail polish is probably not archival. It has chemicals in it that may deteriorate whatever art work you put it on. And be warned, even after two or three years, it never loses that nasty nail polish smell.

Another disadvantage is that you cannot layer water-based media (watercolor, glitter glues, and paper glazes) on top of nail polish. So plan carefully before using it. Still, it could be fun to try out on a project that you don’t intend to be saved.

I would not recommend buying nail polish to use as a paper glaze. It is more expensive than real paper glaze and has too many disadvantages.

However, many of us already have partially used bottles of irridescent or glittery nail polish that we will never use up. So why not experiment with it?

Acrylic Medium for a Waterproof Glaze

have some fine glitter that I plan to mix with acrylic gel medium, and maybe tint with colors. I will do that to create a truly waterproof item or to achieve an effect that isn’t available with my glitter glue, paper glaze, and dimensional paint collection.

If you already have glitter and acrylic gel medium handy, why not try it?

Glue as the Base for a Paper Glaze

You can also experiment with mixing glitter into any glue that dries clear. Elmer’s makes a clear glue called Galactic Glue that already has glitter in it, but you can find other cheap, clear waterbased glues if you look for them.

Even if the glue starts out milky or opaque, as long as it dries clear and flexible, it should still work well as a paper glaze. For example, plain old Elmer’s school glue and similar products should work just fine. You may want to thin it with water—or not.

Gum Arabic for a Watercolor Glaze

Gum arabic is the binder that holds watercolor pigment on the paper. You can buy it in dry form or already mixed with water. If you have some, you might try making a paper glaze with it.

The dry form would probably be best if you want to make a thicker glaze that will suspend glitter particles better. But if you already have the liquid form (or you have both), why not try it?

There is no reason you can’t also try adding a bit of glue or acrylic medium to make the glaze a bit more water resistant. If you want to use watercolors over the paper glaze, of course, you would want to use only a little bit of acrylic medium. Otherwise, the watercolor won’t stick properly.

Consider the Glitter

Remember that not all glitters are waterproof, so you may not get the effect you expect. On the other hand, you may achieve something unexpected and wonderful. Be sure to make notes on what you did so that you won’t forget.

It’s fun to just play and experiment. I recommend also mixing a very small sample and leaving it in an airtight container for a few days or weeks to see what happens. For best results, try to mix gently to avoid air bubbles.

Storing Homemade Glazes

When storing homemade paper glazes, you may want to float a a very thin layer of water on top and/or lay a little piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to seal out the air and keep the glaze mixture from drying out. Then be sure to add a tightly sealed lid.

I suspect that the glitter and any confetti you add will sink to the bottom of the acrylic medium faster than it does in the glitter glue or paper glaze gel. In that case, it may need to be stirred.

But that could depend on the type of acrylic medium that you use. The thicker and more gel-like the medium, the less the glitter and confetti will settle.

Why Not Experiment?

Homemade glazes also may not spread as easily or evenly as the store-bought kind, but it’s worth trying. In fact, they may be better. You never know till you try.

If you do try it, please post a comment to let us know how your experiments turned out. If you post your results on your own blog, we would love to see the pictures and read about them, so give us a link.

But paper glazes also impart a quality of their own. There also seems to be a bit of acrylic medium in paper glazes that can add strength and a smooth, slightly glossy finish to paper. They are especially useful in collage or assemblage but can also be used in paintings.

Paper glazes are especially fun to use in small works such as artist trading cards.

They are also fun to use in art journals and altered books.

I often use use paper glazes to turn ordinary memo cube (square) paper into small origami paper or to decorate completed origami items.

Elmer’s Paper Glazes

Elmer’s Shimmering Shapes are transparent, pale-colored gels with brilliant glitter and tiny confetti suspended in them. The six colors come in tiny jars in a clear acetate box. The package includes a small brush for applying them.

They are sold at most drugstores and discount stores and Office Depot in the U.S. I have even found them at a large party decoration store.

[Outside the U.S. you should be able to find the same (or similar) products, perhaps sold under a different name. Please leave a comment here at Art Fun Cheap to help others find them, too.]

At about $5.50 (USD) for a package of six little jars, the glazes may seem a bit pricey. But the fabulous Pixie Dust, a clear gel with multicolor transparent glitter in it (upper left corner in the photo above), is worth the money all by itself. Because the multicolored ultrafine glitter is transparent, you can glaze right over text without impairing readability. It truly is as though touched by fairies.

Add to that the Pizazz (purple gel with multicolored tiny, tiny confetti, center of the bottom row in the photo), and those two alone are more than worth the price. The other gels are useful, too. All impart a lovely semigloss surface to paper in addition to the ultrafine glitter and tiny confetti they contain.

Originally there were three or four varieties of Elmer’s Shimmer & Shine paper glazes. Each variety offered six small jars in a little blue box. For example, the glow in the dark variety had lovely semi-opaque pastel colors with ultrafine silver glitter.

I could never understand why they were $5 a package, though, until I found some on sale and tried them. Oh, my! ALL the varieties were fabulous.

Apparently the other varieties did not sell as well as the Shimmering Shapes, so when Elmer’s got smart and repackaged in clear acetate, so you can see the glorious contents, apparently they discontinued the other varieties.

If you can find the discontinued varieties in the old blue package, and the jars are still full (not evaporated and not discolored), grab them (except the Shimmering Shapes, which are better purchased fresh in the new packaging). They are marvelous!

The dark gels with microfine gold glitter and the milky glow-in-the-dark colors with ultrafine silver glitter are equally fabulous in their way. And remember that you can layer paper glazes with watercolor, acrylics (under), and other media for special effects. Whenever I find old packages of Shimmer and Shine, I buy them.

BigLots Paper Glazes

BigLots (a discount store chain in the U.S.) sells an imitation of the Shimmering Shapes glazes, called Sparkle & Dazzle, for only $1.99. (There are probably similar chains in other parts of the world, so except for the brand names, the information here should still apply.)
BigLots Diamond Dust is not quite as good as Elmer’s Pixie Dust, but it is still excellent. BigLots imitation of Pizazz is a sort of gray, rather than purple, but it is just as good as Elmer’s. It looks fabulous on black. Those two colors alone are well worth the $1.99 price.

The other glazes are more intense colors than the Elmer’s versions, which can be good, but the confetti in these is all the same shape, hearts, while Elmer’s has different shapes for each color. I use these, though, as colors, sometimes avoiding the confetti if I don’t want hearts.

BigLots glazes are a super value, but not a complete substitute for Elmer’s, which are clearly superior. I use both, but if you can only buy one brand, buy Elmer’s. It is well worth the higher price! And it’s available in the middle of the night at drugstores and grocery stores.

However, now that Elmer’s has discontinued the other varieties of paper glazes and sells only the one kind, you may want to check BigLots (especially now, not long after the holidays), because they have been selling a set of 16 different paper glazes in one package. I don’t know if they still do, but they are worth looking for.

Paper Glaze Brushes

The new Elmer’s Shimmering Shapes paper glaze package includes a nice little brush, while the BigLots package doesn’t include a brush anymore.

I don’t use the brushes to apply the glaze. I like to apply a very thin coat of glaze with my fingers. Yes, it’s a little messy, but the effect is much better. Besides, do we ever outgrow the pleasure of applying paint with our fingers? I don’t think so!

Save the brush! You can always use the paper glaze brushes to apply glue or other messy substances later.

Using Paper Glazes

Because paper glazes are water soluble and dry with a raised textured surface if you apply them thickly, you can use them to create an amazing variety of effects. Here are a few details from the painting at the beginning of this article.

I hope you will try some paper glazes. They are easy to find in the U.S. Hopefully they are not too hard to find wherever you live. In another post I’ll talk about how you might try making your own if you can’t find them in the stores. Have fun!

You can buy inexpensive ones. Or you can make your own. Interested?

Colorific Glitter Watercolors

Colorific Glitter Watercolors come in a (surprise!) glittery plastic case with the same removable, rearrangeable pans and natural bristle brush that make the bigger Colorific set such a great value. I found them at Texas Art Supply for only $3.36

Colorific Metallic Watercolors

Colorific Metallic Watercolors look like the expensive, hobbyist brands with cute names that are made with mica powders. Yet they are inexpensive. Texas Art Supply sells them for $3.36.

Prang also makes metallic watercolors, and their price is almost as low.

Making Metallic or Irridescent Watercolors

You can easily mix PearlEx or other fine mica powders into whatever watercolors you have to create interference (changeable) colors, irridescence, or metallic effects. If you can only buy one, I suggest getting the plain Pearl. However, the sampler sets with several (or many) small containers of different colors are the best buy.

You need only a tiny amount of mica powder to get the effect. It works far better with transparent colors than semiopaque colors. For opaque colors, you may want to try brushing a very tiny bit of the powder over the dry paint. (I suggest using one of the applicators mentioned in my last post. You can apply it with your fingertip, but you have less control of where the powder goes.)

For a truly metallic effect, you can mix mica powder with gum arabic (liquid or dry) to make a metallic paint. Gum arabic is the main binding ingredient in watercolors. That is how the expensive irridescent hobbyist watercolors are made.

You can even use actual metal powders (nontarnishing ones, such as aluminum) to make your own paint with gum arabic. If you use metal powders, though, be very careful to be in a still (no breeze) environment, and wear a dust mask.

CAUTION: Metal powders can be very toxic and/or mechanically damaging to the lungs. Some are in the form of microscopic spirals that can lodge in the lungs and cause infection. Do not allow children or pets in the area while measuring and mixing if you use them. Once the powder is mixed into paints, it should be safe. Do not ingest any paint of any kind!

Whether working with mica or metallic powders, use only tiny amounts at a time. Be careful not to spill. Use a damp cloth to clean up any traces of the dust from work surfaces or floor.

For opaque metallic paints, you may want to try inexpensive gouache paints in gold and silver. You can tint gold with red to make copper.

Any pearly white paint can be tinted with transparent colors to create many beautiful irridescent shades.

Making Glitter Watercolors

You add fine glitter to any kind of watercolor. Or you can mix fine glitter with gum arabic to paint over ordinary watercolors.

The best glitter for the purpose is made of very fine particles. A good example is that made by Art Institute Glitter, but any very fine glitter will do.

Notice that there are two kinds of glitter: transparent and opaque. Transparent glitter is better for mixing with or painting over watercolor.

Glitter Acrylics

I have also found glittery acrylic paints, usually glitter in a clear base. You can mix glitter with acrylic paints or mix glitter into clear acrylic medium. I have used clear acrylic medium with glitter under transparent watercolor and liked the results. You can see an example toward the right-hand end of the header graphic at the top of the front page of this blog.

You can find metallic, glittery, or irridescent acrylic paints of all grades these days: from expensive to cheap. You can also use acrylic fabric paints on canvas or paper. Fabric paints tend to be less expensive but quite durable, since they were made to be laundered.

Mixing Glitter Glues and Glazes with Paint

Remember that you can also mix glitter glues and glazes with paints. You can also apply them under or over paints. If you experiment with glitter glues and glazes, I suggest using either old brushes or cheap, disposable brushes or applicators.

If you do use any of your better brushes, be very careful to wash them immediately afterward. To make it easier to wash out the glitter glue or glaze, wet the brush thoroughly with water before use. That way it does not soak up the glue so much. (That is also a good precaution when painting with acrylic paints or acrylic medium.)

By experimenting, you will find that you can create many wonderful effects. Remember to mix just tiny amounts until you find the mixture you like.

Be sure to paint a little sample in your sketchbook and write down your recipe for creating that effect. You will be very glad later than you did.

You can also paint over them with watercolors, using the gels as a resist. The header graphic on the front page of this blog is a detail from a painting that began as an experiment in using acrylic glitter gels as a resist for watercolor.

Here is another painting that started out as a test page for glitter glues and 3D paints. The originals of both paintings are 9 x 9 inches.

I can’t tell much difference between the best glitter glues and dimensional paints. Maybe that’s because I spread them with my fingers and rarely use the dimensional effect.

However, each brand, even each color or type within a brand, has slightly different properties, so it is fun and worthwhile to experiment with them. As soon as you get a new set of paints, it’s a good idea to try them out in your sketchbook.

Here is a miniature abstract painting on an artist trading card (2 1/5 x 2 1/2 inches). If you look closely, you can see that some of the glitter paints form raised, 3D effects.

For writing or fine, raised detail, the best brands are Ting-a-Ling Sparkles, RoseArt, and Crayola—in just about that order. All are excellent. Elmer’s is the most beautiful and varied in colors and styles, and has tips almost as fine, so it’s still my all-around favorite choice. Here is a sample of writing with fine-point glitter glues.

You can often find several varieties of Crayola and Elmer’s glitter glues and 3D paints in Walgreen’s and CVS pharmacies. Target carries those brands, plus Creative Hands (glorious colors and best overall value), RoseArt, and other wonderful cheap art supplies—probably the largest and best selection anywhere outside an art supply or craft store.

I’ve found Elmer’s Variety Pack (31 glitter and dimensional paint pens) at Target ($12.99) and at Office Depot ($14.50).

Important: There are two very different Elmer’s 3D paint collections in similar boxes. One set contains multiple sets of a few colors, for use in classrooms. The one you want has over 30 different varieties of dimensional paint, including transparent colored gels (no glitter), pearlized gels (no glitter), and several types of glitter gels. It is an incredible value.

The Creative Hands 17-pen glitter glue set, which comes in a soft, clear-plastic carrying envelope, is only $5. If you’re not sure you want to go glitzy, yet you want a great selection of colors and looks to try out, this is a great buy!

It does not include pearls or transparent gels with no glitter, I don’t think it’s very dimensional, and the points are not very fine, but the colors are glorious, and you can always add a set of Elmer’s gels or pearls for $3 a set. I have only seen the Creative Hands brand at Target.

I don’t recommend buying dollar store glitter glue. Some of it is useful, but most dollar store glitter glue is very poor quality, really not worth the money.

And the really great glitter paint is so inexpensive, it’s not worth trying to make the ultra cheap stuff work. It is just not nearly as good. However, if you’re like me, you will try it anyway, because that in itself is fun, and you will use it anyway, so it’s not a waste.

On the other hand, some dollar stores do sell name brands that are truly great. My local King Dollar often has brands like Crayola, Prang, and Colorific! So keep your eyes open wherever you go.

BigLots seems to be competing with Elmer’s now with their own brand, Creative Kids. You will notice the similarity in the packaging. The quality as not as good as Elmer’s, but it is good, and the prices are irresistible. BigLots sells packages of 24 glue paints for $4.99, or giant packages of 48 glue paints for $9.99!

I have found these 48-color sets around Christmas. They may not be available all year long, but check your local BigLots store, and try several locations if need be. The different locations seem to have different stock, and sometimes have the same products at different times, so check around. They make great gifts, too.

In addition to using them on paper, you can use them on water-media acetate or overhead projection slides that are made for printing in inkjet printers. I sometimes layer all these together: glazes, glitter glues, dimensional gels. All layer well if you allow them to dry between layers.

The only exceptions are the pearls, which tend to melt and blend with other colors applied on top of or around them. That can be used to create beautiful effects, though, so I don’t consider it a defect. This is all truly wonderful stuff.

One of my favorite fun-art-supply-makers is Elmer’s, partly because the products are so varied and so widely available. Yep, the glue people have turned into the fun art supply mavens.

Several other companies also make wonderful glitzy stuff, including RoseArt (finest-pointed applicator), Crayola (next finest), Ting-a-Ling Sparkles (very fine), and Creative Hands.

Glitter glues and dimensional paints include not only clear gels with colored glitter in them, but also pearls, translucent colored gels, metallic gels, opaque colors, milky colors with transparent glitter, and clear or colored gels with metallic, opaque glitter or confetti.

Most of them come in tubes with fine tips that allow you to write or draw fairly fine lines. But you can also uncap the tube and squeeze out larger amounts. It’s fun to spread this gooey stuff with your fingers, and you can get effects you probably can’t get any other way.

Some come in small jars or larger bottles for for when you need to cover larger areas. Spread thinly they can turn any plain paper into glitzy giftwrap.

Experiment with combing and other texturing methods. You can also drop in confetti, glitter, sequins, and other items for added texture and effects.