How to Paint With Ultrafine Glitter

Saturated red glitter applied to the surface of an object.

Ultrafine glitter is also known as glamour dust; it can be applied to many types of surfaces including wood, metal, ceramics, canvas, fabric, paper mâché and glass. Some forms of ultrafine glitter are designed to be used with make-up, and many can be easily added to paint. The most common ways to apply ultrafine glitter are dusting it over a wet surface or applying it with fine art brushes.

Things You'll Need

• Ultrafine glitter
• Fine art brushes of various sizes
• Clear coat paint
• Clear dry adhesives
• Paper

Instructions

1. Clean the surface you want to cover with glitter.

2. Apply the glitter with the fine art brushes, using larger sizes to cover more surface are.

3. Spray clear coat over objects that you wish to dust with glitter. While the coat is still wet, sprinkle glitter over the surface. As the clear coat dries, the glitter will be caught at different angles and it will gleam and reflect light. Use a product that dries clear for the best effect.

Tips & Warnings

• Glitter can be added to very sophisticated painting processes as a layer after the last pigmented coat and before subsequent clear coats. This can create a depth-of-field effect that is very difficult to achieve otherwise.

• When using powdered glitter, always apply over clean paper so that you can recover unused glitter for future applications.

References

• Art Glitter: Techniques