This enchanting little bottle of bright gold is an even more intense version of Kuretake's popular Gold Mica Ink. But here the gold pigment is dispersed only in a minimal amount of medium, so that the final product is a smooth, silky paste, not dissimilar in consistency to oil paint.

Of course, more concentrated means more shiny, and that ultra-bright pop of gold is probably why most people will buy a bottle. For Maximum Gold Power, try wetting a piece of watercolor paper and brushing Gold Mica Paste directly onto the area. It will spread easily, creating an impressive gold leaf effect.

But we think the headline feature of Gold Mica Paste is actually its versatility in combination with other water-based artist colors. You can mix this magical stuff with your sumi inks, watercolors, and even acrylics. In our studio test, we especially liked it with black ink, where it created a complex and elegant color suitable for fine calligraphy.

30 grams of water-based gold mica paste per bottle. Made in Japan.