I only have access to Michael's and A.C. Moore, and do not have time to order anything online. I am going to color some gum paste black, but then need to make it shine. How can I do that?

Ok after you make whatever you're gonna make with the black gumpaste then brush it with a thin layer of piping gel. If the gel is too thick and clumpy then thin it out with vodka or water, mix it with a brush till it looks smooth.

Hope this helps.

Will that dry or remain wet/sticky?

Yes it should get dry. If you mix in vodka it dries quicker because the alchohol evaporates faster than water.

I just read in another forum that someone brushed oil over either gum paste or modeling chocolate and it gave it a wet sheen. I think it was a Wolverine hand/claw. That seems easy. Has anyone else done that successfully? Any drawbacks?

oil might get absorbed in eventually - you can rub on crisco, but that dissapears as the gumpaste absorbs it.
piping gel i dont think will dry.
you can use steam as well, although its not that strong a shine.
i dont know if those stores carry edible glaze, btu thats 100% the shiniest finish - theres edible versions in the recipe section.
xx

You might try all of these ideas on a scrap piece of fondant and see what works for you. The gel always works for me but the climate where you live might make it work differently.

One of my recent cakes had black and teal fondant accents....I know that it can be incredibly difficult to get a nice deep, true, black color when you're coloring it yourself, even the smallest amount! Mine always ends up being some funky color of gray or purple... it's usually a mess... by the time I add enough color then it messes with the consistency.
For that reason, I buy ready made black fondant, usually satin ice, or Pettinice, but I've also bought Wilton brand! With most colors, I'll color the fondant myself, but IF I have to have black, I just use a coupon and get it ready made from Hobby Lobby, or JoAnns, or Michaels... (I know that JoAnns accepts coupons from their competitors) I live a few miles from Country Kitchen, sweet art, so I can get just about anything I need there.
When it comes to making your gumpaste or fondant shine, there's a varnish available at cake stores or online, that works really well, or, you can use some tylose glue that is thinned down with vodka... I never use water because it can compromise the integrity of some decorations, vodka evaporates very fast and is less likely to leave the fondant or gumpaste wet or soggy~

Steaming doesn't work very well for me unless I paint it with luster dust first...but I have read on the forums (have not tried it myself so I cannot vouch for it) that PAM works well, as well as a "varnish" of 50/50 vodka and corn syrup. Let us know if you try either of those methods how they work for you, k?
Cathy

In my opinion, Satin Ice is the best for Black Fondant. For shine, I use equal parts of vodka and karo syrup. This is the least sticky treatment for shine I have found, but if the fondant has ANY crisco in it, it will bead up.

I did a disco floor with a mixed colored tile floor and did 3 coats of the vodka/karo mix. It looked like I dumped a bottle of Mop 'n Glo on it. I loved the results, but again, where I had used crisco in my colors, it beaded up.

There's a discussion here somewhere about the vodka/karo recipe I think by cakewhiz. Here's a picture of the disco floor I was talking about. You can tell the colors that had crisco in them, as they beaded up. Not sure if gumpaste takes the shine differently than fondant...??

Shoot...can't upload attachment