: I have a really big bottle of gold glitter and some spare epoxy and
: one S&G Night Heron that still needs a finish coat. . .

You'll need a thick layer of resin to bury glitter and have a smooth surface. Probably just end up with messy runs.

Do the boat without glitter. You have a simple design with the leaves already. Don't spoil a good thing with excess junk.

I think glitter on the back of paddle blades would catch the light as the paddles move.

Here's a thought if you want to continue the leaf motif: get one or two good, fresh, flexible leaves and spray the under side (rib side) of one leave with a dark (red, brown, black) paint or enamel. Then use that like a rubber stamp to put the leaf shape on the back of a paddle blade. Peel the leaf off and sprinkle your glitter on the wet paint. Let it sit a few seconds then shake off all the glitter that doesn't stick. When the paint dries put two coats of epoxy over it. If you are careful you can reuse the same leaf for both blades. The dark background paint will barely show, and where it does it gives a shadow effect.

Hope this helps

PGJ