These days epoxy resin craft is becoming more and more popular. This cool and fun artist trend is visible everywhere! Resin is an interesting craft that lets you produce beautiful items that have a similar strength of the material to glass or plastic. However, it’s not that hard to create resin crafts as glass or plastic crafts.
If you are an artist and like creating small gifts to family or friends, resin crafting is an ideal choice for you! With resin you can make almost everything, from jewelry such as keychains, necklaces, rings or bracelets to coasters, tumblers, trays. There are many resin color additives to color resin, from transparent, translucent to solid opaque or metallic effects. You can also add small objects to the resin such as dried pressed flowers, glitters, flakes so it’s very comfortable to work and match your taste.
Resin crafting ideas come from the variety of molds that are available online. Today, you can find almost any form of mold: sphere, round, pyramid, cube, square, rectangle, coasters, tray and much more! You can even make your own mold with a silicone rubber. No special skills required, just simply mix part A and B together and stir the silicone rubber for 5 minutes.
Resin craft is a good hobby that can become your professional work. I have been working with resin for over 10 years now and every time I am super excited to de-mold every resin piece over and over again! It’s exciting to peel off a mold and see your beautiful resin craft creations!
From the first look, resin can look difficult to work with, but don’t worry! What materials should you buy? It’s not as hard as it looks! What supplies do you need? What projects and creations can you make with resin? It’s a super expensive hobby? In this tutorial, I will share with you the best tips, tricks and techniques to get you started.
What is Epoxy Resin?
When we are creating art of crafts, we’re referring to epoxy resin. Resin is a clear liquid plastic made out of two parts: resin and hardener. When materials are mixed together, they react and produce heat. This chemical reaction occurs that creates from a liquid to hard as rock solid material. The ratio of this material usually is 1:1 and it’s easy to work with!
It’s very important to follow the resin manufacturer’s instructions otherwise resin will not cure properly. You can measure resin by weight or by volume. In fact, resin and hardener have different weight, it’s not the same as it looks like.
Epoxy resin was used for many industrial applications for fixing leaks, repairing broken boat parts, sealing worktops. It has been used for many years for applications as wood tables, flooring and building purposes. That is, until artists and crafters discovered that a clear and shiny coat of epoxy resin makes colors pop in artworks, giving paintings a deep shades of depth for finish.
Resin allows us to use it for items such as home décor, pictures, jewelry, sculptures, coasters, flow art, charcuterie boards, trays and other works.
There are many different types of epoxy resin to choose from. Different composition resins are for different uses: river tables, flooring or resin art. Here are a few things to consider before purchasing epoxy resin.
What Type of Resin Should I Choose?
When you’re starting working with resin, you might think to try and buy the cheapest epoxy you can find. The fact is that most cheap epoxy resins are not designed for resin craft: usually they are made from the cheap materials, are highly toxic, give fumes and start yellowing over time, ruining your craft work. For the quality of your artwork, it’s worth it to pay more for a better quality resin.
Resin viscosity – things you should know.
- Low viscosity resin has a longer curing time, so you will need to wait some time before demold your work. This type of resin can be used to cast thick or large layers of resin.
- High viscosity resin has a shorter working time results in a shorter curing time.
So it’s very important to choose the correct type of viscosity, otherwise you could end up having a project that won’t cure completely and look terrible! As an example if you will use a low viscosity resin for a large object, you may not be able to get the resin out of the mold and the project will be ruined. If you use a high viscosity resin in a different mold, it might look broken. Always take some time to look deeper for a good quality of resin.
Resin Working Time
Most epoxy resins have a short working time, around 25-30 minutes. This time you can work with resin after mixing it before it starts to harden. I recommend mixing small batches of epoxy resin, because it’s a very short working time.
Resin Curing Time
Curing time can vary depending on the resin supplier, so make sure to double check the manufacturer’s instructions. Weather conditions, working temperature and other factors also impact. Usually, resin cures completely in 24 hours.
Resin is Heat Resistant?
Projects that come into contact with heat, such as coasters, trays, you need to check if your epoxy resin is heat resistant. The curing time for this type of resin can be longer than other types.
Thickness and Depth
Each brand has a different product composition suited to different pour depths. Your resin won’t cure fully and remain tacky if you pour resin to a depth thicker than that which is recommended.
The maximum single pour depth will affect the type of project that the epoxy resin is suitable for.
Is Resin Food Safe?
As we mentioned before, not all epoxy resins are food safe. If you are not sure if your resin is safe, contact with the manufacturer.
How Do I Mix Epoxy Resin?
Mixing resin can be quite difficult for beginners but once you get into the process and doing it over and over again, the steps are very easy: mix, pour, destroy bubbles, layer resin, wait till it cures. We have a whole blog, Measuring and Mixing Epoxy Resin, that explains each step in detail
Easy to Use 1:1 ratio: There are no confusing instructions here, you don’t need to weigh each part. Baltic Day art resin is a 1 : 1 ratio, measured by volume. Just simply mix together both parts, resin and hardener together in equal amounts. That’s it!
Specially Made for Resin Craft Art: Baltic day a thick consistency, which is easy to control when you are working with it. It allows self leveling as the resin hardens completely. The thick consistency resins are ideal for color separation in flow resin art. It has 40 minutes working time, so your art piece will cure in a short period of time ( completely cures in about 24 hours ).
Crystal Clear Formula: Baltic Day resin was specially designed for a glossy and shiny finish. Non yellowing formula will keep your art looking good for a very long time.
Completely Safe: It’s very important to work with a health safe epoxy resin. Baltic Day art resin is non-toxic, contains no solvents, fumes or VOCs and has no harmful ingredients ( must be used as instructions ).
Use Epoxy Resin Safely
It’s important to use epoxy resin safely. Follow these basic safety recommendations to work safely.
Work in a well ventilated area – use PPE, nitrile gloves and a respirator. A mask or respirator will give you the best protection from fumes or solvents that are produced when mixture starts to cure. If you notice any allergic reactions, stop immediately!
Personally, I wear a respirator, long sleeves, nitrile gloves and special pants to prevent any contact with resin.
What Resin Craft Supplies Do I Need?
Epoxy resin can be used for many different crafts but most commonly it’s used for making jewelry, accessories and home décor. Once you choose a mold, it’s up to you what type of project you will do. From keychains, necklaces, rings, bracelets, charms to bookmarks, earrings and other.
No matter what artwork you are making, there are few supplies you’ll need. As you have some experience, you can start by adding resin tools like colorants ( natural transparent ) with mica powder pigments, alcohol inks, airbrush colors, liquid color dyes or universal tints. Then you can start adding some dried flowers, glitters, flakes, gold leafs, 3D inclusions or beads to your resin.
Which Painting Ground Surfaces is the best base for Resin Art?
Painting surfaces suitable for resin art are made of wood, metal, glass, plexiglass or concrete. Absorbent surfaces are not recommended, they are unsuitable.
Painting Grounds suitable for Resin Art:
- Canvas – when working with larger resin art projects which require a lot of resin, it’s important to support the surface to prevent the resin from pooling. Slip some thick cardboard behind the canvas against the frame, so the canvas has less chance to sag.
- Wooden Panels – they are solid and do not sag. Wood panels rarely come primed, so you will need to prime your surface before your projects.
- Tiles – they are ideal for small projects such as coasters. For larger projects, you need to prepare your own tiled surface. White tiles are cheap, you can create art boards that don’t need priming.
- Medium density fiberboards ( MDF ) – it’s a good alternative to panels or canvas as they all have similar benefits and are cheaper.
- Vinyl – Vinyl records are not used often for resin art. However, they are great for small or medium projects. Make sure to tape up the central hole before starting your projects.
The basics you’ll need when working with epoxy resin:
- Alida Epoxy Resin
- Measuring and Mixing Containers
- Nitrile Gloves, Respirator, Stirring Sticks, Spreader
- Resin Molds
- Toothpicks: to take out dusts from artwork
- Silicone Mat: protective cover to protect your work while it cures
- Torch or Heat Gun: to remove bubbles
Optional Resin Tools
Epoxy Resin Colorants: use colorants made for resin,
Alcohol Inks, Liquid Resin Dye: for making coasters or petri dish
Silicone Molds: for making jewelry, coasters or trays
Inclusions: Glitters, Dried Flowers, Gold Flakes, Shells.
Plastic Stands: to prop work up off of your working surface
Plastic Tape: to catch drips of your resin piece
Small Cups for Smaller Projects: for mixing small amounts of resin tint
Heat Gun or Hair Dryer: to make heat waves on your artworks ( flow art )
Coloring Epoxy Resin
Adding colorant and embellishments to resin is the most satisfying thing about this craft. Experimenting with different colors and techniques is my favorite! Alcohol inks, resin color pigments, glitters or flakes are so fun to do!
When it comes to resin craft, there are two options: clear resin or not clear – colored! That brings a question of how to color resin?
There are plenty of different options but I’ve found mica powders or alcohol inks to be the easiest solutions. Alcohol inks are more transparent in color but mica powder has a metallic shiny effect. These powders will give you a truly opaque look! Each colorant has its own pros and cons.
Epoxy Colorant:
- Mica powders
- Alcohol Inks
- Liquid Pigments
Mica Powder Pigment
Mica powder has a special shiny effect that makes it possible to be very fine. Usually it is used in cosmetic, soap, bath bomb making industry to color products such as nails, eyeshadows, lip balm, gloss, soap, bath bombs.. This type of colorant is ideal for coloring resin!
When you add micas into resin, you need to mix it thoroughly for at least 5-7 minutes to ensure it’s not streaky and doesn’t have any clumps.
How to Calculate the Amount of Resin you will need?
How much epoxy resin you will need for your projects depends on the size of your painting surface, also the size of the edges which you want to cover with paint tape. Once you’ve prepped your working surface and determined how much resin you will need, pour equal amounts by volume of resin and hardener into the mixing bucket.
Let’s say your artwork project size is 1 feet x 2 feet ( 12” x 24” ). Total combined epoxy resin required is 10oz: 5oz of resin and 5oz of hardener. Test by starting pouring 5 oz of resin into the mixing cup, then 5 oz of hardener ( total 10 oz ).
Create Glowing and Sparkling Resin Painting Effect
Add some glitters or crushed crystals and stone to your epoxy art and you can set amazing and eye-catching accents. As an example, geode resin artwork is made from resin, crystals, paint, glitters, stones and other resin supplies. The final result is incredible! It looks like an actual geode found in nature.
