Have You Tried Resin Art?

If you are an artist, you have to try creating art with resin. Resin is a clear-coated substance that can be mixed with colorants to create some amazing art.  When it's wet, you can do your art with it and then it dries hard nearly like glass but without the breakability. 

What can you make?

With resin, you can use silicone molds and create a huge variety of objects.  From wall art to trays to coasters, the sky really is the limit. It does take a bit of time to get the process down.  I am still working on creating art that I am totally proud of but I will say it is extremely addicting! 

How to get started with Resin Art? 

It really is easy.  You purchase resin from many places.  The brand that I use is currently ArtResin which can be purchased from Amazon. I have tried other brands but I find that the mixing ratio of 1:1 makes it much easier.  Start with these simple steps:

1. Find a mold you want to use to create an item. 

I suggest starting with a simple coaster mold.  

I started off with one like this. 

 2.  Purchase your resin such as ArtResin or another brand. 

I included a link to ArtResin above but you can use another brand if you would prefer.  The things you want to look for are that the resin you choose is non-toxic, food safe, does not yellow quickly and dries within a day or so.  

3.  Choose some colors to mix in with your resin. 

The easiest ways to do this is to use either a mica powder or tinting color.  When I first started out, I used a less expensive mica powder like the one below:

However, as I ran out of colors, I began to change the mica powders to a variety of different brands just to try them out.  Some brands do mix better than others.  You don't want clumps or bubbles so if you find that the brand you buy creates issues, it's better than you didn't spend a lot before learning this.  That's why I started out with a large number of colors at a lower price.  

4. Mixing resin with color

It doesn't take much powder so you want to pour your resin mix into small cups (1 small dixie type cup will work fine for each color). Stir it into the resin mix to achieve your desired color. 

5. Methods of creating your resin art

 After each color is mixed up (you can use 1 or many), you want to simply pour your colors into your mold.  You can pour each color in a circle like a tree ring or you can lay it down like stripes.  You want to make sure you don't mix the colors all together as they will just become muddy.  I started out by watching a number of videos online.  This is handy for learning a wide variety of methods of creating your art.  

6. Removing bubbles from resin mix

You want to remove any bubbles that lay on top of the mix.  You can remove these by using a heat gun or handheld torch.  This is a link of the one I purchased and I have had absolutely no issues. 

7.  Let your resin cure for up to 24 hours. 

I typically check on mine after about 12 hours but if your resin is a little thicker, you will need to wait the full day so that it holds its shape and is not sticky. 

As you grow in your resin art, you will want more molds and different colors.  There is no end to the types of things you can do! You can cover your photo art with clear coating; paint on a canvas; create coasters, trays, ornaments, animals and much more!  If you can find a mold for it, you can create it. 

Have fun and be sure to tag me on Instagram to let me know what you have created! I try to share everyone's creations who tag me so this can get you some extra exposure. 

Hope this has been helpful and you will join us in the next article! 

Teri