Resin art is everywhere, you might have seen products all over Instagram or Etsy. There’s probably even a satisfying video of an artist removing resin art from a silicone mold.
Whatever caught your eye and piqued your interest, you might be wondering now how to make resin art. It’s not as complicated as you think but it will require time, patience, and creativity.
What’s Resin Art Made Of?
Before you get around to how to make resins, you should start off with what is it made of. Resin art is made using epoxy resin, it’s a combination of a hardener and a resin. When properly mixed, a chemical reaction will ensure, and it will harden.
The finished products that you usually see on social media are already combined with other substances, such as glitter, powder or mica powder, or alcohol ink.
How to Use Epoxy Resin
One of the reasons why epoxy resin is so popular is it’s quite versatile. There are so many ways you can use epoxy resin, here are just a few ideas:
Making Jewelery
You can make the cutest earrings, thoughtful pendants, and creative bracelets with epoxy resin. Just imagine the colors you can use with it, you can even make faux precious stones.
It’s also a good way to preserve items to serve as a centerpiece for jewelry, like flower petals and even photos.
Repairing Surfaces
Epoxy has long been used as an adhesive so it can definitely be used for repairing items. However, how to make resin art with something that is broken can give new life to items.
Think about how to use epoxy resin on wood, maybe you have a table with a crack or split in the middle. Fill the gap with epoxy resin art to update or upcycle furniture.
Creating Resin Crafts
Keychains, dog tags, coasters, combs, trays, paperweights, catchalls—there really is so much you can do with crafting resin.
It’s a nice way to create gifts to give to your family and friends. Others also make epoxy arts and crafts to sell.
Before You Start
Planning out your artwork is essential for resin artworks. Working with resin requires a lot of time management. The epoxy resin is only liquid for less than an hour before it starts to harden, so prepping is definitely a must.
Materials Needed
The first thing you need to do is to gather all of your ingredients.
- Hardener and Resin
- Measuring cups
- Mixing sticks
- Safety Gear (gloves, goggles)
- Coloring agents
- Mold
- Heat gun or hair dryer
The hardener and resin are the bread and butter of how to make resin art, you can’t do without these two. You are going to need several measuring cups, how to make epoxy resin is a game of precision.
Although there are non-toxic hardener and resin, it’s still important that you don’t touch these substances. You should always have safety gear on, especially gloves. And always use mixing sticks and other tools for handling resin, never your bare hands or fingers.
You should also have your design thought out, make sure all of the colors and other items you will use with the epoxy resin are out. Pick out all of the molds that you will use. In case of bubbles appearing on your work, just point a dryer or heat gun at them to make them disappear.
You can find most of the items from craft shops and online stores. Choose DIY epoxy resin brands, some already come as sets that will have everything you will need for your project.
Preparation
- Space
- Temperature
- Design
When it comes to preparations, you should have a designated space for your epoxy resin art. It should be well-ventilated, open up windows, or better yet, stay in an open-air space. Opt for resin for beginners that have little to no odor. You might also want to cover up your work table and floors with plastic or wax paper in case your epoxy resin takes a spill.
Another important thing you need to work around is the temperature. Working in cold and humid weather will not help during the curing process of epoxy resin.
You should have a clear vision of what you want to do before you start your work. The usual working time with epoxy resin is 40 to 45 minutes. After that, it will start curing. That time should be allotted for doing and not brainstorming ideas.
Steps on How to Make Resin Art
Once you have done your prep work, you can now start making resin art.
Step 1: Measure and combine hardener and resin
Read the instructions of the hardener and resin you have, usually, it is a 1:1 ratio.
Step 2: Start mixing, mix it well
This is a very important step, you have to consistently mix the two substances properly or else it will not level or cure properly.
Step 3: Add color and mix(optional)
If your work requires some color this is the time to add it in. Again, check the instructions that came along with your epoxy resin kit. But a general rule is the mixture should be 90% epoxy and 10% color.
Step 4: Start pouring
Once your continuous mixing successfully combines all of the ingredients, you can start pouring it. It could be a mold or directly onto a surface that you will be working on.
Step 5: Add design elements (optional)
Glitters, leaves, beads, photos, whatever the design elements you have, start adding them. Remember, you have less than an hour to place all of these elements.
Step 6: Remove bubbles
If you see any bubbles on your work, it’s time to heat them up. Aim the heat gun on the bubbles until they disappear.
Step 7: Wait
Depending on the epoxy resin kit you used and the size of your project, your art should harden in 8 to 24 hours. But to fully care, it can take up to 3 days.
Step 8: Remove From Mold
Once your epoxy resin art is fully cured, you can gently remove it from its mold.
Final Thoughts: How to Make Resin Art
Just like everything else, crafting resin can be overwhelming at first. But you just need to take your time to get comfortable on how to work with resin. As long as you follow the instructions correctly, you should be able to produce clear resin art.
How to make resin art is truly an art form in itself. There is no wrong way to do art but there is a right way on how to use resin.