Tree of Life is super fun and easy to make and does not require a lot of stuff or skills. So, scroll down to find the supplies you need for this project, the instructions you need to follow, and some great tips and tricks to make your resin project experience amazing.
Supplies Needed
Following is the list of things you need to make your Tree of Life resin artwork:
- Epoxy Resin and Hardener
- Tree of Life Silicone Mold
- Silver Mica Powder or a Coloring Agent of Your Choice
- Crushed Silver Glass to Add Shimmer to Your Project
- Red, Sky Blue, Indigo, Green, Cobalt Blue, and Mustard Alcohol Inks
- Small Cups with Thin Spouts
- Mixing Stick and Toothpicks
- Gloves
- A Stand for Your Tree of Life Resin Artwork
Step-by-step Instructions
Below are the detailed instructions that you can easily follow to make the perfect Tree of Life:
1. Tree of Life Silicone Mold
First of all, in order to make this beautiful Tree of Life project, you need to start with a clean silicone mold. There are a number of Tree of Life silicone molds available in the market so, you can get the one that you like best.
2. Mix Your Epoxy Resin and Hardener
Next, you need to start with mixing up your epoxy resin and hardener. Don’t forget to wear your gloves! For this part, you have to be careful as you should achieve a correct 1:1 mix ratio by volume. Take two parts resin and one part hardener before mixing the two components. Then, take a container, and add the measured epoxy resin and hardener in it and mix it well with your mixing stick.
3. Tint Your Resin Silver
Then, you need to take your silver mica powder or a colorant of your choice and mix it well in your resin to tint it silver. Here, you should keep in mind that if you add the mica powder in the container first and then add the resin mixture on top of it, it will help achieve a smooth mixture by avoiding any mica powder residue staying on top.
4. Add the Crushed Glass
Once you are done adding the color to your resin, take the crushed silver glass and mix it in the resin too to add a nice shimmer and glimmer to your project.
5. Prepare to Pour the Resin
Now, when you are wearing your gloves, your Tree of Life silicone mold is sitting in front of you, and your glittery, colored resin is ready, it’s time to bring on your creativity.
6. Pour the First Layer
For this step, you can start with pouring in your first resin layer with the help of a mixing stick. Take your main container with the silver mixture and transfer it to a smaller cup with a thin spout. When pouring the mixture, first target the tree trunk, the roots, and the lower border of the silicone mold before moving on to the leaves. As resin is self-leveling and easily spreads out across the surface, you also don’t have to worry about any irregularity in the pattern.
7. Add Color to the Leaves
Once you are done with the tree trunk, the roots, and the lower border, you can prepare to work with your other colors for the leaves. Take the different colored alcohol inks and mix them in the resin mixture in separate containers. Now, start with one color at a time and fill in the leaves.
8. Fill the Remainder of the Silicone Mold
After you are done with the leaves, you can again start with the silver resin mixture to fill the upper border of the silicone mold and the thin branches of your Tree of Life. Use a toothpick or your mixing stick to fill in the intricate parts of the mold while also paying attention to the crevices.
9. Demold the Fully Cured Resin Artwork
Once you fill your Tree of Life mold with the resin mixture, you can leave it to dry overnight. For the last part, keep in mind that the cure time of resin is about 24 hours. After it is fully cured, you can gently take your beautiful Tree of Life resin artwork out of the silicone mold.
10. Prop it on the Stand
After being demolded, your Tree of Life is ready to be propped on a stand to help you add aesthetics to wherever you decide to place it.
Tips and Tricks:
- To avoid dermatological reaction, always start by wearing gloves to avoid skin contact when working with resin.
- Mixing the resin in a larger container and then shifting it to smaller cups helps avoid mess when you start pouring the resin in your silicone mold. You should also avoid overfilling your smaller cups otherwise the mixture will run down the sides, creating a lot of mess.
- Using cups with thin spouts helps you control how much mixture you pour at a time in your silicone mold.
- If you use heat resistant resin, you can even place your resin project in the kitchen to put hot things on.
- For Tree of Life project, avoid torching to get rid of bubbles in resin because it is too near the silicone mold. Instead, you can spray some alcohol on your project as it not only pops the bubbles but evaporates quickly as well.
- Once your work of art is done, you can use toothpick to take off the tiny bits of the resin overflow to add more neatness to it.
- Flash Curing is an important point that you should keep in mind when making huge batches of resin. If you are mixing a lot of resin, and then you leave it for 10 to 15 minutes, it can reach up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and release harmful chemicals. Don’t do this!
Now that you know how to make Tree of Life resin artwork, you can experiment with colors of your choice to customize it according to your taste. Get your supplies now because it is time to show off your skills and add excitement to your life by bringing in the resin creativity.