Beginner Guide of Resin Art WIth Elaborated Form

• Application

You require a different kind of resin depending on its application. For filling molds or objects with solid sides, you need casting resin. For objects without sides, you need a thicker and more sturdy resin that sits perfectly on the artwork without running down the sides.

Here is a brief description of the types of resin for art and craft and decorative purposes. 

• UV Resin

UV resin is polymerized and cured by energy radiated from UV irradiation devices. You can use it for bonding and sealing. In art and craft, artists often use it to seal collages and create an enameled look on jewelry. It doesn't need a hardening agent and takes only a few minutes to cure under UV lamp.  

• Polyurethane Resin

People use it mainly for coating and sealing purposes, such as furniture, floor and plastic coating, and product finishing. Its pot time is a few minutes and can take from minutes to hours to cure. Some polyurethane resins have a very quick cure time. Besides, their another down side is their moisture sensitivity. They don’t cure well in humid weather and may require special color additives for the same reason. 

• Epoxy Resin

It is the most popular type of resin for art fields. It is heat resistant and has excellent adhesive properties. The pot time is about 30-40 minutes and can take from 24-72 hours to get hard. The down side of working with epoxy is that it's a little bit expensive than other type of resin.

• Polyester Resin or Fiberglass Resin

This flexible, low-cost, and heat-resistant resin is used in the construction industry, decorations, and furniture. Its pot time is few minutes and can take over 12 hours to cure. The benefit of using polyester resin is that it cures to a very hard finish and gives a smooth shiny look when sanded and buffed. However it turns yellow after some time.

After knowing these types and differences, one should always use epoxy as first choice if working with resin as a beginner. Because epoxy is easy to work with. As shown above, it's convenient to manipulate. Also it does not get affected by humidity. It has the most extended shelf life as well. 

Applications of Resin in Art and Craft

Resin became popular because of its application in art and craft. Besides industry experts, no one knew about the applications of resins before it hit YouTube and TikTok. As can be seen, there are innumerable uses of resin in art and craft. Below are some relatively easier projects you can make using resin.

• Jewelry 

You can use resin to make magnificent jewelry pieces. Be it pins, pendants, rings, and charms, the options are endless. More importantly, it does not require much experience and supplies to create a resin necklace or earrings for you, your friends and family. You can even start your small business of resin jewelry.  

• Coated items

Transform the vintage furniture like old tables or bar stools with pennies, broken china, marbles, or bottle caps submerged in resin. Some people have turned this pastime hobby into a full-fledged business.   

• Preserve items

You can add resin to whimsical items like butterflies, dried flowers, feathers, leaves, pine cones, bugs, etc. to preserve them. In this way, when the resin hardens, it preserve the items inside and converted them into paperweights, jewelry items, and even furniture. 

• Paintings

Resin is used as part of paint to enhance the colors, look, and finish of painting. After that, it can coat the painting to make it waterproof. With this intention, you can make a marbleized abstract painting by mixing epoxy resin with paints. You can also incorporate resin with fluid pouring to create a lacing effect in paintings.  

Supplies Needed for Resin Art

To create resin art, you need some basic supplies that remain more or less the same in any resin art project. However, for more complex projects, you may require specialized supplies. Here we will talk about epoxy resin supplies for instance.

• Epoxy/Casting Resin

Resin is the main component of any resin art project. If you use resin for coating applications, it's called epoxy resin. When you use resin for filling in the molds, it's called casting resin. However, you can use any resin in 1:1 proportion of resin and hardener.  

• Disposable Mixing Cups

For any resin art project, you need accurate measurements. Therefore, you need mixing cups with measurement lines to ensure you add the right amount of resin and hardener. You may need more cups depending on the number of colors used in the project.   

• Wood Sticks 

You can buy resin stir sticks or regular Popsicle sticks to stir the mixture (get a separate stick for every cup to avoid color mixing). 

• Disposable Gloves and Safety Glasses

To protect your hands and eyes from resin and colors/paint splashes, make sure you wear disposable gloves and safety glasses.   

Is Resin Dangerous? Safety Measures while working with resin

Resin is a chemical compound. Although working with epoxy resin is relatively safe as it is considered non-toxic, if mishandled, it can cause serious injuries.

When is Epoxy Resin Dangerous?

Epoxy resin can be dangerous in its certain forms. Epoxy resin has three forms: cured, uncured and dust. When epoxy is cured (hardened) it is the safest. Uncured epoxy is the liquid form of epoxy. When mixing with the hardening agent, an exothermic reaction occurs and one should take necessary precautionary measures during this process. When smoothen a surface, dust particles fly in the air and one should wear a respirator and glasses during this stage.  

The significant risks involve oral exposure (ingestion by mouth), dermal exposure (through the skin), and inhalation of vapors or dust.

Safety Measures while working with Epoxy Resin

We strongly recommend you following safety measures while working with resin:

• Stay extremely clean
• Ensure good ventilation at the workplace (wear a respirator in case of inadequate ventilation). Opening a window or turning on the fan can help in the rotation of air and reduced chances of vapor inhalation  
• Use tools designed especially for working with resin
• Always wear safety glasses, gloves, and shoes
• Wash hands thoroughly with water (never use vinegar, acetone, alcohol, or varsol as they tend to absorb in the skin) and use skin creams to avoid dryness and cracking
• Do not wear rings, watches, and bracelets while working with resin
• Avoid eating and smoking in the work area
• Don’t leave the cans without lids and always place them on plastic films
• Use sawdust, paper, and cloth as an absorbent in case of spills
• Use a resin that is approved/recommended for art and craft
• Don’t forget to read the safety instructions on the packages.  

How Resin Art Works And Can I Make My Own?

Resin art is an emerging art form. Every resin artwork is one-of-a-kind. No one can completely duplicate resin art. The best part is that you don’t need to be a professional jewelry maker or an artist to use resin. However, you need to have the ability to follow instructions. There are several online resources, including written and video tutorials, books, and online courses to learn the art.

Select a tutorial, buy the supplies from your local market or online stores and get going. You can check out our tutorial How to Make Resin Art, from which you can have a basic understanding of making resin art works. You can also search some simple projects like Resin Art for Beginners, How to make resin keychain or How to make resin necklaces on YouTube. Old and broken jewelry pieces, key chains, and other decorative items can be transformed through resin art. Once you get better at using resin, you can start bigger projects like transforming a furniture piece or making wall art.  

Conclusion

Resin is a versatile material to work with. With basic knowledge and general know-how, you can create impressive resin art. The sky is the limit for applications of resin in the field of art and craft.

Sources and Further Reading

• Acrylgiessen.com: Resin Art – Basics for your first Steps in Resin Epoxy Art
• https://www.intoresin.com/blogs/intoresin-guide/how-to-get-bubbles-out-of-resin
• https://www.craftionary.net/36-stunning-epoxy-resin-projects-diy-that-look-expensive/