Every day is a good day to create something new and artistic. There are many ways to unleash your creativity through different forms of art. You can draw, paint, cross-stitch, knit, or craft anything. But if you’re looking into doing something different and far from the ordinary, you may consider creating your art through the use of casting resin.
Resin is primarily used for construction; it serves as an adhesive, sealant, and repair tool. However, for DIY art projects, you may use it to create miniatures, woodwork, and sculptures. The best type to use is casting resin, which is a low-viscosity epoxy resin. It’s a combination of the resin itself and the hardener.
According to this Resin Expert’s Casting Resin Guide, you can create jewelry and even paintings with this material. Resin is rapidly gaining traction as an integral part of the DIY scene, where trinkets like natural stones or glitters are embedded in it.
If you’re now excited to get started on your DIY project, here are some instructions on how you can use casting resin for fascinating art pieces:
1. Prepare Your Materials
Before you can start with your project, you have to take stock of the materials that you currently have at home. Then, purchase the additional items that you need. This way, you will avoid any hindrances or bumps to your creative process.
Sourcing materials for your art project is easier these days, thanks to the Internet. Your local art shop may also have the materials you need. However, you may find more choices online. The only downside when you buy your materials online is that you need to wait for them to be delivered to your home.
Remember that you must have everything on hand so you could create your art more efficiently. Along with this, you should decide what kind of resin art that you’re going for so you could prepare the right molds, color, and accessories.
Here are some of the materials that you typically need in this type of project:
- Clear casting resin
- Hardener
- Surface covering to protect your countertop
- Molds/Surface to shape or place your resin art
- Level to make your art even
- Mixing cups with pour spout
- Large popsicle sticks
- Resin colors
- Nitrile gloves
- Heat gun
- Accessories or embellishments for added décor
2. Prepare Your Workstation
As you’ve successfully gathered all the materials you need, prepare your workstation by placing a surface cover on your countertop or table as protection. After covering your workstation, wear your nitrile gloves to protect your hands from any resin that may adhere to your skin as it can cause acute contact dermatitis. Also, keep in mind the symptoms of nitrile glove allergy.
After you’ve prepared your workstation, you should be working in a well-ventilated area to prevent fumes from building up. You should open the windows and turn on fans that will promote cross and stack ventilation. In line with this, if you have difficulty breathing due to the strong smell of the resin, you may wear a respirator that can help filter out fumes.
It’s also important to take necessary precautions when creating art pieces and other projects with epoxy resin. You should use wax paper or similar material to cover the work area to avoid the extra task of getting rid of resin material from your worktable. Wear the appropriate safety gear such as a respirator and eye protection as well.
3. Create Your Resin Mixture
As it’s time to get the work started, you should now create your resin mixture. When creating the right blend, the proper proportion for the resin and the hardener should be 1:1 or 2:1, depending on the manufacturer’s instructions. If it has a 1:1 ratio, you should get 5mL of resin and 5mL of hardener and mix it thoroughly using a large popsicle stick to have a well-distributed solution and produce an excellent resin mixture.
When combining the two elements, you should be mindful of your mixing speed. Rapid mixing can create bubbles that can get trapped in your project and destroy its aesthetic. If bubbles form, let the mixture stand for about a minute, or use an air dryer to wave hot air over it briefly.
If you’ve decided on the color you’re going for, now is the best time to add your resin color into the mixture. After mixing the two elements (resin and hardener), add a drop of resin color in each container, depending on the number of colors you wish to create. You must wear protective gear when you’re in the process to shield your skin from having direct contact with resin.
4. Apply the Resin
Epoxy resin is commonly used for different do-it-yourself and craft projects. You can check this guide on how to use epoxy resin for your art pieces. Before mixing epoxy resin, keep in mind these two parts—the resin and the hardener (requires curing time). They create a chemical reaction which later solidifies the epoxy.
After you’ve successfully created your resin mixture, you can now pour it into your mold to form the shape you want. There are different resin molds that you could choose in creating the form you want.
When applying your resin to the mold, make sure that you pour them steadily and slowly to avoid any formation of bubbles into your mold. Now is also the best time to add accessories or embellishments to your resin art. You could add sand, glitters, seashells, dried flowers, or leaves into the mold before pouring your whole mixture into place. When you’ve already added some décor or embellishments to your resin art, you should always top it off with your resin mixture to seal your work.
You can also add color to your epoxy resin rather than settling on a clear resin. Choosing the right ink, color pigments, or liquid color concentrates won’t have any negative effect on the mixing ratio. Once you have created the mixture, you can add the color pigment. Using colored epoxy to your art pieces will make them more interesting and fun.
5. Cover and Let Dry
After you finished creating your resin art and you’ve already leveled it to have an even surface, you should cover your resin art to avoid any particles, specks of dust, or hair strands coming into your mold. Allow it to dry for at least 24 hours before removing them from their mold or hanging them up on the wall.
Conclusion
Casting resin art is a simple yet challenging work to do, but it indeed is worth it! This is mostly true when you get to see the fantastic results it brings. Be creative with your art and look for inspiration to work on your own. You could even create your crystal table through resin casting someday. You just have to make sure that you follow the proper safety measures and a helpful guide like this to have an awesome art-making experience.