3 Mistakes to Avoid with Resin
Are you making these mistakes when you are working with resin?
The tips below may be the reason why your pieces are not coming out how you want them to..
I’ve always been creative and loved trying out different mediums over the years. In 2020, I couldn’t stop watching all those viral videos of acrylic paint pouring and resin ocean waves. I was determined to learn how to do both. I started first with acrylic paint pouring and then on to playing with resin. I failed. I failed over and over. For a few months, I actually mis-mixed resin - using a scale to measure out each ratio of resin and hardener. 🤦🏽♀️😵 No wonder it wasn’t working.
It’s through failure you learn and grow.
As you can see by my first attempts at using this medium, I didn’t get it on the first, second, or even third try! Once I learned the errors I was making with measuring the resin, my art pieces started to improve. The more I worked with the materials, the better I understood their properties. Practice and patience are the key here. The more you do something the more you can improve upon it.
Below are three mistakes you may be making when working with resin:
Using the wrong resin and mixing incorrect amounts of resin. It's essential to choose the right epoxy resin for your project. There are different types of epoxy resins such as tabletop, deep pour, UV resin, etc. Always follow the instructions provided with the resin you've purchased. Properly measure the resin based on the size of your project.
Temperature. The temperature of the room is too hot or too cold. If the room or resin itself is under 70 degrees Fahrenheit you may find it difficult to work with the resin. If the room or the resin itself is over 75 degrees, your working time window is shorter and the resin will cure faster.
Material. The material you are pouring on. Depending on what you are creating your resin project on, it may be part of the reason your pieces are not curing correctly. A good practice is to sand or seal the surface you will be creating resin on. For example, if your project is on wood you can paint the surface where you will pour the resin as a way to seal in the wood.
Here’s a tip: Use tools to make it easier for you!
Find plastic or silicone cups with measuring lines on the side. When using plastic cups, label each cup so you remember which cup was which.
I highly recommend investing in a temperature monitor. Either a room temperature or a temperature gun to test the temperature of the resin itself.
There are many different ones you can find, just do a quick search.
If working with epoxy resin is something you want ot pursue, don’t give up! Practice and patience really are important when it comes to learning something new. I’ve been creating epoxy resin art for 4 years now, and I have definitely come a long way! I still make mistakes, but it always helps me to continue to learn and grow.
