Workshop Wednesday - Resin

In my Etsy shop you can find a wide variety of hand-painted resin pendant necklaces. Once I began creating and selling these unique pieces of wearable art, people began asking me about the process and how to work with resin. Resin is actually quite simple to work with, but it can be troublesome and messy if you don't know what you are doing. I'm sure that different people have different methods of working with resin, but here's my process.

All of my pendant necklaces start out with a wooden tile. After I create the miniature painting on the tile and seal it, I then mix up the resin and add the resin finish to the surface of the tile.

Here are the materials that you will want to have on hand to create the resin finish:

• two-part resin mix
  
• 3 oz. plastic bathroom drinking cups
• 1 oz. measuring cup/spoon
  
• tongue depressors
• toothpicks
• paper towels
• a timer or clock that counts seconds
• a flat surface to work on that you don't mind getting messy
• lots of light

To begin with, make sure that you are working in a well-ventilated area. Set up your workspace on a flat surface that you don't mind getting messy. Feel free to lay down any paper or board to catch any drips or mess that you make. Lay out your tiles face up. Check to make sure that they are dust and lint-free. To the left is an image of some of my tiles that have been painted and sealed, and are ready for the resin finish.

Next you will want to mix the resin. Using the 1 0z. measuring device, measure out 1 oz. of water and pour it into a 3 oz. plastic cup. Mark on the side of the cup where the top of the water is. Add another 1 oz. of water and make a second mark. Pour out the water and dry the cup. Pour 1 oz. of the resin into the cup up to the first mark you made. Add 1 oz. of the hardener up to the second mark you made.

Make a note of the time. Using a tongue depressor mix the two parts. After two minutes the resin should be mixed. There will be bubbles in the resin. This means that you have mixed the resin properly. In the image to the left you can see the bubbles that remain in the resin after mixing. Click on the image to make it larger.

Next, use the tongue depressor to drip resin onto the surface of the tile. Some people pour the resin on, but I find that using the tongue depressor gives me more control. I suggest putting less resin on the tile than you think you need. If after a minute or two the resin hasn't reached the edges of the tile(like in the image to the left), add a little more. Resin is self-leveling, which means it will spread until it reaches an edge to "cling" to.

You will notice that there may be bubbles in the resin on the pendant. You can see this in the image below.


After a few minutes, you should be able to use a toothpick to pop and or pull out the bubbles. Some people use a small blow torch to get rid of the bubbles, but I do not have one and have found that a simple toothpick works just fine.
After you have removed any bubbles, closely examine the resin for any lint or dust that may have fallen into it. Make sure you have several different light sources at different angles so that you can see reflections on the surface of the resin. Once you are finished, cover it with one of the 3 oz. plastic cups.
This will keep the tile and resin protected and keep dust from falling into the resin while it dries. Follow the timetable for drying time in the instructions included with the resin. For my tiles I allow three days total drying time before I turn them into pendant necklaces.

Good luck and happy resin-ing! :)

Thursday Sweet Treat Giveaway

If you haven't checked out the Thursday Sweet Treat blog yet, you are missing out. The Thursday Sweet Treat is "a place for artists and writers to dream, support one another and share the work they love to create." Natasha of DoodleStar is the talented and charismatic artist who put this blog together. About the blog she says "A theme is posted every Friday and then the people who choose to showcase their work post their new creations on the following Thursday! Come join us!" Anyone can participate, and as someone who has been a part of this endeavor the past few weeks, it really is a lot of fun. I created this Spring Tulip Hand-Painted Adjustable Art Ring for this past week's theme "Where the Wild Things Bloom." So many talented artists showcase their work every Thursday, and it's thrilling to see how each artist interprets the weekly theme.

A new theme will be posted sometime today, so be sure to keep checking out the blog to get inspired! There will be instructions with the new theme on how to enter.

Thursday Sweet Treat has also begun a new weekly segment in addition to the inspirational themes called the "Artist Play Date." Each Wednesday the blog will feature an artist and his or her artistic process or a tutorial. There will also be a giveaway featuring something from that artist's shop. This past Wednesday I was given the honor of being featured in the first "Artist Play Date" segment! I shared my resin tutorial, as well as offered a $15 gift certificate to my Etsy shop for the winner of the giveaway. The giveaway is still going on, so be sure to check out the post to enter. If you're interested in participating in future "Artist Play Dates", be sure to check out this thread in the Etsy forums.

Happy Friday everyone! :)

Workshop Wednesday - Resin And Wood Tiles

Today marks the beginning of a new weekly blog series titled Workshop Wednesday. Each Wednesday will feature either a tutorial by yours truly or another talented artist or artisan, or a snapshot of an artist's creative process. To kick things off I've decided to repost one of my more popular posts, How To Create A Resin Finish On A Wooden Tile.

In my Etsy shop you can find a wide variety of hand-painted resin pendant necklaces. Once I began creating and selling these unique pieces of wearable art, people began asking me about the process and how to work with resin. Resin is actually quite simple to work with, but it can be troublesome and messy if you don't know what you are doing. I'm sure that different people have different methods of working with resin, but here's my process.

**Click on any of the images below to make them larger.**

All of my pendant necklaces start out with a wooden tile. After I create the miniature painting on the tile and seal it, I then mix up the resin and add the resin finish to the surface of the tile.

Here are the materials that you will want to have on hand to create the resin finish:

• two-part resin
  
• 3 oz. plastic bathroom drinking cups
• 1 oz. measuring cup/spoon
  
• tongue depressors
• toothpicks
• paper towels
• a timer or clock that counts seconds
• a flat surface to work on that you don't mind getting messy
• lots of light

To begin with, make sure that you are working in a well-ventilated area. Set up your workspace on a flat surface that you don't mind getting messy. Feel free to lay down any paper or board to catch any drips or mess that you make. Lay out your tiles face up. Check to make sure that they are dust and lint-free. To the left is an image of some of my tiles that have been painted and sealed, and are ready for the resin finish.

Next you will want to mix the resin. Using the 1 0z. measuring device, measure out 1 oz. of water and pour it into a 3 oz. plastic cup. Mark on the side of the cup where the top of the water is. Add another 1 oz. of water and make a second mark. Pour out the water and dry the cup. Pour 1 oz. of the resin into the cup up to the first mark you made. Add 1 oz. of the hardener up to the second mark you made.

Make a note of the time. Using a tongue depressor mix the two parts. After two minutes the resin should be mixed. There will be bubbles in the resin. This means that you have mixed the resin properly. In the image to the left you can see the bubbles that remain in the resin after mixing. Click on the image to make it larger.

Next, use the tongue depressor to drip resin onto the surface of the tile. Some people pour the resin on, but I find that using the tongue depressor gives me more control. I suggest putting less resin on the tile than you think you need. If after a minute or two the resin hasn't reached the edges of the tile(like in the image to the left), add a little more. Resin is self-leveling, which means it will spread until it reaches an edge to "cling" to.

You will notice that there may be bubbles in the resin on the pendant. You can see this in the image below.


After a few minutes, you should be able to use a toothpick to pop and/or pull out the bubbles. Some people use a small blow torch to get rid of the bubbles, but I do not have one and have found that a simple toothpick works just fine.
After you have removed any bubbles, closely examine the resin for any lint or dust that may have fallen into it. Make sure you have several different light sources at different angles so that you can see reflections on the surface of the resin. Once you are finished, cover it with one of the 3 oz. plastic cups.
This will keep the tile and resin protected and keep dust from falling into the resin while it dries. Follow the timetable for drying time in the instructions included with the resin.

Good luck and happy resin-ing! :)

How To Create A Resin Finish On A Tile Pendant

In my Etsy shop you can find a wide variety of hand-painted resin pendant necklaces. Once I began creating and selling these unique pieces of wearable art, people began asking me about the process and how to work with resin. Resin is actually quite simple to work with, but it can be troublesome and messy if you don't know what you are doing. I'm sure that different people have different methods of working with resin, but here's my process.

All of my pendant necklaces start out with a wooden tile. After I create the miniature painting on the tile and seal it, I then mix up the resin and add the resin finish to the surface of the tile.

Here are the materials that you will want to have on hand to create the resin finish:

• two-part resin mix
  
• 3 oz. plastic bathroom drinking cups
• 1 oz. measuring cup/spoon
  
• tongue depressors
• toothpicks
• paper towels
• a timer or clock that counts seconds
• a flat surface to work on that you don't mind getting messy
• lots of light

To begin with, make sure that you are working in a well-ventilated area. Set up your workspace on a flat surface that you don't mind getting messy. Feel free to lay down any paper or board to catch any drips or mess that you make. Lay out your tiles face up. Check to make sure that they are dust and lint-free. To the left is an image of some of my tiles that have been painted and sealed, and are ready for the resin finish.

Next you will want to mix the resin. Using the 1 0z. measuring device, measure out 1 oz. of water and pour it into a 3 oz. plastic cup. Mark on the side of the cup where the top of the water is. Add another 1 oz. of water and make a second mark. Pour out the water and dry the cup. Pour 1 oz. of the resin into the cup up to the first mark you made. Add 1 oz. of the hardener up to the second mark you made.

Make a note of the time. Using a tongue depressor mix the two parts. After two minutes the resin should be mixed. There will be bubbles in the resin. This means that you have mixed the resin properly. In the image to the left you can see the bubbles that remain in the resin after mixing. Click on the image to make it larger.

Next, use the tongue depressor to drip resin onto the surface of the tile. Some people pour the resin on, but I find that using the tongue depressor gives me more control. I suggest putting less resin on the tile than you think you need. If after a minute or two the resin hasn't reached the edges of the tile(like in the image to the left), add a little more. Resin is self-leveling, which means it will spread until it reaches an edge to "cling" to.

You will notice that there may be bubbles in the resin on the pendant. You can see this in the image below.


After a few minutes, you should be able to use a toothpick to pop and or pull out the bubbles. Some people use a small blow torch to get rid of the bubbles, but I do not have one and have found that a simple toothpick works just fine.
After you have removed any bubbles, closely examine the resin for any lint or dust that may have fallen into it. Make sure you have several different light sources at different angles so that you can see reflections on the surface of the resin. Once you are finished, cover it with one of the 3 oz. plastic cups.
This will keep the tile and resin protected and keep dust from falling into the resin while it dries. Follow the timetable for drying time in the instructions included with the resin. For my tiles I allow three days total drying time before I turn them into pendant necklaces.

Good luck and happy resin-ing! :)