Resin pour techniques: coasters, geodes, petri dish art and creating cells

TUREFF• •0

Once you can measure and mix epoxy reliably, the fun begins. Most popular resin art comes from a handful of techniques that build on each other: moulded coasters, geode-style pieces, petri dish art and cells. This guide explains how each one works in general terms, so you can choose a project and understand why it behaves the way it does.

Colouring resin: the basics

Mica powders: shimmery, pearlescent colour, giving a metallic or swirling effect.
Resin pigment pastes: concentrated, opaque or translucent colour, easy to mix evenly.
Liquid resin dyes: transparent colour for a stained-glass look.
Alcohol inks: very fluid, transparent colour that spreads and moves on resin and creates the bloom effects in petri dish and cell art.
Glitter and flakes add sparkle.

Use colourants sold for resin, and add them only after the resin and hardener are fully mixed. Do not exceed the manufacturer's maximum amount of additive; too much colour can stop the resin curing properly. Alcohol inks are flammable, so keep any flame well away from them.

Coasters

Coasters are the classic first project.

Use silicone coaster moulds on a level surface.
Mix and colour the resin, then pour slowly.
Swirl colours together with a stick, add dried flowers or glitter, or pour a clear first layer and a coloured one on top.
Pop surface bubbles with a heat gun, cover against dust and leave to cure.
Once fully cured, demould and sand the edges if needed. Some artists add a thin top coat for extra gloss.

Use a coating or doming resin for thin layers, or a casting resin for thicker coasters, according to the product's pour depth.

Geode art

Geode pieces imitate a sliced crystal geode, with bands of colour and a sparkling centre.

Work on a board, wood slice or a large silicone mould.
Build the design from the centre outwards: crushed glass or crystals in the middle, then rings of coloured resin, often outlined with metallic paint or gold leaf.
Pour each band carefully next to the last, sometimes letting layers partly set before adding the next.
Edges are often finished with gold or silver leaf or paint.

Geodes use a lot of resin and many layers, so they are a good second or third project.

Petri dish art

Petri dish pieces show colour bursting downward through clear resin, like coral or jellyfish, seen through a smooth surface.

A clear base layer of resin is poured into a small round mould.
Drops of alcohol ink are added, followed by drops of white ink or a heavier white pigment.
The heavier white sinks through the resin and drags the colour down into tendrils.
When cured and turned over, you see the blooms through the clear face.

Results depend heavily on the resin's thickness, the temperature and the inks, so expect some experimenting.

Cells

Cells are the small circular, lacy patterns in many ocean and abstract pours.

They form where colours of different densities and surface tension meet. Lighter colour rises through heavier colour and opens up into rings.
Alcohol inks dropped onto resin, white pigment layered over colour, and brief passes of a heat gun all encourage cells.
Ocean pours use white resin over blue and gentle heat to push it into lacy wave edges.

Heat matters: a little heat helps cells open, but too much can blow them out or overheat the resin. Never use a flame over alcohol inks.

Tips for better results

Mix all your colour cups before you begin, since working time is limited.
Keep a project notebook: resin, ratio, temperature, colours and what happened.
Protect the work from dust with a cover while it cures.
Wear gloves and work with ventilation throughout.

Which technique are you trying first, and what effects have worked for you? Share your projects and questions in the comments.