Cheat Resin Art With Two-Part Epoxy Glue
Introduction: Cheat Resin Art With Two-Part Epoxy Glue
Resin art has been popular for a few years now. Epoxy resin is more accessible, more affordable and there are so many people involved, that any question you might have can be answered within minutes. It's great, but if you really want to commit to that hobby, you will have to do a lot of research and test different brands of resin available in your country.
I used two different brands in the past and I wasn't happy with them at all. One brand had a distinctive chemical smell that lingered for 2 weeks, another one took nearly a week to dry. It was just for experiments, I gave up after that and haven't touched clear resin since. Small quantities of resin cost an arm and a leg, it makes more sense to buy it in bulk. So, it can be really annoying if you buy large quantity of unsuitable resin and are forced to throw it out.
I wanted to encase a small picture in clear resin and since I required 35ml to cover the whole thing, it made no sense to buy 250ml for 26$. I began experimenting with cheap two-part epoxy glue and I came up with an idea on how to use it instead of resin to glaze small projects.
This project only makes sense if you want to cut costs and your picture isn't bigger that 10x10inches. Anything bigger will require more epoxy and at that point it will make more sense to buy regular resin.
In my instructable I'm using two-part epoxy glue syringes (25ml each) used for gluing plastic, wood, metal and ceramics. I got it at a DIY shop for £1.99 per syringe (that's £8 for 100ml epoxy).
This method can be used to coat pictures, create coasters, preserve special mementos like your child's first attempt at writing, ultrasound photos or small paintings.
Supplies
* board, sheet, plywood or canvas; no bigger than 10x10inches
* posters, postcards, pictures, print-outs
* Mod Podge or PVA glue; brushes
* two-part epoxy glue syringes (clear in colour and NOT quick setting)
* acetone or gel polish remover
* scissors, craft knife, disposable gloves, cups, stirring sticks,
Step 1: Medium Preparation
Since this is a small project, I used thin MDF and hardboard sheets (some of them from old picture frames), plywood offcuts, plywood crafting boards. 74
Basically anything that can be cut with scissors, craft knives or Dremel without creating much of a fuss.
For the doughnut and pepper, I printed those two drawings, cut them out and outlined them on the thin MDF sheets. I drew a 4-6mm boarder around that outline and I cut the shape out using Dremel.
Next, I applied a layer of Mod Podge to seal the boards and painted them with white acrylic paint.
Step 2: Painting
Since I'm not an artist and can't draw (or paint) to save my life, I usually decoupage pictures, posters and printed designs, but I tried my hand at pepper painting this time to see how acrylic paint layers will look like underneath a layer of epoxy. Once it's dry, everything underneath will be a little bit magnified, so every mistake will be visible. However, the good news is that resin will smooth all uneven and thick layers and visible brush strokes.
Step 3: Decoupage
When it comes to decoupage, using pictures and thick posters is pretty simple. However, using regular printer paper might be a bit problematic, so you should perform tests beforehand. For example- once decoupaged, some pictures lose their vivid colours, in which case you should print the design with more vibrant colours to allow for any loses. Best way to perform those tests is to simply decoupage samples at the back of the boards and adjust accordingly.
Decoupage is very easy. Cut the print-outs (or pictures/posters, postcards) out, apply a layer of Mod Podge to the board, place the design on top and smooth all bubbles, cover with a layer of Mod Podge and leave to dry.
Step 4: Paint Boarders
Whenever possible, I like to paint the boarders black to make the designs pop. Use a marker or black acrylic paint.
You can also use markers to add details or colours after Mod Podge has dried. Take a look at the fourth picture. Once decoupage dried I wasn't happy with the colours, it was too washed up, so I used pink and red markers to add some more colour to the hair and lips. 1013