what is resin?

Resin is a unique compound that has been around for centuries.

If you have ever seen a piece of amber, you have seen nature’s version of this liquid. Besides naturally occurring versions, we can make our own.

That’s what we do for jewelry, art, crafts, and commercial use.

Did you know that the resin and pigments we use are none toxic, vegan friendly and food safe certified.

Rustic wood is reclaimed, reused, natural and beautiful. We take wood from previously used timber, protecting the environment and reducing the need to cut down trees.

People are increasingly becoming aware of the benefits of using raw and reusable materials, and we are passionate about their sustainable and aesthetic impact. 

One of the most important factors to ensure your epoxy resin cures properly is temperature. 

The best temperature for both your ArtResin and your workspace is slightly warmer than room temperature: 75-85F or 24-30C. 

Resin won't harden properly if the temperature is too low, so some precautions need to be taken during the cold winter months.

During the colder winter months, the best case scenario is to plan ahead:

 use a space heater in the room that you're planning on resining in to increase the ambient room temperature.

Leave your resin in the room so that it will come up to temperature as well.  

As we mentioned previously, epoxy resin typically cures completely clear which means you have to add a colorant yourself, preferably when you are mixing the epoxy and hardener together, but what substances can be used to color to resin?

Well, you could use alcohol ink, mic powder, food coloring, acrylic paint, resin dye, and even eyeshadow to add some color to your epoxy resin.

Below is a more in-depth look at each of these coloring agents and how they work to bring some color to your epoxy resin.

Mica powder is made of stone flakes that have been ground down into fine powder.

The stones these powders are made from are often pigmented and shiny, which means the powder itself takes on these characteristics.

The finish provided by mica powder is pretty solid and will not allow light to pass through it at all.

This is great if you’re looking to create solid resin shapes or letters with a high-quality color finish.

The best thing about Mica powder is the sheer variety of colors you get if you choose to use it, and the best part is Mica powder tends to be really cheap too, this means that can stock up on a wide range of colors in case you find yourself needing to dye some epoxy resin the wide range of other substances and surfaces mica powder is capable of dying.

Although alcohol-based ink is very effective in adding some color to resin, it’s not always suitable for beginners due to the potency of these inks. Alcohol-based inks are highly pigmented and really do provide a lot of “bang for your buck” compared to other dye agents.

They can be tricky to work with if it’s your first time though, as they cannot simply be added to the resin and hardener while they’re being mixed.

Glitter can be used for much more than the odd birthday card or party decoration, in fact, you could use it to dye your resin castings if the mood took you.

Although glitter doesn’t add color in the conventional sense, using enough of it can add some color to your resin workpieces, and for half the price of most of the coloring methods, we have mentioned so far.

The kind of glitter you choose to use is extremely important, as heavier flakes will sink to the bottom of your container.

Finer glitter dust will stay suspended within the resin, which means you can mix it into the resin for equal distribution for your color. 

We mentioned previously that pigment powder and liquid dye are in the same vein of color quality, and while this might be true pigment powder does last a lot longer than resin dyes do, especially when exposed to direct sunlight for long periods of time.

Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbags, electronic device cases, and shoes.

In Painting, Art Blog. Canvas is a durable plain-woven fabric usually made from cotton or hemp yarn.

It is used to create crafts and paintings. Many of the world's most iconic paintings were made on canvas.

Canvas is an archetypal artists' support (the technical term for what you paint on).

It offers a wealth of advantages over paper – not least that it's much more durable, ensuring your work lasts through the years – so it's worth taking the time to get to grips with this approach.

Acrylic paint is not a complex paint as it is made of only three ingredients: pigment, an acrylic binder, and what is known as an acrylic vehicle.

To get a better understanding of acrylic paint uses and how they work, we need to get to grips with the science behind them.

Because they are water-based, acrylic paints dry as water evaporates. But there is more to it than that.

A few other processes have to take place before the acrylic paint dries and sets.