Tinting Resin - What Works and What To Avoid

[Music] hey everyone joanne from artresin here so by itself art resin is a crystal clear coating used to enhance photos paintings wood puzzles prints you get the idea but you can use it for so much more than just clear coating artwork in fact art resin looks beautiful when it's tinted and you can use tinted resin to create flow art ocean art geodart petri dish art jewelry and so many other things you can use a variety of colorants to tint epoxy resin but each one has advantages and disadvantages you want to be aware of today we're going to go through the most commonly used resin colorants and what you need to know about each one we're also going to give you a few guidelines that apply to all colorants and of course plenty of tips along the way let's get started [Music] now before we dive into each colorant it's important to note that whenever you're adding anything into the art resin formula we always advise doing a sample test first that way you'll know your products are compatible and you'll also know what results the colorant is going to give you before you pour your final project it's also important to note that typically a small amount of colorant goes a long way it's best to start with less and add more as needed it's a good idea to use a highly pigmented colorant so you don't have to use as much and if you're unsure you can always check the saturation by bringing a little bit of the colorant up the side of your mixing cup keep in mind that no matter which coloring you use never add more than six percent of the total combined volume of resin and hardener so if you have 50 ml of resin and 50 ml of hardener for a total of 100 mil don't add more than six mil of colorant if you add more than this the art resin may not cure properly it's also important to measure and mix your resin and hardener first then add your colorant and mix it well to ensure it's thoroughly blended if you add the colorant to the resin or the hardener on its own it may throw off that one-to-one mixing ratio finally certain colorants can alter art resin's non-toxicity non-flammability and food safety designations so if you're unsure apply a layer of clear non-tinted art resin as a final top coat so now that we've got through all of this let's get to the fun part the colorants so first let's talk about tints that were designed specifically as resin colorants artresin's resin colorant is called resin tint it mixes seamlessly in with art resin preserving its glossiness and because it's so highly pigmented a little goes a long way resintin is both non-toxic and non-flammable so it won't compromise art resins non-toxicity and non-flammability keep in mind that resin tint was designed specifically to be used with epoxy resin so it can't be used on its own and when you mix it into the resin you want to blend it really well to make sure the two are properly emulsified now let's talk about alcohol ink alcohol ink is a super popular addition to resin the colors are rich and deep and in fact alcohol ink is the only colorant that will create petri dish art now as you may know alcohol actually breaks down resin which is one of the reasons why it's so effective at cleaning off sticky resin tools in petri dish art the alcohol in the ink breaks down the resin as the drops move their way through creating those cool tendrils and squiggles that petri dish art is known for so apart from creating petri dish art is it possible to use alcohol ink simply to tint resin yes it is but it's important to remember a couple of things first alcohol is flammable so while art resin on its own in its liquid state is non-flammable this isn't the case once you add alcoholic to it for that reason never use a flame torch on resin that contains alcohol ink next alcohol is also a solvent so adding alcohol ink to art resin will compromise art resin's non-toxicity next let's talk about acrylic paint which is one of the most commonly used colorants to tint epoxy resin on the plus side acrylic paint is inexpensive it's readily available and it comes in so many different color options on the other hand acrylic paint typically dries with a matte finish which can look dull and take away from art resin's glossiness acrylic paint is water-based so if you use too much it can prevent the resin from curing properly make sure you use a high quality high pigmented acrylic paints so you don't have to use much last some acrylic paint can react with resin causing it to get clumpy so whenever you're adding anything to our resin always test first to make sure the products are compatible and the resin cures as expected next powdered pigment and mica powder are really popular resin colorants especially for geodart you need to mix it in thoroughly or the powder won't dissolve and you may end up with a grainy texture to your resin the metallics provide a rich luxurious pearlescent effect but the metallic pigments can sink to the bottom and you could lose that beautiful swirled look if you want to keep the swirls try pouring your metallics last on top of a cured layer of resin glitter is a really popular addition to resin now it doesn't tint the resin per se but it certainly adds a colorful effect glitter is available in a wide variety of colors and sizes but just be aware that larger glitter is often heavier and can sink down to the bottom of the resin so those are the most popular colorants but over the years we've seen lots of different materials added to art resin including ground up chalk pressed powder makeup like eye shadow food coloring and spices like turmeric and paprika now typically pressed powder makeup has binding agents to help hold it together this can make it difficult for the makeup to dissolve and it ends up not mixing in properly and leaving specks throughout the resin loose makeup powder will give a better result but these can be costly you're really better off using mica powder ground up chalk or spices are just not fine enough they don't dissolve well and can give a grainy result [Music] food coloring may give a good result initially but it's not pigment based so the color will fade very quickly we've also seen various materials used to tint resin which we don't recommend at all one of them is oil paint it just doesn't blend well leaving clumps that won't mix into the resin and you'll end up with a stringy mess on your hands once cured there are large specks and even divots of oily residue watercolor paint doesn't mix in well with resin either leaving specks throughout and divots on the surface latex paint is another one we don't recommend it's water-based and very fluid and can cause a weird cure and a dull finish we don't recommend anything solvent-based like nail polish or spray paint most importantly it's flammable but it also gives a poor result leaving you with specs in the cured resin for the best results we recommend using a highly pigmented colorant designed specifically for use with resin here's a quick tip if you're using tinted resin to create ocean art or flow art mix your resin portion it out into cups and add your colorant then let the resin sit for 15 minutes or so to thicken up a bit many artists like using this method because it gives you more control over the flow and prevents the colors from blending together and becoming muddy this method also works well for petri dish art pour your resin into your coaster molds and let it sit for 20 minutes or so before you drop in your alcohol ink because the resin will have thickened up a bit you'll find the ink won't spread as easily giving you far more control and even allowing you to create negative space so next time you're making flow art ocean art or petri dish art try this method out and see what a difference it makes in your artwork so to recap there are lots of colorants available but no matter which one you use there are a few important things to remember always do a sample test so you know exactly what to expect and to make sure that the resin and the colorant are compatible always add less colorant than you think you need you can always add more observe the six percent rule and finally be aware that certain colorants can alter art resin's non-toxicity and non-flammability so there you have it i hope you found this information helpful if there are any colorants you want to add please leave them in the comments below don't forget to hit subscribe and we will see you next time bye [Music] [Music] you

Channel: ArtResin

Views: 133,335

Keywords: ArtResin, Epoxy Resin, clear, clearer, non-yellowing, safe, varnish, thick, resin, epoxy, art, photography, wood, artists, best, favorite

Id: aX0SQKs4qYk

Length: 9min 17sec (557 seconds)

Published: Tue May 03 2022