Flow art, also known as fluid art or pour painting, is a technique that uses a liquid art material's natural flow to create an abstract design. In resin flow art, layers of tinted resin are poured in an organic pattern onto a surface creating a colourful, finished piece of artwork with endless possibilities. Resin flow art is easy, fun and the results are stunning, even for beginners!
Mixed media artist Yolanda Fernandes has been working with resin for years to create flow art and home decor items. With lots of great tips, including how to create a customized colour palette, Yolanda guides us through the resin flow art process from start to finish.
Learn how addictive this popular method can be!
How To Create A Resin Flow Art Tray:
Here's what you'll need:
- ArtResin epoxy resin
- a metal tray
- ResinTint liquid colorants
- a spreader to blend your tinted resin
- nitrile gloves
- plastic mixing cup
- small plastic cups and stir sticks, enough for each colour of tint
- a plastic drop sheet to line your work surface
- an Artist's Torch
- dust cover large enough to cover your piece
Browse our sresin art tools & accessories!
1. Assemble Your Materials Before You Start:
Gather your tools so that everything is at hand before you start, including your dust cover.
Keep your background in mind when composing your design and choosing your colour palette: for example, if your background is white, you can get away with translucent colours whereas a dark or metallic background will get best coverage from opaque colours.
2. Prepare Your ArtResin And Tints:
Measure equal amounts, by volume, of resin and hardener and mix thoroughly for at least 3 minutes, scraping the bottom and sides of the mixing container as you go.
Divide the resin equally among small plastic cups, allowing one cup per color.
Shake the ResinTint bottles well and use a few drops to tint each cup of resin, mixing well after each addition. Don't be afraid to mix and match to achieve the colours you wish to use.
We used:
- dark blue (with a couple of drops of black to make it a bit darker)
- white
- turquoise with a little white added to increase the opacity
- gold
ResinTint is a highly saturated pigment based colorant, so it's always best to start with less than you need, adding more as necessary. Check the transparency by using the mixing stick to pull some of the tinted resin up the side of your cup: if the tint is too translucent, add a little more until you're happy with what you see.
💡TIP: No matter which colorant you choose to use, don't add more than 6% of the total combined volume of resin and hardener. Adding more than 6% will throw off the delicate balance required for the resin and hardener to cure, and you may end up with resin that doesn't harden.
3. Pour The Resin
Here's the fun part!
Start with your darkest colour first, navy blue in our case, and pour on the side of the tray closest to you.
Next, pour the white on the opposite side. 
If you choose, you can vary the opacity of the white, layering the two whites to create depth and a marbled effect.
Use a spreader or tilt the tray to move the tint around and change the shape.
Next, add a ribbon of turquoise alongside the blue: apply some on the the tray and overlap some on the dark blue. Finally, fill in the empty space with gold. Tilt the tray or use the spreader to ensure there are no bare spots.
Use your Artist's Torch to remove bubbles.
Allow the resin to sit for about 15 minutes before you blend. Doing this will allow cells to develop and allow the resin to thicken up, slowing down the movement to keep your design intact.
4. Create Your Design:
Ensure the resin has had a chance to sit and thicken for 15 minutes before you start to create your design. If you try to blend right away, the resin is too fluid: you'll end up with muddy colours and you'll lose your design.
Gently run a spatula through the resin to create a pattern, blending the colours organically. Use slow movements, but don’t be afraid to dig a little deeper to pull the colours out so that they can blend. Because the resin has thickened, it will keep the shape you create
5. Torch, Cover And Wait:
Lightly run the torch over your design one more time to remove any remaining bubbles. Cover your piece with a dust cover and allow your piece to cure for 24 hours until it's dry to the touch. 
Here is the finished piece!
How To Create A Resin Flow Art Panel:
Here's what you'll need:
- ArtResin epoxy resin
- a wood art panel
- painter's tape to create a lip if your panel doesn't have one
- ResinTint liquid colorants
- a spreader to blend your tinted resin
- nitrile gloves
- plastic mixing cup
- small plastic cups and stir sticks, enough for each colour of tint
- a plastic drop sheet to line your work surface
- an Artist's Torch
- dust cover large enough to cover your piece
1. Prepare Your Resin And Your Panel:
Gather your tools so that everything is at hand before you start, including your dust cover.
Paint your wood panel with white acrylic paint, if desired and allow to thoroughly dry. If your panel doesn't have a lip on it to contain the resin, create one with painter's tape, allowing at least a 1/4" lip around the perimeter of the panel.
Measure equal amounts, by volume, of resin and hardener and mix thoroughly for at least 3 minutes, scraping the bottom and sides of the mixing container as you go.
2. Pour Your Resin:
Divide the resin equally among small plastic cups, allowing one cup per color.
Keep your background in mind when composing your design and choosing your colour palette: for example, if your background is white, you can get away with translucent colours whereas a dark or wood background will get best coverage from opaque colours.
Start by pouring the white resin in one corner of your panel.
Tilt the panel to create shape.
Pour the second colour in the opposite corner: Yolanda poured purple and Joanne poured pink.
Next, pour your third colour down in a ribbon fashion, overlapping the second colour if you wish. Yolanda poured teal next to the purple and Joanne used rose gold next to her pink. 
Last, fill in any empty space in the middle with your metallic tint. In our video, Yolanda poured silver while Joanne used gold.
Gently tap the panel against the work surface to help the resin self-level and to fill in any bare spots.
Torch to remove bubbles and allow the resin to sit and thicken for 15 minutes.
3. Create Your Design:
Use a spatula to blend the colours and create some motion. Because the resin has been allowed to sit, it will retain its shape and allow more control of the movement with the spreader.
Letting the resin sit allows for the formation of cells and other cool effects. 
4. Torch, Cover And Wait:
Torch the resin once again to remove any remaining bubbles. Cover it with a dust cover and allow it to cure. If tape was used, remove the tape approximately 4-6 hours later, when the resin has thickened.
How Do You Know When Your Piece Is Done?
Whether you're a seasoned professional or a brand new artist, this is something that crosses the mind of every artist at some point. Yolanda has some great advice on this topic: you will always want to keep working on your piece but learning to let it go and walk away can be invaluable. Keep in mind that your audience has fresh eyes and will never see the flaws that you might. Don't overanalyze! Instead, have confidence in your work, and most importantly, have confidence in yourself!
Take a look at the finished panels!
Have you created resin flow art?
We'd love to hear - let us know in the comments below!
To see more of Yolanda's artwork, visit her website:
yolandafernandesly.com
follow her on Instagram:
@yolanda.fernandes.ly
Do you want to learn more about resin art techniques. See below our how-to tutorials:
- Introduction to Resin Art
- How to Make Ocean Resin Art
- How To Create A Black Resin Ocean With A Gold Crackle Shoreline
- What Is Selective Embellishment?
- Create Lacing and Cells in Resin
- How to Make Epoxy Resin Matte
- How to Make Mandala Resin Art
- How to Make Resin Art with Dried Flowers
- How to Resin Mixed Media Paintings (Step-by-Step Tutorial)
- How to Resin Collage Art
- How to Resin Marker Pointillism
- How to Resin Spray Paint
- How To Make A Resin Crystal
- How to Resin A Glossy Photo
- Best Resin Crafts
ArtResin: The Original Epoxy For Resin Art.
