We love using wooden art panels here at ArtResin - you can mount your artwork and pour your resin directly on the panel! Some panels even have a raised lip specifically designed to contain resin - they make for a super easy pour with clean edges.
Measure, mix, pour, spread, cover and wait, and in 24 hours your watercolor painting will go from good to gorgeous!
Let's Get Started ...
Supplies:
- 12 x 12" wooden art panel
- a watercolor painting sized to fit the panel
- sealant labelled safe for watercolor ( we used a Krylon spray sealant )
- spray adhesive ( we used 3M )
- ArtResin epoxy resin
- A pair of nitrile gloves, a stir stick and spreader
- a level
- a measuring cup with easy to read measurement lines
- a mixing container
- a handheld torch like our Artist's Torch
- toothpicks
- an empty plastic tote or cardboard box with the flaps cut off to protect your piece while it dries
Check out our resin art tools & accessories!
1. Complete your Watercolour Painting
Complete your watercolour painting on paper sized to fit your panel. Trace as we did, using transfer paper, or draw your outline freehand onto the paper.
If you choose, you can apply masking fluid to block out any areas you don't want painted. Masking fluid is easily removed after your paint has dried with an eraser, or by peeling it off.
Paint your image as you wish using watercolor paints.
Allow your painting to dry thoroughly.
Once dry, mount your artwork onto your wood panel using adhesive - you can use either a spray adhesive, a glue stick or a brush on adhesive.
For best results, smooth the drawing out with your hands or a brayer to ensure that it's evenly mounted to the panel, with no air pockets.
Seal your work using a spray sealant designated safe for watercolors, allowing it to dry completely.
A Note On Sealing Watercolor
We always recommend testing your particular materials out with ArtResin on a scrap piece so you know exactly what to expect before you resin your final project. There are certain cases, however, when sealing your work prior to resining is required ....
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Sealing to prevent absorption: It's a good precaution to seal when applying ArtResin over soft or low quality paper that may otherwise absorb the resin, causing dark, wet spots in your work or causing your work to bleed.
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Sealing over loose material. With a medium like chalk pastel or charcoal, or when resining over a loose material like glitter, you want to be mindful of loose particles that might get mixed up and float away in your liquid resin. For peace of mind, you can certainly err on the side of caution and seal your artwork first - use a spray fixative rather than a brush on sealant.
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Sealing to prevent bubbles: Being an organic material, wood and paper may contain trapped air which can release into your resin as bubbles. There are many variables that can affect gas bubbles: with wood, the type of wood, how dry the wood is, and humidity can all affect how much air the wood contains. With paper, soft paper and paper that has been layered into a collage can contain trapped air. Sealing with a spray or brush-on sealant is an option to help to prevent bubbles.
As far as our wood panels, we've used them enough to know that we don't need to seal them, but we always recommend testing with your particular materials so you know exactly what results to expect before you resin your final project. Again, if in doubt, you can never go wrong by sealing first if it makes you feel more comfortable.
2. Calculate how much Resin you need
Using our Resin Calculator, simply enter the length and width of your piece to determine how much ArtResin you’ll need.
3. Measure & Stir
Working in a well-ventilated area and wearing gloves, measure accurately ( by volume ) precisely equal amounts of resin and hardener. Stir thoroughly for 3 minutes total, ensuring you scrape the bottom and sides of your mixing container as you go.
💡 TIP: for our very best measuring and mixing tips, read the blog How To Measure And Mix Resin And Hardener.
4. Pour the ArtResin
Pour the ArtResin onto the centre of your piece and spread it out to the edges using a plastic spreader or a popsicle stick. You'll have about 45 minutes of working time before the resin gets too thick to work with.
💡TIP: Read our blog How To Pour And Spread Epoxy Resin for more resin tips and techniques!
5. Use your Artist's Torch
Using your Artist’s Torch, hold the flame a couple of inches above the resin surface just long enough to pop the bubbles, keeping the torch moving from side to side at all times.
💡TIP: if you're nervous about using a torch, don't be! Read our blog with all you need to know about How To Use A Torch On Epoxy Resin.
6. Final Check of your Piece
Once the piece has been torched, look at the resin in the light for any missed bubbles, tiny hairs or bits of dust, using a toothpick to fish them out.
7. Cover your Piece
With a plastic tote or a cardboard box ( with the flaps cut off ) cover your piece and let it sit for 24 hrs until it’s dry to the touch.
8. Wait 24 Hours
After 24hrs has passed, reveal your piece!
💡TIP: the resin will be dry to the touch at the 24hr mark. At this point, you're free to hang and admire your artwork on the wall, absolutely, but if you're planning on packing and shipping your artwork, please wait at least 72hrs until the resin has fully cured.
We hope you found this informative and helpful!
Do you want to learn more about using resin with different mediums and on different surfaces? Check out our how-to tutorials:
- Introduction to Resin Art
- How to Resin an Acrylic Painting
- How to Resin on Canvas for Beginners
- How to Make Textured Resin Art
- How to Resin Flowers
- How to Resin Over Gold Leaf
- How to Resin Metal Print
- How to Resin Wood
- How to Resin Mosaic
- How to Resin Rocks
- How to Resin Modelling Clay
- How to Resin Chalk Pastel
- How to Resin A Paper Collage
- How to Resin Charcoal
ArtResin: Made For Artists, By Artists.