Our epoxy resin's create a crystal clear substance, they don't have a colour to them unless colours are added. There are three main colouring additives that you can use to colour Craft Resin, as well as lots of other colourants that can be used too.
In this weeks blog we'll go through some of them so you can decide which colourants you'd like to use to bring to life your resin creations 🌈
As with lot’s of epoxy resin creations, this list isn’t exclusive, and there may be other additives that you can use to colour your resin creations, some of which might need you to experiment with and see if they work and how they turn out and can be manipulated to create different patterns in your projects. That’s the fun of being creative right, trying things out, so have fun with colour!
Before you begin it is important to note that whichever colour that you choose there is a rule to remember when adding colours to epoxy resin and that is to not exceed 6% colourant to the total volume of the Craft Resin mix - For example if you have a resin mix of resin and hardener that is 150ml in total, don’t add any more than 9ml of a colour to this mix.
As most of the colours that can be used with resin give you very vibrant colours when using not a lot of colourant, exceeding 6% is quite difficult, but it’s just something to be aware of.
So let’s begin…
Mica Powders:
We’re going to start on these purely because we supply them lol! But Mica Powders are also one of the easiest colours to use when adding colourants to your epoxy resin creations, so they're great for beginners.
Our Mica Powders come in packs of 30 colours, so there is something for everyone, and every customer of yours out there. The packs are quite small, each one has 0.18oz of colourant in each packet, but these colours go a long way and you only need a small amount. Remember the 6% rule at the start, well with Mica Powders you don’t need anywhere near that amount.
You can simply mix a tiny spoonful of Mica Powder into your resin mix, stir for another minute and there you have it, coloured resin ready to pour into your molds.
A little tip when mixing in any colourants, is to first mix the resin and hardener clear for 5 minutes, then add your colourant, this way you’ll be able to see if the mixture is mixed enough to use, as streaks are visible until the mixture is ready.
So you can add in the Mica Powder to your mixing pot, mix a few different pots if you’d like to use a few different colours, or you can use a paint brush to paint the Mica Powder onto the mold of your choice. This can leave a really subtle colouring effect on your projects and is great for things like creating Mermaid Tails, or Fish with Scales on them.
Mica Powders can also be used in other mediums not just epoxy resin creations, they are cosmetic grade and so can be used in make up items, and candles etc. Have fun with Mica Powders and see what incredible creations you can bring to life using Mica Powders.
Acrylic Paints:
Acrylic paints are fine for use with Craft Resin, however it can reduce the glossiness of your resin project and therefore give a less shiny effect to your work in some cases. For some people this effect will work really well, but for others who want that glass like effect to their work it may not.
Alcohol Inks:
You can also use alcohol inks to colour your epoxy resin creations and you can create some really great effects using alcohol inks like the petri dish art many people use it for. It can create really vibrant and beautiful colours in your work and as such is a very popular option.
You do need to be careful when using alcohol inks in your resin projects to then NOT use a heat torch on your work. Alcohol is flammable, so although it would get rid of bubbles, it could also remove your eyebrows and do even more damage than that!
Instead use a alcohol spray to get rid of any bubbles that may occur on your curing project, warm your resin and hardener in sealed bottles in a sink of warm water before use and be extra gentle when mixing your resin to avoid bubbles forming in the first place.
Not only can it affect the flammable nature of Craft Resin, but using a lot of alcohol ink in your project can also effect Craft Resins toxicity too, so please also make sure when you are working with these that your room is well ventilated and you also wear a respirator.
Bombay Ink:
Bombay Ink/India Ink is similar to Alcohol Ink in how the colour looks, it will still be transparent in resin. However alcohol ink is dye based, whereas india ink/bombay ink is pigment based. This means alcohol ink will fade as it ages, but india ink/bombay won't.
Bombay/India Inks are a great alternative to Alcohol Ink that many well known resin artists are switching to these days. There is lots of guidance available on how to use Bombay/India Ink available if you search for it on Google/YouTube, and we're sure lots more will follow soon as well.
We need to make you aware NOT to use oil paints with Craft Resin, they do not mix together well and will make your resin mix extremely difficult to work with.
You can cover your oil painted artwork in Craft Resin, however use a sealant like Mod Podge as a base layer first, allow this to dry and then add the resin over this, that way no resin and oil paint will mix together causing issues. It can take a few weeks for your oil painting to dry enough to add the sealant to it, so don’t rush this drying part.
Adding Colourful Objects:
Another way you can add colour to your clear epoxy resin UK is to add things to it. Glitters, Dichroic inlays, temporary tattoos, dried flowers and even items like lego can be a great way to add colour!
Again get creative with your projects and experiment with adding different colourful objects and additives. Some might look great, some might not turn out to your liking, but you won't know till you try.
Visit our Instagram feed to get inspired from other artists. Take a look at the additives they're using and try these yourself. You're never copying by trying a technique, pattern or additive that another artist has used, you're just taking inspiration from their piece. And no tow projects of epoxy resin will ever look identical, so you can't copy someones work even if you tried!
We have lots of tutorials available on our YouTube channel which teach you how to add colourful items to resin. Check them out today:
Lastly have fun getting colourful with your projects. We’d love to see what your creating and all the beautiful colours, please do tag us in if you share your Craft Resin epoxy resin creations on Instagram @craft.resin.
Topic Of The Week Giveaway:
We have attached a giveaway to these Topic Of The Week announcements on our Instagram platform, this is helping us to spread the knowledge of how to use epoxy resin further, but also enabling anyone who helps us share this information to win free resin and mica powders.
To enter the weekly giveaway please see the latest post pinned to the top of our Instagram feed and follow the instructions to enter:
Team Craft Resin
