Learn how to use resin with these tips and tricks for coloring epoxy resin for first-timers. This beginner resin jewelry tutorial will guide you through how to marble resin and all the tips and tricks you need to know.
Hey friends. Today, I’m going to walk you through, step-by-step, how to make this really cool jewelry display a hundred percent out of resin.
What I love so much about this project is that it looks so sophisticated and professional- yet is so easy to do!
In this tutorial, you’ll not only learn how to work with resin for beginners, but you’ll also walk away with a sellable product if you’re looking to make some extra money with your creative super-powers. At the time of this writing, the average jewelry display of this kind sells on Etsy for $30 apiece and takes just a few minutes to complete.
If you have ever been curious about what it takes to make an income from your creativity, I created a free workshop for you to get started. Click here to reserve a time that works for you.
In creating this tutorial, I actually made several resin jewelry displays for my daughters and even made versatile trays from the leftover resin. Truth be told, this entire project was inspired when I added several Rellery jewelry pieces to my handmade collection.
These gold accessories were so beautiful that I wanted to display them all the time. I love how each necklace stacks in such a beautiful way and can be mixed and matched. So to celebrate the new addition to my wardrobe, a DIY was in order. 😉 Isn’t that the way it goes?
I have loved experimenting with resin and learning tips and tricks on how to use it over the last several months, so today I’m so excited to share it with you!
Supplies For This Tutorial:
If you are not sure where to get quality resin supplies, click on the items below to purchase the exact materials I am using in this tutorial on Amazon.
Watch the Video On How To Use Resin
Mixing & Prepping Your Workspace
For this project, I bought a simple 16-ounce resin kit. To make cleanup extra easy, I’m going to recycle an old plastic cup so I can throw it away afterward and mix the entire thing in one go.
When it comes to picking resin, I chose to use this one from Amazon. Just be sure that you look at reviews and follow your package directions exactly. When the mixture doesn’t;t harden well, it’s usually because the mixture wasn’t measured appropriately or stirred for the amount of time suggested. Your resin won’t harden correctly if you don’t follow the instructions. Most packages suggest a 1 to 1 ratio. Meaning, you are going to pour equal parts of resin and hardener.
Tip: Set a timer to make sure you are mixing your resin for the correct amount. By rushing this part of the process, your resin may not mix appropriately.
Coloring Epoxy Resin
After your resin is fully mixed, pour it into separate plastic cups. Each cup is going to become a different tinted resin color so plan the colors of your project in advance. For this tutorial, I want my finished project to have a marble resin look so I will be using 3 different colors.
For coloring epoxy resin, I’ll be using mica powder because it’s so versatile. Plus, I just happen to have some on hand. To create a marble resin effect I’ll be using pearl, stone, and black onyx colors.
To add the pigment, pour the tiniest bit (about 1/4 tsp) into each plastic cup before mixing them with an individual Popsicle stick. Using a different popsicle stick for each color will prevent your colors from mixing and looking muddy.
Once all the colors of your resin are mixed, it’s time to start pouring!
Resin Pour Art Tutorial
I got this mold on Amazon for really inexpensive and love how pliable the silicone is. Since I want the rim of my jewelry display to be pearl and not marble, I’m going to start with that color. While you are pouring, focus on outlining the perimeter of my project. This way, the resin has a chance to settle into each of the mold corners.
Tip: To help eliminate any bubbles, just tap the sides of your silicone mold lightly, or you can go over the entire thing at about a foot and a half distance with a hairdryer, and it will help bring all of those bubbles out. You can also pop them as they surface with a toothpick.
Once your basic outline is done and the perimeter is complete, it’s time to use the pearl resin to fill the antler ears.
These ears are made so when they’re hardened, they can slide into the base of the jewelry display. I love the antlers because they are really great for storing rings, bracelets, and earrings in a beautiful way. Make sure your molds are laying nice and flat before pouring your resin in.
Tip: Don’t be too worried if any spills out because after it’s hardened, you can sand it with some extra fine sandpaper and smooth out any of those rough edges once it’s fully hardened.
Since the antlers can be extra fragile while they’re drying, we’re going to let them sit and not touch them once they’re poured.
Next, we’ll go back to the base of our jewelry display.
How To Marble Resin
Since I want the bottom to have a really cool marble resin effect, I’m going to take my resin and pour it diagonally.
Tip: Don’t worry too much about being too perfect with your pours because natural stone isn’t really perfect anyways.
To create the marble effect, go back and forth using all three colors. This way, you’ll create some really cool dimension. While pouring, I’m going to try to place my darker colors against the gray and my pearl colors to balance everything out.
Continue pouring until the entire bottom is covered.
As your jewelry display hardens, the resin is going to settle even more and blend perfectly so that you have a really beautiful marble effect when it’s hardened.
Tip: Do this project on a plastic tablecloth for two reasons. Number one: it makes it so that if you make a mess, it’s not that big of a deal and won’t damage the surfaces of your house. Number two: after your resin is poured, you can actually take scissors and cut loosely around that plastic tablecloth. From there, you can drag your project to where you’ll want it to dry.
We’ll be letting these molds sit overnight because resin actually hardens faster if it’s a thicker mold and can take a full 24 hours (at least) to harden completely if it’s a thinner mold like these antlers.
Now that everything is hardened, it’s time to remove your resin from their silicone molds. What I love about silicone is your mold easily separates from the hardened resin and just peels right off. Your pieces shouldn’t bend and be stiff and hard.
And as I mentioned before, if you have any rough edges that you’d like to smooth out, just use some extra fine sandpaper and buff out any little pieces that you need to perfect.
For this project, once the antlers were hard, they slid perfectly into the holes of my jewelry display base. Again, if you’d like this specific silicone mold, you can get it on Amazon by clicking here.
Making things with resin really is so rewarding and it’s so fun. But once you start, it gets a little bit addictive. So be warned. 😉 That’s where making them to sell can be so fun and rewarding.
As you are learning how to use resin, remember to have fun with it and feel free to experiment. That’s all part of the process!
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