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- Resin is a versatile material that you can use to preserve flowers, wood, and all kinds of artwork.
- It can be used in crafts such as jewelry, art preservation, and woodworking projects.
- We spoke to three resin artists about the best resin starter kits for beginners.
Whether you’re looking for a new hobby or want to play with a new artistic medium, resin is a great all-around option. It’s often used in crafts like jewelry, keychains, coasters, and even 3D paintings.
“Resin is similar to strong glue, except it dries completely and turns into a glass-like texture,” says Natalie Bickel, a resin jewelry artist who makes craft pieces with dried flowers. It can be used to make individual pieces or combine with other materials such as wood to create unique and lasting creations.
For Bickel, who uses resin to preserve flowers from events like weddings and funerals, it’s a way to capture fleeting moments in nature. “A flower’s lifespan is short because it wilts quickly and even dried petals become extremely fragile,” she says. “By preserving their natural beauty, I am able to stop time in a sense, allowing the memory to solidify,” she explains. On a practical level, she “loves the flexibility of resin” because “its translucent nature makes it easy to move the design around after the initial pour to achieve the optimal end result no matter what you’re doing.”
“We love working with resin because we can salvage various pieces of wood that some people would consider waste into usable works of art,” says Alyssa Haley, co-owner of Grateful Woodwork with her husband. Resin also offers many possibilities and creativity. “We also love the ability to play with color and work with the client to create a unique, individual piece of art,” she adds.
“I love the endless possibilities of resin,” says Grace Chepenik, multimedia artist, painter, glassblower, and resin fan. “I’ve used it for multiple projects from scaling paintings, preserving wedding bouquets and gluing glass skulls to large scale sculptures.”
What do you need to start making resin crafts?
If you are new and intrigued by using resin, a resin starter kit gives you the opportunity to experiment with this medium without spending a lot of money on materials.
“Resin kits are great for beginners to play with and get a feel for how resin works; [there’s] no guesswork with the supplies you need, like mixing cups with specific ratios and dyes,” says Haley. “They give a sample of everything you’ll need for a small resin project,” adds Bickel.
But the kits aren’t just for beginners who want to gain experience before going on their own. “Anyone wanting to complete a resin project on any scale should consider a kit,” says Bickel. “Resin kits allow you to practice until you are ready to preserve your design.”
If you’ve been playing with resin for a while, getting a kit can be a great way to try out new possibilities. Even professional artists sometimes use kits, depending on their needs. “With my jewelry business, I always use resin kits because I usually make smaller pieces that don’t require large amounts of mixing,” says Bickel.
If you’re unsure how to choose a kit, “it’s wise to start with a kit that has instructions so you can practice mixing the correct portions of each liquid and your casting technique to create a pristine resin that will last,” according to Bickel.
