resin!

One of the greatest things about the internet is the ability to self-teach yourself just about anything. While wandering the aisles of Michaels a couple weeks ago (something I like to do to clear my head while Robbie is at school and Finn is napping in the stroller) I came across a box of Clear Casting Epoxy Resin. Could I do this? I decided to wait and go back to buy it once I knew what I was doing. A simple Google search presented me with several tutorials and even several demos by different artists on YouTube. After an afternoon I felt like I was armed with enough information to really have some fun.

There was a bit of trial and error. My first attempt didn't set up right - I must not have completely dried my measuring cups. I've since read that even the slightest amount of moisture will keep the resin from hardening and leave you with a sticky, sappy goo. My second attempt was slightly better - although next time I'll wait for the first layer of resin to set up even more so that when I lay in my image it lays flat and without bubbles.

These are photos of attempt-2. These ended up worthy enough to show off here and wear myself, but not quite yet perfect enough to throw in the Etsy shop. I won't repeat a lengthy tutorial here, but here are several great links I found:

YouTube - Resin Tutorial with John W. Golden

Skinner Studio Tutorial (How to embed paper image)
Pink Lily Designs: Resin Jewelry Basics