Beginner Projects

A single pressed flower suspended in clear resin — one of the cleanest beginner projects because it teaches you layering without requiring any colour work. The technique here is the "sandwich" method: a base layer, the inclusion, then a top layer to encapsulate.

1. 1
   Dry your flowers completely. Press between paper for at least 5 days, or use a flower press. Any moisture left in the flower will cause cloudiness in the finished piece. When in doubt, leave them another 48 hours.
2. 2
   Mix a small base layer. Mix 7ml of resin (following your brand's ratio) for exactly 4 minutes. Pour a 2–3mm base layer into the mold. Torch gently to release bubbles. Let this sit for 3–4 hours until it reaches a thick gel stage — still tacky but not liquid.
3. 3
   Place the flower. Using tweezers, lay the pressed flower face-down into the gel layer. Press it lightly so it adheres. Do not push all the way through to the mold bottom — you want it slightly above the surface. If it floats back up, the resin is still too liquid; wait another hour.
4. 4
   Pour the encapsulating layer. Mix the remaining 8ml and pour over the flower to fill the mold. Pour slowly from one edge to avoid trapping air under the flower. Torch again lightly. Cover and leave for the full cure time specified by your resin brand.
5. 5
   Demold and finish. Flex the silicone mold gently to release. If the back surface is uneven, sand with 400-grit wet sandpaper on a flat surface using circular motions. Wipe clean and apply a thin coat of resin or furniture wax to restore gloss if needed.

A simple introduction to colour mixing and swirl technique using casting resin. Small molds are forgiving — if the colours blend too much, it still looks intentional. This project also introduces the hardware loop, which makes your work wearable.

1. 1
   Mix and divide your resin. Mix the full 8ml batch for 4 minutes. Pour half into a second cup. Add a small amount of your first mica colour to one cup and your second colour to the other. Stir each thoroughly until no streaks remain.
2. 2
   Pour both colours simultaneously. Pour both cups into the mold at the same time from opposite sides, letting them meet in the middle. Don't stir yet — pour first, then decide how much to swirl.
3. 3
   Create the swirl. Using a toothpick, draw a single slow figure-eight through the resin. One or two passes is enough — over-swirling muddles the colours into a uniform blend. Stop when it looks interesting, not when it looks perfect.
4. 4
   Place the hardware loop. Push a metal keychain loop slightly into the resin at the top edge of the mold, leaving the ring exposed above the surface. Let the resin cure fully before removing.
5. 5
   Demold and sand edges if needed. Release from mold and inspect edges. Sand any sharp spots with 400-grit. Attach keychain hardware through the loop.

A gradient fade from one colour to clear across a wooden tray surface. This teaches you coating technique on a real object rather than a mold — including edge control, bubble removal, and how to work with the natural absorption of wood.

1. 1
   Seal the wood first. Apply a thin brush coat of unmixed (or very lightly pigmented) resin and let it soak in for 30 minutes. This seals the grain and prevents the main pour from being absorbed unevenly. Wipe off any excess before it gels.
2. 2
   Mix your main batch. Divide into three cups: one with a full measure of mica (dark end), one with half the mica (mid-tone), and one with no pigment (clear end). Mix each thoroughly.
3. 3
   Pour in sequence. Starting at one end, pour the dark cup, then the mid-tone cup overlapping slightly, then the clear cup at the far end. Use a foam brush or the flat of a silicone spreader to blend the transitions gently where the zones meet.
4. 4
   Remove bubbles. Torch the surface from 15cm above using slow sweeping passes. The heat pops surface bubbles without scorching the resin. Two or three slow passes is enough — don't linger in one spot.
5. 5
   Cover and cure. Place a dust cover (cardboard box, cling film on a frame) over the tray without touching the surface. Leave for minimum 24 hours before handling.

A fully transparent geometric pendant with a single small inclusion — a fragment of gold leaf, dried herb, or coloured sand. The challenge is achieving optical clarity: this project teaches you everything that causes cloudiness and how to avoid it.

1. 1
   Work in ideal conditions. For clear casting, temperature and humidity matter more than for any coloured work. Aim for 72–75°F and below 50% humidity. These conditions are the difference between water-clear and hazy results.
2. 2
   Mix slowly and carefully. Mix for 4 minutes using a slow stirring motion, not vigorous whisking. Scrape the sides and bottom. Transfer to a second cup and stir 30 seconds more. Vigorous mixing introduces air bubbles that are very difficult to remove from a small mold.
3. 3
   Fill halfway, add inclusion, fill to top. Pour half the resin into the mold. Wait 2–3 hours until gel stage, then place your inclusion on the surface. Pour the remaining resin to fill. This prevents the inclusion from sinking to the back face of the pendant.
4. 4
   Demold after full cure. Wait the full cure time — do not rush. Flex the mold slowly from the edges, not the centre. The piece should pop out cleanly. If it resists, wait another 6 hours.
5. 5
   Sand and polish if needed. If the surface has any mold texture or minor marks, sand through 400, 800, 1500, 2000-grit wet paper, then polish with a plastic polish (Novus 2, then Novus 1). Attach bail with strong adhesive.

The petri dish effect creates organic cell-like formations using isopropyl alcohol dropped into pigmented resin on a flat surface. Each piece is unrepeatable. This project teaches you that some of the best resin work comes from creating the right conditions and then stepping back.

1. 1
   Mix and pour a base coat. Mix your resin batch and pour it evenly over the round surface. Spread with a foam brush to cover edge to edge. Torch once to remove bubbles.
2. 2
   Add alcohol inks. Drop or drizzle your chosen alcohol inks across the wet resin surface. You don't need much — two or three drops of each colour scattered across the piece. They will spread on their own.
3. 3
   Drop isopropyl alcohol to create cells. Using your dropper, place small drops of IPA directly onto areas where the ink has settled. Each drop pushes the pigment outward and creates a cell with a clear centre. Larger drops = larger cells. Experiment with placement rather than covering the whole surface.
4. 4
   Use the torch to develop cells further. A quick pass of the torch over the surface activates the alcohol and develops the cell edges. Keep the torch moving — do not hold it in one place. Watch for a moment and decide whether to add more IPA or leave it.
5. 5
   Cover and do not touch. Cover immediately after the last torch pass and do not tilt or move the piece. The cells continue developing as the resin gels. Checking it and tilting the surface is the most common way to ruin this project.