Intermediate Projects

Three poured layers create the illusion of depth: a sandy substrate visible beneath clear shallow water, then a mid-depth teal zone, then foam and surface detail on top. The technique is purely about colour transparency and layer timing.

1. 1
   Session 1 — Sandy base layer. Mix 15ml with a small amount of warm ochre pigment (0.5–1%) and pour over the sealed panel. Tilt to spread evenly. Optional: sprinkle a pinch of fine sand before it gels. Let cure fully — minimum 24 hours.
2. 2
   Session 2 — Water depth layer. Sand the cured surface lightly with 220-grit, wipe clean. Mix 25ml with transparent teal at 1–1.5% concentration. Pour and spread. The ochre base should be visible through this layer. Cure fully.
3. 3
   Session 3 — Surface and foam. Sand again lightly. Mix 20ml in two cups: one clear, one with a small amount of titanium white mica. Pour the clear layer first, then add irregular strokes of the white across the upper portion of the panel to suggest breaking water and foam. Use a foam brush to blend edges.
4. 4
   Add surface texture detail. While the third layer is still very liquid, use a heat gun on low to push the white resin into wave-like ridges. Work quickly — you have about 5 minutes before the resin begins to gel. Cover and cure.

An agate-inspired panel cast flat and mounted vertically onto a heavy base. This project introduces concentric colour zoning — the defining visual characteristic of agate — and teaches you to work with curved, organic shapes rather than standard mold geometry.

1. 1
   Build an irregular oval mold. Cut a foam board base and build a low raised border in an irregular oval shape using foam strips and hot glue. The shape should be organic, not geometric. Line with cling film pressed flat — this will be the front face of the agate.
2. 2
   Pour concentric colour zones working outward. Mix small batches of each colour. Start with your lightest/central colour and pour into the middle of the mold. Working quickly, add each successive colour in a ring around the previous one, blending at the edges with a toothpick. The outermost ring should be near-black to suggest the natural agate edge.
3. 3
   Add a clear protective outer layer. After 24 hours cure, pour a thin coat of clear coating resin over the entire surface to seal and add depth. This creates the characteristic glassy quality of a polished agate slice.
4. 4
   Demold and mount. Remove from the mold, peel off cling film, and sand back if needed. Use strong adhesive to mount the panel upright against your bookend base. Allow adhesive to cure before standing upright.

Gold leaf applied to a dark resin background creates high-contrast metallic abstract work that photographs extremely well. This project teaches you to work with gold leaf in wet resin — a completely different technique from dry-surface gilding.

1. 1
   Pour a dark base coat. Mix resin with deep navy or black pigment (2–3%) and pour onto the sealed panel. Spread evenly and torch. Allow to reach gel stage — firm but still tacky to the touch, approximately 4–5 hours for most coating resins at 72°F.
2. 2
   Apply gold leaf to the gel surface. Tear or cut gold leaf into irregular pieces. Lay them onto the tacky gel surface — the gel holds them in place without adhesive. Use a soft brush to wrinkle and crumple the leaf as you place it for texture. Leave gaps of dark resin showing between sheets.
3. 3
   Vary placement intentionally. Concentrate the gold leaf more heavily on one side or corner and allow it to sparse out across the piece. An asymmetric composition is more sophisticated than uniform coverage. The dark background is part of the design.
4. 4
   Seal with a clear topcoat. After the base layer has cured fully (24 hours), pour a thin clear coat over the entire piece to seal and protect the gold leaf. Torch gently. The clear coat also deepens the contrast between gold and dark background.

Terrazzo is a flecked stone pattern traditionally made from chips set in concrete. In resin, the effect is achieved by suspending coloured chips, crushed stone, or dried paint flakes in a tinted base — the result is functional, highly decorative, and durable when sealed correctly.

1. 1
   Prepare your chips. If making your own resin chips: pour pigmented resin into a flat silicone mat, cure, and break into irregular pieces 3–8mm across. Alternatively, use tile chips from a hardware store. Have them ready before mixing resin.
2. 2
   Pour a white/light grey base coat. Mix resin with opaque white or light grey pigment (3–4% for full opacity) and pour onto the sealed board. Spread evenly to the edges. This is the "concrete" background of your terrazzo.
3. 3
   Scatter chips while resin is wet. Working within the first 10 minutes of the pour, scatter your coloured chips across the surface. Vary the colour distribution — cluster some colours together and keep others sparse. Gently press chips flat with a gloved finger so they're level with the resin surface.
4. 4
   Seal with a clear food-safe topcoat. After full cure, sand the surface flat if any chips protrude above the resin. Then apply a clear food-safe topcoat resin over the entire surface. This is essential — the chips create an uneven surface that traps bacteria without the topcoat.

A deep indigo night sky with suspended silver and gold stars — two poured layers creating the impression of depth and distance. The technique relies entirely on colour depth and the placement of metallic flakes to simulate stellar density.

1. 1
   Session 1 — Deep space base. Mix 25ml with deep indigo pigment (1.5–2%). Pour onto the sealed panel. While wet, scatter a very small amount of fine gold mica dust across the surface using a soft brush — these represent the most distant stars, diffused and soft. Torch and cure.
2. 2
   Sand and prepare for second layer. After full cure, sand lightly with 220-grit. The gold mica from layer one should be visible but softened beneath the sanded surface. Wipe clean with IPA.
3. 3
   Session 2 — Mid-space layer. Mix 25ml with slightly lighter indigo (reduce black, keep violet). Pour and spread. Add white mica to areas where you want nebula-like cloud formations — use a toothpick to move it into soft curved shapes before the resin begins to gel.
4. 4
   Add foreground stars. While the second layer is still liquid, flick silver holographic glitter from a brush held above the surface. Hold the brush 20–30cm above and tap it so individual flakes scatter randomly — do not pour the glitter directly from the container. Irregular distribution looks more realistic than even coverage.