[Katherine Swift]

This question comes from Louise:

For my exam piece I am looking to paint a canvas with acrylic paint and apply resin over the top for a clear glossy/glass look finish. I am so confused – do I need to apply an acrylic varnish over the top of the painting before the resin? If so, do I need to apply an isolation coat first? I read somewhere that I don’t need an isolation coat OR acrylic varnish – just pour it on thicker – is this right?

Please,please, please could you advise me on what the process would be and what materials I would need? I would appreciate it more than you could ever imagine!

Many, many thanks,

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Louise,

It has been my experience that if the paint is fully dry, you can pour a coating of clear resin without needing any kind of ‘barrier’ in between. I’m going to ask a few other resin artists to weigh in with their comments as well.

As for the resin to use, the Resin Obsession artwork resin works great. It mixes crystal clear and will dome beautifully over your piece. We have a couple of sizes available here: https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/resin/resin-obsession-artwork-resin

This resin calculator with help you determine how much resin you need to mix to cover your acrylic painting: https://www.resinobsession.com/resin-calculator/ Your resin will level out to between 1/8″ and 1/16″. One coat is usually enough, but if it isn’t, applying a second coat is an option.

This video on our youtube channel also shows how to apply resin to a painting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUS7PB1QFmk

[Becky]

Katherine is correct. Once your painting is completely dry, you can pour a layer of resin over it for a beautiful finish.

Try to make sure that the area you plan to work in is free of dust and particles as much as possible. You don’t want them settling in your resin. Protect the surface of the table your plan to use with wax paper, an old shower curtain or plastic sheeting so that you don’t get resin on your table. The painting will require several hours to cure depending on which resin you use. Make sure that your painting can stay in the same place for several hours. It is difficult to move a freshly resined painting.

Make sure that your painting is level and raised up so it’s not sitting on the surface of your work area. You can use plastic cups to elevate the painting. You will also need a torch or heat gun to pop the air bubbles once your resin has been poured. If you don’t have either of those tools, you can try a hair dryer on low heat. Use a popsicle stick to scrape off the drips that will for on the underside of your canvas.

Once you are finished, find a clean box that is large enough to go over your painting without touching it. This will help keep dust particles or pet hair out of your resin as it cures.

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