Remember that Dr. Seuss book? Where he just lists a bunch of art projects that are made possible with clear resin? No?! Maybe I’m remembering it incorrectly. Either way, the sentiment is there. Are you an artist? If the answer is yes, have you heard of clear resin? If the answer is no… then have I got a tip for you. Clear resin is a magical compound that is sometimes also called epoxy, and it may or may not revolutionize your art.

Let’s start first by discussing what clear resin is. Originally resin, was just another name for sap from a tree. In fact, if you’ve ever seen any of the Jurassic Park films, you’ll know that resin hardens into something called Amber and if it hardens around an insect, it can preserve that insect almost perfectly and then DNA can be gathered from it and then you make dinosaurs… sorry for the spoilers! Although, if by this point you still haven’t seen Jurassic Park, then I can’t be held responsible.

Why is resin so awesome? Well, the cool thing about it is that it is initially a liquid that you can pour, but once it freezes, it is INCREDIBLY durable. In fact, one of the most important qualities of resin is that it is not water-soluble. Water cannot deteriorate its structure after it hardens which is how these fossils are being preserved so well.

So how do you use something like that for art? Tons of different ways!

Most resin, especially synthetic resin that is made in factories and not in nature is clear, but some companies like Carved have started to add color to these resins and mixing them with the beautiful texture of wood to make bracelets and cellphone cases. That’s just one cool use of it… essentially pouring colored versions around other molds to make sculptures.

The other really cool use of resin is to seal things inside of it. Much like the dinosaur and insect preserved in old tree resin, you can do the same with clear synthetic resin. You could lay out a collage of work inside of a wooden frame. Mix and pour clear resin into this frame over the collage and give it a few days. When it freezes, it will essentially create a perfectly durable thin coat of clear polish over your collage, protecting it, and preserving it for centuries.

You could also place any item inside of a container, pour the resin into the container and leave it to harden around the item. Once that has happened, you remove the container, and then form the resin like any other material into whatever shape you’d like. Once it is hardened, you’ll have to use a saw and sandpaper to maneuver the material in the same way you would any piece of plastic or wood you are trying to form.

Now that you have been turned on to the magical substance known as resin or epoxy, the rest is up to you, come up with your own unique way to use resin and share your work! Whatever, you do, don’t make any real dinosaurs, not to give away even more spoilers, but the Jurassic Park experiment did not go well for anyone involved.

sheri gill