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Here are the best colorants for epoxy resin. Today we are going to discuss the best colorants for resin and what you can add into epoxy resin for resin jewelry, geode resin art and other resin crafts.
Whether you are a resin artist who makes tumblers, creates epoxy pours, or resin coasters, you will find some fabulous colorant ideas for your resin needs.
The good news is that you can color resin with pretty much any liquid or powdered pigments.
You can use a number of mediums to color resin like acrylic paint, mica powder, makeup (such as eyeshadow) resin tint and glitter. When coloring resin, keep the ratio of pigment to about 10% colorant to resin ratio. You can even use paint pens for resin to create lines in geode resin artwork.
Let's go through this list together to find a perfect colorant for your resin projects.
Here are some of the most stand out colorants for resin. Meyspring on Etsy has a wide variety of colorants, micas and pigments that you can add to resin.
One of their best sellers is their new generation of powdered pigments.
It's a mica powder that creates a pearly effect when the light hits it. It's absolutely stunning and it's eco friendly so you can feel good about supporting this shop.
If you are on the search for a pearly white that is not milky, then Meyspring also has white mica for resin.
A little goes a long way too and you only need a bit. To get the perfect white color, just add a small sprinkling at a time until you reach your desired opacity.
This white pigment can be used for tinting or brightening other mica colors making it ideal for resin pours for resin tables or geode resin art.
You can also use it to slightly add some dimension when going over dried flower resin pours.
A common colorant many artists use to color epoxy resin is acrylic paint. But there is a rule to remember: If you are planning on using acrylic paint to add color to resin, make sure you use 10% or less acrylic in the epoxy resin.
Adding more than this much will chemically alter the composition of the resin, creating unintentional variances in flow and cure.
Acrylic paint adds depth and offers a highly pigmented concentration of color to your resin for that colorful look you are going for with just a little bit. Golden Fluid Acrylic is a very popular brand for coloring resin with, especially for geode resin art.
The Golden Fluid Acrylic paints have the same pigment load as the Golden Heavy Body Acrylics, but offer a more fluid consistency without adding water, making them optimal for mixing with resin.
Watch this video on DIY Craft Club's YouTube channel to see exactly what the Golden Fluid acrylic gold paint looks like in this geode resin art tutorial. We used a gorgeous gold color for resin and it turned out so stunning.
Mica powder is a must have to add color to resin artwork. If you are looking for a bit of shimmer with your resin or some more jewel-toned kind of colors, these are easily achieved through the use of mica powder.
Mica powders typically come in small packages, and like the acrylic paint, you do not need much at all. Start by adding just a tiny bit to your resin to see how pigmented it is and how you like the color and gradually add more if needed to achieve your desired results.
It is not very often you find a pack of 50 colors for this amazing price, plus the colors are varied including colors such as wine, peach blossom, forget me not and a gorgeous pearl for resin.
Color shift pigments are extremely cool because they essentially change color depending on what angle you see them at. When these colorants are mixed with resin, the resin color will shift color depending on the angle.
Many resin artists are really into the Color Shift Chameleon Paint by FolkArt, They are well known to source high-quality, non-toxic crafting materials and also generously support a number of charities.
These Color Shift paints by FolkArt are water-based acrylics, so the same rule would apply when using these to color your resin: use 10% or less so that the consistency of the resin doesn’t thicken too much.
This color shift powder gives a mood ring sort of effect. You can choose which color effect you are going for by purchasing specific colors for your desired results. These are very popular for geode resin art and resin jewelry.
You can use a holographic nail pigment to achieve a color shift in your resin, and what some resin artists do is actually mix a holographic pigment with a color shift medium to get a really unique result.
There are many different holographic nail pigments to choose from and the color combinations will give amazing results to your resin pours.
Another way to achieve a brilliant color shift in your resin is to lay a holographic sheet of cellophane down onto the surface you will be working on, and then pouring clear resin or slightly colored resin on top.
Another option to get a less opaque, more dominant holographic color shift effect, is to use a holographic vinyl. With vinyl though, remember it typically comes with a clear layer on top you will have to peel off before pouring resin on.
This is a gorgeous holographic vinyl for resin. The silver is especially pretty because it actually captures all the colors of a true holographic prism. It also comes in green, gray, rose gold and other finishes depending on the look you are trying to achieve.
See The List: Best Glitter For Resin
Glitter is a must have to color resin because of the beautiful effect and depth that it gives resin pieces. Of course, you can mix your colorants and add some glitter and some acrylic to get a sparkly color, but you can use just glitter by itself as well.
This article features all of the best glitters for resin. You will find fine glitter, micro glitter, large flakes of glitter and information on how they affect your resin consistency and appearance.
If you want to change the sheen of the color in your resin, a good way to do this is through the use of pearl powders. Many micas have a pearl powder type of finish that looks stunning when the light shines onto the resin.
Jacquard Pearl EX 32 pack of pearl pigments is hands down the best colorant for resin. The colors are just gorgeous and the finish in resin is top-notch. Resin artists love this product to achieve a gorgeous color and finish in resin.
You can also use these pigments for making your own DIY playdough or using it for slime colorants too.
Alcohol Ink will add some beautiful color to your resin, and there are many ways to play with alcohol ink and resin. You can mix it in with your resin or UV resin, you can add alcohol ink to your surface and resin over the top of it, or come up with your own technique!
Just know though, that alcohol ink resin dye can fade over time with resin and needs to be protected with a UV protectant.
There is something you should note though if you are using alcohol ink on your surface and pouring resin over it after it dries.
The resin will re-activate your alcohol ink and you will lose the image you have if you do not seal it first with a varnish. So do keep that in mind when using clear epoxy resin.
So if you are not mixing your alcohol ink with resin and instead, are pouring resin over the top of your alcohol ink image, protect and seal it first. Many alcohol ink artists also swear by Kamar varnish by Krylon. So just remember to seal it first and then resin it.
There are products out there specifically made for coloring your resin. Liquid colorants are easy to use and will give your pours a saturated look without very much colorant.
A little goes a long way. We really like the basic colors from this line. You add these in after your resin and hardener have been mixed.
They are high pigmented in resin and mix well together to create some unique color blends! The metallic pigments are especially nice to work with.
What is nice about this line, is that you don't need much to color your resin or casting resin.
If you want to learn more about ArtResin we have a helpful ArtResin review and video using their epoxy resin.
Here's a video so you can see exactly what these colorants look like in a resin piece that was made. You can see how vibrant and beautiful they are.
This shop has many options to color resin with. We have worked with their supplies many times. They offer opaque color kits and starter kits for your resin art ideas.
We especially like their resin products to make DIY resin jewelry. Their formula is easy to work with and they have some of the best resin for jewelry.
Here's a video to show you what kinds of supplies they offer to make resin pendants.
Coloring epoxy resin is super fun with glow in the dark pigments. You can add glow in the dark powder to your resin and make all kinds of wonderful crafts!
How cool is that! Use this just like you would a mica powder to mix in with your resin. There are quite a few to choose from on Amazon that are really great prices that can be used for all epoxy resins.
We hope you have found a new and exciting way to color your resin projects. Keep checking back often for updates.
MORE HELPFUL RESIN ARTICLES
We hope you found some great ideas and inspiration of what to color your resin with from this resin colorant guide. Here are some pins for your resin boards.
Can ink from an old printer be used for pigment with resin?
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Bernadette
April 18, 2023
Very helpful article. Thank you