Most of the pieces I do with acrylic pouring mediums I also coat in resin. Personally, I think it looks better for the work and adds a level of quality that you don’t get with varnish. Don’t get me wrong, there is a place for varnish and resin is no cheap venture, but if you can get your hands on some, I recommend trying coating a colorful abstract piece. It makes a big difference.
For this “episode” I created two videos. The first video is an explanation of me making the art. The second and much longer video is a detailed description of how I coat a piece in resin. The recipe for the piece was not exact, but in estimation, I did the following:
2 parts Floetrol / 1 Part Medium Body Paint / 1 Part 91% Alcohol / about 5 drops Silicone.
Below is a link to both videos and a list of links to all the materials in the event you are shopping for something. Also, I have included a few other links with the cups I use to measure as well as the scale I use when I create a recipe by weight.
Shopping List:
- Flood Floetrol
- Red Acrylic Paint
- Yellow Acrylic Paint
- Blue Acrylic Paint
- White Acrylic Paint
- Silicone
- Measuring Cups
- Art Resin
- Scale
- Torch
Video One: This is the making of the piece
Video Two: Coating The Piece In Resin
Hi, Danny. My name is Claudia. I love your work and the way you explain your art. I live in Argentina and we don´t have Floetrol here. Do you know of any other product that can help me get those nice cell? Thank you.
Hello Claudia, No I am not sure what you could use other than adding silicone to PVA glue. Floetrol is a completely different product but the cells can be created without the floetrol. There is this video on my Channel that might help: https://youtu.be/dgMBiPN64dU
You can use just paint water and GAC 800 or Liquitex Pouring medium. There are some some other videos on my channel with alternatives as well. https://www.youtube.com/DannyClarkArt
These videos were a great help, Danny. You did mention that there are specific reasons to use different kinds of resin and varnish. Could you mention the appropriate situations for each please. I’m just starting FloArt and have used MinWax Polycyclic High Gloss (hope I spelled that right) because I had it for other projects with canvas. I do want to present my work in the best light possible since my followers are used to a level of quality in my traditional art. Thanks for all that you share!
Hello Cheryl, The different Resins I use have more to do with cost. Art Resin is great but it can be a bit costly. For really large pieces I use Pro Marine Resin. For smaller pieces or ones where clarity is most important I will use Art Resin. I use Vanish for acrylic paintings where the resin is not necessary or there is texture I don’t want to cover up. I use a Golden Polymer Varnish. If it is a piece that is mixed media I will use a spray varnish typically from Montana Paints. I hope that helps.
Thanks so much for the videos on this piece. I’ve never used resin before but I’m game to play with it.
I am curious about the alcohol you add to the paint mix… why do you add it? What do you like about how the paint responds when adding alcohol to the mix?
I appreciate the info!
The alcohol helps with creating cells.