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Interested in learning how to make gorgeous 3D Flower Resin Coasters? This is a beginner-friendly resin art project and the materials needed are listed below. First, is the video tutorial, followed by a material list, and then a written tutorial, breaking each step into more detail. The colors used in this 3D flower tutorial are white and red, as we attempted to create a white and red, ‘Rose of Sharon,’ Hibiscus flower. Using this technique, the pigments sink into the resin creating a 3-dimensional flower inside a clear resin coaster. Please leave any questions or comments in the comment section below so we can respond to you as soon as possible!
Here is the video tutorial:
This NicPro Resin Art Kit includes epoxy resin, resin dye (pigment), mixing cups, stir sticks, a silicone mat, and more! If you purchase this kit, the only additional items needed are embossing powder and metal leaf. The kit even has a white pigment dye suitable for the white resin portion of this pour.
For coaster molds check out our article, Best Silicone Coaster Molds for Resin Art (Number 9 is the mold used in the video tutorial.)
Before starting any resin art project, it is imperative that you prepare your workspace. Resin is very sticky and can ruin work tables and floors if accidentally spilled. Trust me, even the most careful artists eventually spill resin when attempting a resin art piece. Use silicone to cover your surfaces. Check out Best Silicone Craft Mats For Resin Artists for our top recommendations. If you want to go a cheaper route, cover your surface with contact paper. Also, cover your floors with plastic sheeting to ensure you do not ruin them.
Next, make sure the surface you are working on is level. Use a level tool to check that your mold sits flat on your workspace.
Lastly, always wipe down your coaster molds with isopropyl alcohol and a paper towel before getting started.
Most epoxy resin is mixed at a 1:1 epoxy to hardener ratio. However, some are mixed 3:1. This makes reading directions extremely important. If the epoxy resin is mixed incorrectly, it will not cure completely. If the epoxy resin is not able to cure correctly, the final piece is sticky and bendy. For epoxy to cure with a shiny hard finish, follow the directions on the bottle precisely. For more handy tips about mixing epoxy resin, check out How to Mix Bubble-Free Epoxy Resin.
Pour you freshly mixed epoxy resin into your coaster mold. Fill the mold up halfway.
After you have poured the clear resin into your molds, pour some of the left over resin into three separate cups. I suggest using paper cups so you can control the flow when pouring. (See below for explanation) Fill each cup with epoxy resin. In one cup, put a dime sized amount of the white pigment. In another, put a dime sized amount of your colored pigment, and in the third, put enough embossing powder to fully saturate the resin you have in the cup. Mix each cup until the pigments have saturated the resin.
In the center of the coasters, put a bit of metal leaf, or whatever type of embellishment you choose to use. Other options include glitter, glitter glass, or crystals. Using a stir stick, gently mix the embellishments in the center of your clear resin-filled coaster molds.
First, add a ring of the resin mixed with embossing powder around the embellishments in the center of your mold. Then, move onto adding the white pigment.
Using your thumb and forefinger, squeeze the top of the paper cup filled with white resin. Squeeze to form a point that the resin can flow from in a thin line.
In a thin line, pour your white pigment in a circular motion, like in the picture below. Continue moving at all times during this pour. If you stay in one spot for too long, the pigment will pool and sink to the bottom. This causes white spots on top of your final piece.
Next, pour your colored resin in. You can follow the same lines as you did for the white pigment, or experiment with a different design.
Using a heat gun, lightly run hot air across the surface of each of your coasters. Do not use enough force to move your pigments around. This is solely done to pop any air bubbles trapped in the resin.
Using a toothpick or thin stir stick, pull from the edge of the coaster mold into the center. Do this every inch or so, depending on how big you want your petals to be. Here is the pattern used in this tutorial:
Let your coasters cure overnight and then demold. This is how our coaster turned out:
We hope you enjoyed this tutorial and look forward to hearing from you in the comments! Please subscribe to our YouTube channel and share this tutorial on your social media channels. We appreciate it!
10 Responses
Another great article and I’m more and more tempted to try resin. These flower coasters are so cute. I was wondering if you can put maybe real flowerpetals, leaves, etc… inside?
I am definitely going to try it at some point with my best friend, we made soap together before) but is there like a starter kit for really really beginner beginners?
Thank you,
j.
Absolutely!! And yes, real flowers work well in resin. However, I suggest you dry them out first. I have put fresh flowers in resin and some of them come out okay, but many lose their color, so dried is the best way to proceed! As far as a starter kit goes, this is a good one for coasters: BEGINNER RESIN COASTER KIT
You will need to purchase epoxy, but that kit has everything else needed to get started. Here is an affordable epoxy you can use for your first time Beginners Epoxy (be sure to follow directions exactly!!)
Alot of soap crafters use silicone molds, which work great for epoxy so you may already have some neat molds to experiment with! Check out my recommendations for Best Silicone Coaster Molds for Resin Art if you decide to make more coasters!
Another tutorial you may enjoy can be found here: Budget Resin Coasters: For A Frugal Crafter
Enjoy and would love to see how your project turned out!!!
Aight, cool stuff! The text font is pretty charming and gives a sorta playful feel to the whole thing, which definitely makes it perfect for the younguns. This is a really well developed website, especially with all the tutorials and recommendations. I might have to come back to this one day when I get my own house and kids; they would love painting and doing art like this!
Absolutely! Kids love this kind of stuff. I am so glad you enjoyed the site. Hope to see you back here soon!
Wow, I really like your resin flower! I don’t have any experience in making this kind of creative craft. But I know that epoxy resin is rather difficult to work because it is a quite hard material. What are your favorit techniques to make it softer? And what is your favorite paper to use to prepare your workplace? Thanks for giving us such beauty in the world!
Hey there,
So resin comes in all sorts of viscosities, meaning some are thicker and some are thinner after being mixed with a hardener. Depending on the project, some viscosities work better than others. As far as a final piece, you usually want your resin as hard as possible so the piece isn’t easily broken.
To prepare my workspace I use contact paper or silicone craft mats. Check out Best Silicone Craft Mats For Resin Artists for our suggestions on preparing your workspace for resin art.
Thanks for stopping by!
These 3D flower resin coasters are adorable! I am going to share this with my daughter, as she’s always looking for fun projects to do with the youth that she works with. Plus, once the kids create these, they can wrap them up as a birthday or Christmas gift for someone in their family!
They would love that! Thanks for sharing. If they enjoy this project, have them check out the other Resin Art Tutorials on the site!
Learning and trying a new craft is always so much fun, so it is great to find this tutorial on making resin coasters. I was looking for ideas to do with my granddaughter, who is four years old. So I am wondering how suitable is this resin project for a beginner? Is this something that I could do with a young child? Or would there be an easier resin project to try as a beginner? Thanks.
Hi there. It is possible to do with younger children, however I think she would have more fun with this project: Resin Craft for Kids! Also, remember to have gloves on and use a nontoxic resin, like Art Resin when doing resin art with children. Have fun!