Hello! I'm Karina Formanova. Welcome to Evrazhka Studio.
A few years ago when I was working with epoxy, I accidentally got a few droplets of hardened epoxy.
Since then, the idea of using them didn't left me, and finally I have got to it.
In this video I will explain in details how can you make such droplets independently.
Full list of all necessary materials and tools is in the description below.
When selecting epoxy, be sure to bake a test piece of fully hardened epoxy
at the same temperature at which you bake a clay.
Suitable for our purposes epoxy is not supposed to get yellow.
If your epoxy turns yellow when heated, you can work with it too.
But keep in mind that, even after being painted, it will change its color when the finished product will be baked.
In my experience I can say that Crystal Resin can not tolerate baking and turns yellow quickly.
But PEO resin St. Petersburg production takes baking perfectly and does not turn yellow even at 130 degrees.
I'm going to work with it.
So, mix the resin according to instructions.
The optimal amount for one time is 10-15 ml.
But if your resin hardens very quickly, it is better to take even less.
Mix it thoroughly, collect the resin from sides and bottom of a cup with a spatula.
Divide resin into several parts.
You can use any unnecessary caps or, for example, old containers for lenses.
Of course, it is best to use special inks for dyeing resin.
They come in transparent and opaque.
These inks are quite predictable, and you will get exactly the color that you want.
They are often sold in same places as resin.
You can also use alcohol inks.
They are less predictable, and some color changing shades upon contact with the resin.
I can give you only one advice: test and see how your inks behave with your brand of resin.
In my experience, the most unstable colors are red, purple and warm shades of blue.
Mix a few colors in caps. Leave them to get the resin to the required density.
Until the resin thickens, prepare work surfaces.
You can take any flat and smooth surface such as tiles or glass.
Cut a sheet of paper with a slightly smaller size, put it on the tile and paste sticky tape on the entire surface.
Try to apply the tape smoothly, without bubbles and folds.
Here is what surface is supposed to look like.
Also you can use a smooth silicone mat as a work surface.
When the resin becomes thick and can hold a drop,
take a toothpick and drip the resin onto the prepared surface.
Drops must be of different sizes, from large to very small.
My black resin thickens still not enough, so individual droplets spread out and merge with each other.
Furthermore, liquid resin does not hold the high dome, and the droplet turns out not enough thick and beautiful.
It is important to capture the moment when the resin is already thick enough to hold a drop but air bubbles are still easy to break.
For example, a transparent resin has thickened quite well, and droplets out like it should be.
Distribute all resin this way and leave it to harden.
Full curing time is in the instructions for your resin.
By the way, I utilize resin remains the same way, if during work I have mixed resin more than it's necessary.
Because there are never too much droplets.
When the resin is fully harden, hook the tape gently from one corner and slowly remove it from the tile.
Definitely cover drops with other hand, otherwise they will scatter all over the room.
Epoxy absolutely does not stick to the sticky tape and easily separates from it.
I have got this result. These droplets look like real treasures, and I love to handle them in my hands.
I store them in a conventional box and pour them into a big flat box, to make it easier to choose the right color and size.
And I advise you to bake a piece of each color before any further work,
to ensure that implicated inks will withstand heating and will not change their color when baking with clay.
So, the drops are completely ready to work.
What can you do with them, I will show you in the next parts of this tutorial.
Hello! I'm Karina Formanova. Welcome to Evrazhka Studio.
In this video I will show you how can you use hardened epoxy droplets, which we made in the previous part of the tutorial.
As the result you will get this interesting brooch.
Full list of all necessary materials and tools is in the description below.
Choose the desired colors for future brooch. In this case, we need transparent drops of three or four colors.
Glue a strip of tape on a tile so it was sticky side up.
Selected droplets put on the tape with the dome down and flat side up.
Mix liquid clay with small silver sequins.
Apply gel on the epoxy drops.
The dome of the liquid clay should not be too large and convex, but the sequin layer should be thick and without bald spots.
Paint over all drops. Bake them for 20 minutes.
Typically, sticky tape withstand baking well, but if you are not sure, bake the piece separately so as not to get a nasty surprise.
After complete cooling detach drops from the tape.
Some glue may remain on the epoxy. There is nothing to worry about, it is easy to wash.
The result is these small cabochons.
Make a base for a brooch. Roll out a scrap clay layer with a thickness of about 1.5 mm.
Flip the cutter and put the layer on it.
Slightly press it to contour with your fingers and gently stretch the clay, forming a dome.
Flip the cutter on the tile which you will bake. Cut out the shape and remove excess clay.
If the dome is tightly adhered to the tile, make a hole at the base with a thin needle for air to come out.
Bake item for 20 minutes.
The base for working with epoxy drops must be very solid and should not bend.
Otherwise drops can fall out in the future.
I have used Kato clay for making the base, it becomes very firm and almost stiff after baking.
Because of this I can make hollow base and slightly reduce jewelry weight.
In this case, roll out another layer with a thickness of 1.5 mm and put it on the tile.
Lubricate cabochon edge with gel and gently press it to the layer.
Cut excess clay along the contour.
Make a hole with a needle.
Bake it again for 30 minutes.
If you do not have Kato clay and you work with some other, then you need to fill the cabochon with usual or lightweight clay,
otherwise it will be too flexible.
Bake it for 20 minutes.
Roll out the black clay layer with a thickness of about 1 mm.
Lubricate the cabochon with liquid clay.
Wrap it with the layer.
Cut away excess.
Take epoxy drops and press them into clay with epoxy clay side up.
Alternate large and small elements, but be careful not to put large drops of strong bends of the surface.
We need to push elements so that they were recessed into the clay around the perimeter.
Keep in mind that the layer of gel with glitter sticks on the epoxy drop only because of the vacuum between them, and it can fall off very easily.
So it's very important that each element was embedded into clay around the perimeter.
This will prevent drops from falling out.
For this reason, the base should not bend.
When all elements are in their places, push each of them again.
It is convenient for me to do it with the end of the handle of the knife.
Then press all clay that came out between the epoxy elements with your fingers.
It will be flatten and it forms a kind of rim around each drop,
which will hold elements in place.
For convenience of the further work, you can stick a small piece of clay to the cabochon bottom and push the cabochon to the tile.
It will stick and will not move out.
Apply a texture with a stiff brush to level the surface and remove fingerprints.
To keep finished texture from scratching, hold the cabochon, pressing only on epoxy droplets.
In the end, check again that all elements are fully recessed into the clay.
If clay has climbed too far onto the epoxy in some places, then push back the excess with a spatula and form a rounded contour.
When it's ready, bake the cabochon for 20 minutes.
After cooling, wash clay and glue remains from epoxy with a wet wipe.
If it is necessary sand the backside a little with a rough sandpaper to smooth the surface.
I have a small indentation that needs to be filled with clay.
Stick a brooch clasp.
Lubricate the reverse side with gel.
Roll out a small piece of clay with a thickness of 1.5 mm.
Imprint location of the clasp on clay. Cut out small squares.
Open the clasp and put the layer on it.
Smooth and level the surface.
Cut away the excess along the contour and smooth the joints.
Apply the texture with a stiff brush.
Bake the brooch for 30 minutes.
The brooch is ready! I really like the combination of matte rough clay and smooth shiny resin.
It is interesting and a good contrast. The ornament comes to life in the sun and drops light up thousands of little sparks.
This is only one application of epoxy droplets. And I will show you another.
Hello! I'm Karina Formanova. Welcome to Evrazhka Studio.
Today I'm continuing the theme of epoxy droplets and want to show you a few more options for their use.
This time I will not dwell on any specific jewellery, and will show you only the principle of operation.
Keep in mind that the need for hard stiff base and indentation elements in clay are relevant in any way.
Option 1
Take white clay for a base and transparent resin drops.
Press them into the clay and apply texture with a toothbrush or a stiff brush.
The principle is the same as working with black clay, but we don't paint drops.
Bake.
Dilute black acrylic with water and paint the entire surface with it.
Wait for the acrylic dries, and erase excess with a wet wipe.
If the color has turned pale, you can add a little paint along the contour of each drop.
You should get a dark border.
If acrylic got erased badly from white clay, then you can moisten a cotton swab with liquid nail polish remover and wipe clay with it.
It lightens prominent places very well.
The result is this interesting surface. White clay illuminates the transparent drops well even without any other base.
Option 2
In this case, we need opaque droplets and clay of a contrasting color.
I have chosen the classic black and white combination.
Press items into the clay.
Then take a wet wipe and smooth the surface.
Bake.
Wet wipes makes the surface matt, and it is a nice contrast with glossy drops of resin.
Option 3
For the third option, we need transparent resin drops and white acrylic.
Acrylic should withstand baking well.
Fix drops upside down and paint the surface with acrylic in several thin layers.
The layer should be thick, without bald spots.
Waiting for the full drying and use the elements as usual.
Colors are bright and seem to glow from within. And you can use them even on the black clay.
Of course, such drops can be used not only as a continuous coating,
but also as an insert or separate elements of some composition.
I hope that my ideas will help you to realize yours, and give you impetus to new experiments.
Friends, thank you all for your support! It is very important to me.
And that's it for today. Thank you all for watching and bye!
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