Question about using epoxy resin on Pastels as a finish? - WetCanvas: Online Living for Artists (2025)

Stream13

Hey guys,

I’m curious to know if any of you have tried to “cover” your pastels in clear resin as a way of finishing the painting? If it would be a good alternative to framing under glass? Obviously it would probably work better if you were using some sort of clayboard instead of paper and it leaves a shine, but I suppose that’s no different than none museum quality glass anyways.

Any thoughts? Anyone tried this? If no one has, I might give it a go and let you all know what the results are. I think the only thing I’d be worried about is smudging and maybe it would darken the colours?

Cheers!

Brooke

– I guess I should specify that it’s not a spray but a thick liquid (the consistency of corn syrup) that ends up encasing the painting in a clear thick plastic. I’ve seen it done on lots of oil and acrylic paintings but I haven’t found any reference to it regarding pastels.

Kathryn Wilson

Brooke, I wish you luck with this method. I’ve not heard about anyone using resin, but it would be a small miracle if we didn’t have to frame under glass any longer.

Let us know of your success with this experiment.

Sending this over to Pastel Talk, rather than be in the Gallery.

Stream13

whoops sorry about that, thanks for the move

Studio-1-F

If no one has, I might give it a go and let you all know what the results are. I think the only thing I’d be worried about is smudging and maybe it would darken the colours?

This will be interesting indeed! Be sure to show us what happens. I can’t wait!:thumbsup:

Do you pour this resin on or brush it on? (If the later, then you will definitely have to watch out for smudging.) Does the dried surface end up slick and shiny, like plexiglas? Like the resin on surfboards?

Jan

Stream13

I’ve seen it put on both ways, pour (and then spread around with a trowel) and brush. I agree with you that the brushing would be the highest risk for smudging. If I pour I might be able to tilt the clayboard and/or gentle shake it like batter in a cake pan to spread it out.

Guess I’ll have to paint something up and give it a try It’d be fantastic if it worked since framing gets so expensive. On the other hand framing really does finish off a piece

Yes, the surface does end up looking slick and shiny like a surfboard. You can vary the thickness depending on how much resin you use. I think the pour method would end up thicker than the brush

Studio-1-F

You can vary the thickness depending on how much resin you use. I think the pour method would end up thicker than the brush

Brooke, if you use the pour-it-on method (which may perhaps be the only way to avoid smudging), how long will this resin layer take to set up? To “dry”? Hours? Days? Weeks? Just wondering.

Jan

Stream13

Jan,

From everything that I’ve read it takes about 3 days to fully cure but you can do coats every 6 hours. I guess it forms bubbles so you need to “pop” those by blowing on them with a straw or using a hair dryer.

Hrmm I just came across this:

Are there any materials that ArtResin will not be compatible with? Avoid pouring resin over ‘loose’ materials, such as chalk pastels. Anything that can be wiped off with a cloth and is not adhered to a surface will risk mixing with the liquid resin once poured.

I guess that might answer my question but I think I still might try it and see what happens. It might be an interesting effect if it doesn’t mix too much

Stream13

I sent the resin company’s resident artist an email about using the resin on pastels . I asked if he had tried it (since most of his work seems to be acrylic/oil/mixed media) and what the results were (how much they mixed, technique to use if I were to attempt it) etc.

I’ll let you know if I hear back from him

Studio-1-F

[URL=javascript:toggle(‘faq99901’);]Are there any materials that ArtResin will not be compatible with?[/URL] Avoid pouring resin over ‘loose’ materials, such as chalk pastels. Anything that can be wiped off with a cloth and is not adhered to a surface will risk mixing with the liquid resin once poured.

Well, heck! You can still try it. Maybe a bit of spray with a fixative prior to the –very careful– pour?

Be sure to report back. (In a selfish way I am actually thinking of this as an underpainting medium/method. Not as a final sealant. So some mixing of the pigment with the liquid resin wouldn’t doom it as an underpainting method, but might make it niftier, actually.)

Jan

Kathryn Wilson

I wonder if you used a screen printing screen and squeegying it through onto the paper – I’m not sure how quickly it sets up, but it would get the resin onto the paper without you having to brush it. Several light coats in different directions?

Just guessing here, but I’m really interested in the outcome of whatever you decide to do.

NRC

Hope you will test and show us what happens. As the resin goes on liquid form, and takes much time to dry, I am wondering if the pastels won’t liquify, turn to paint and then tint/colour the resin itself?

Stream13

I’m a bit busy this week but I’ll test it as soon as I can paint something and track down some resin. I think Home Depot sells something similar, but I might try a craft store first since that resin would probably be meant for crafts/art. I’ll make sure to take photos of the process as well.

Jan: The under painting idea sounds interesting, it would create a unique effect. I know you can paint on resin but I’m not sure how well pastel would stick to it after it dried. Would your under painting be actual paint or would you mix up resin and loose pastel to create a coloured resin?

NRC: I don’t think the pastels would turn to paint. The resin turns tacky to the touch at 2 hours, so I don’t think it actually stays “wet” for too long. I think it pretty much starts to harden within 30-1 hr after the pour and the final cure time is 3 days. But you’re right there could be a chance that the resin would just soaks up the colour. It might be interesting if it does tint the resin directly above. Might come off as 3D looking or add a bit of “atmosphere”?

I just received this answer from the ArtResin resident artist about my questions to him.My Email and his response:

“Hi Dave,

Thanks for the great videos on how to use resin on paintings, they’ve been very helpful! I mostly use chalk pastels for my art and I did notice that the FAQ mentioned not to use it on pastels as it will mix. Do you have any idea how much they mix? I realize you mostly to use acrylics/oils/mixed media but I’m curious to know if you’ve tried the pastel route and what the results were. I’m wondering if the resin is poured on in a larger quantity and tilting the board to spread the resin around or shaking it (like batter in a cake pan) to level instead of using the scrapers might help to prevent mixing?
If you have a chance any thoughts on the process would be greatly appreciated!”
[FONT=&quot]“Brooke, I think you should be fine with the method you described. Some loose particles may float into the resin, but for the most part it will sit on top. The resin is very thick. Imagine pouring honey on a thin layer of flower. It would just sit on top unless stirred.

if nervous, maybe spray the pastels first with a varnish to harden it?

I have never tried this but am interested in the results.”

[FONT=Verdana]I’ll try without using varnish to seal first to see what happens and so that I can see how the resin effects the colour by itself since we know most spray fixes change the colour of pastels[/FONT]

[/FONT]

Studio-1-F

The under painting idea sounds interesting, it would create a unique effect. I know you can paint on resin but I’m not sure how well pastel would stick to it after it dried.

Yep: too slick would be my guess too. I would prepare that surface with clear primer or sand it (with coarse sandpaper) to roughen it up. But sanding would obscure the transparency, so I dunno!

Would your under painting be actual paint or would you mix up resin and loose pastel to create a coloured resin?

My initial experiment would be a clear layer over a flat underpainting. Thereby getting the later pastel layers to ‘float’ over the underpainting. Later I might try a slurry of resin and pigment, though that doesn’t intrigue me as much as the transparent floating effect.

I’m just thinking out loud here. . . :smug:

For the resin material I was thinking of something like this[/URL].

Jan

Colorix

Here is an interesting link with info on resins and more. The biggest problems seems to be brittleness and yellowing.

I’d think that any top layer that doesn’t ‘melt’ into the pastel dust would need to be brushed/sprayed/whatever over the unpainted edges of the pastel paper, so it has something solid to adhere to.

Interesting experiments!

Charlie

bluefish

one of the problems with epoxies in industrial applications is their ability to absorb moisture and disbond!

why not go to something that has progressed through trial and error and has been accepted as a permanent artist achival material = acrylics!

when polymers hit the market, there were a number of different materials in use, but they all succumed to acrylics – the poly-vinyl acetates became brittle, so they added plasticisers, which then yellowed in time – the best co-polymers became the acrylics!

spray the painting lightly three coats of lascaux fixative(acrylic material), then coat with acrylic varnish ( it now comes in mat, semi-gloss and gloss) – if on a flexible surface, Lascaux advises utilizing the medium, not the varnish(canvas surfaces) –

this should give you the surface you are looking for! I’d forget the epoxy but that is only IMHO!

‘blue….’:thumbsup: