3D Goldfish Layered Resin Painting Process

Resin painting multi-layer is a magical work of art; the creation is made up of 2 types of epoxy resins and acrylic pigment, layers upon layers can produce a visual stereoscopic effect. A 3d resin goldfish painting can be divided into about 6-8 layers. From the bottom to the top layer are fins, body, eyes, tail, scales and dorsal fin. In general, the more layers you paint, the more stereoscopic 3d painting is going to be.

How long does a resin art take?

Normally, small pieces of 3d resin art can be finished in a week. The resin painting process is complicated. For example, a simple small koi fish resin painting needs six to eight layers like the fins, fish body, eyes, scales, dorsal fins, and others. Only one layer can be painted every day because we cannot paint when we wait for the layer to harden.

The time and painting process of a big piece of resin painting depends on the size of the container, how many objects the artwork contains, and the number of layers in the resin painting. For example, a detailed dragon painting can take 3-4 weeks to finish. Some showcase paintings for art exhibitions can take two months or even longer.

We do our best to create an amazing painting, no matter the size and subject! This is the reason why our resin paintings have very good reviews from both domestic and overseas customers.

Steps to create a resin fish painting

The steps of creating a resin artwork are described below:

1. Mixing of A and B resin proportionally, and stirring it evenly before pouring it into the container. The thickness of each layer is about 0.5 to 1 mm.

2. Then we place the container on a table for 8-12 hours and cover it by a book or a board in order to avoid dust.

3. After the resin layer becomes solid, then we start to paint with acrylic pigment on the first resin layer.

4. Then we pour resin above the first layer and wait for it to dry.

5. A second resin layer could be painted on and so on until finished, and so on.

3D Resin Goldfish Painting

This is the new design of three-dimensional koi painting on layer resin artwork. Artist Lewis spent 17 days on painting and the artwork comprises of about 16 layers. Here is the guide and process to share with those who are interested in resin painting.

What do you need for painting with resin? 

Firstly, let us see what we need. Here are some necessary materials to arrange before painting:

1.   Acrylic paint

2.   Palette

3.   Script liners #0 #00 #4 #5 (it depends on personal painting habit)

4.   Tissue

5.   Sharp bamboo bar (to smooth detail, such as fishtail)

6.   Liquid to helps mix the acrylic paint

7.   Washing container for brushes

8.   Container

9.   Resin

10. Measuring cup

11. Respirator (to protect when mixing resin)

Step 1:

Draw a koi fish layout draft on paper. Choose a proper and nice container to pour the first layer of resin (about 0.5 cm), now wait for it to dry.

Start from painting the fish’s mouth to the body lightly. Be careful about the size and shape of fish in relation to the container. 

Step 2

If you want to be accurate about how thick your layer will be, you should first calculate how much resin you should prepare per layer.

• Proportionally divide that total number of ounces in half, for Part A and B of the resin.

• Don’t forget your safety equipment. Pour an equal amount of both parts into your measuring cup.

• Since resin is pretty sticky, make sure to scrape the sides and reach the places where unmixed resin could hide. Mix for at least two minutes; the solution should look consistent after mixing as there will be a lot of bubbles in it at this point. Now, you are ready to pour!

Step 3

After drawing the outline of the face and body of koi fish with a thick brush, the next step should be performed in a relatively dust-free environment. It is important as you are going to pour the resin (that you just mixed with hard work) into a container. Tilt your piece from side to side until the bottom of the surface is covered completely. If needed, use your heat gun on the low setting and move it over your piece. Lingering on one area too long can risk burning or scarring your resin layer. This will also pop most of the big bubbles pretty quick but carefully look for the smallest ones.

Step 4

Now you must deal with the dust. After killing your bubbles, you will notice some spots and fibers on the surface of your piece, in the shining light. It can be hairs, fibers, or dust (all can be equally annoying). While you cannot get rid of all external elements, some quick fixes and luck can virtually remove or make them invisible in your piece.

Step 5

Once you have removed the materials mentioned above, the super tiny ones will mostly disappear after your next layer, but you can easily remove hairs and larger fibers by one of the easiest ways: using torn off pieces of paper as “lures” to kick them out. Paper corners are super useful to get fibers out of the resin, but be careful about re-using the same paper to get out more stuff as this can risk putting previous dust/hair back into the resin.

Step 6

Now comes the curing / drying part of your resin layer, as this process is usually done in a heated (but not HOT) environment. It is better if the place is not exposed to air and evaporation. You cannot put it in a cold place, as it may slow down the drying process. The layer typically takes 8 hours to cure at room temperature.

Step 7

The fun part starts now. Painting!

Painting with resin is unlike canvas painting. As the base is extremely smooth and the paint doesn't absorb into the surface, this makes it challenging to paint dense elements in one stroke, but it would be best if you can add semi-transparent elements on each layer. Cool, transparency! Wait for the paint to dry and another coat on the top.

In the next layer, draw a bit thin line in the inners of the body to shape it. Draw pelvic and anal fins with a thicker and thinner mixer of white paint to give it a 3D look. Use the same drawing technique for Caudal fin.

Paint the 2nd layer of the fish body with light watery white paint as in the next step, we will be using orange color to show her organs to give it a more realistic look.

Draw eyes with black paint on both sides of the face; be careful about the size of each eyeball.

Now use one shade of orange paint in the middle of the fish’s body, and use a darker shade at the starting of the tail. Once dried, paint the middle again with a watery white to give it a pattern and make the tail more prominent.

In the next layer, prominent eyeballs with a white outline around eyes and paint grey lines in the inner head and cover it again with white paint strokes.

Use the next layer to paint orange strokes again in the same places: near the head, middle of the body, and near fishtail to add detail.

One more thin layer in white to cover the fish head and body, it let organ shows a little bit.

Now use a small thick brush to draw scales carefully on the top of the fish body. Use layers of white paint only. The middle line should be thick as compared to side scales.

It’s time to make an adorable dorsal fin. The brushstroke movement should be the same as the fish’s movement to make it more realistic. Add extremely thin lines to shape fin rays. Use the same layer to draw tiny fallen leaves and little stem base. This is the last layer to add details to shape and color.

Voila!

Another plus point of acrylic painting on resin layers is that you can easily wipe off paint if it is still wet. You can even scrape away dry paint. This helps you in prototype and experimenting with your paintbrushes. Even if some small scratches appear in your scraping process, a new layer of resin will cover it.

Step 8

After finishing painting each layer, a damp paper towel or microfiber cloth can be used for a crystal-clear look. The same trick can be used to remove stains and gunk (if found). But still, bad stuff can happen to your piece, and you can take some quick action to deal with it. For example, if there are imperfections in your upper layer, you can sand down the piece and re-pour the layer, but if your imperfection is in lower layers, you can use a Dremel or rotary tool to get rid of material faster and re-pour the resin to fill it. After you've cleaned the surface from impurities and imperfections, repeat the process of pouring and painting until your container is full!

Step 9

Once the pouring and painting process is finished, preserve your piece by putting a UV protective layer on top that will keep the resin safe from yellowing. Your master piece is ready!

I'm excited to see what masterpiece other people can create with these steps. Do not forget that the more layers you will paint, the more depth your painting will get.

May your bubbles all pop, and your dust be invisible! Good luck!

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