A Cute Way to Display Baby Photos

Dave and I are such typical first time parents!  We have a million pics of our daughter Zoë, now 11 months old.  Of course I love them all, but I pick my all-time favs to print and display.  Here's how I used ArtResin to display this adorable photo without a frame...

 

 

 

little beauty coated in a glossy, shiny layer of glass-like Art Resin

Ah little Zoë in her snowsuit, before she had teeth!  She was about 6 months old here. 

  

First, I clamped the print to my wood panel to hold it in place. 

 

spray adhesive on the panel

Then I used a spray adhesive (I recommend a good quality product like 3M's Super 77) on the panel.  I made sure to put a lot of glue on the wood so the print would adhere well.

 

glued the other end in place

With one side glued down, I removed the clamps and glued the other end in place.

 

covered the whole piece in a large sheet and rolled it with a brayer

Then I covered the whole piece in a large sheet of paper to protect it while I rolled over the entire surface with a brayer.  A brayer is basically just a roller.  It's typically used in printmaking.  I used it to press the print against the panel equally all around, and I used the paper cover to ensure I didn't pick up a line of adhesive on the brayer and track it across the face of my print!

 

trimmed the edges of the print with an X-acto knife

Next I flipped the piece over and just trimmed the edges of the print with an X-acto knife for a perfect fit.  Ready to resin!

 

use little triangular painter's stands so the panel would sit off the table top

I set my mounted print on top of these neat little triangular painter's stands so that my panel would sit off the table top.  My plan was to have the ArtResin drip off the edges, so I didn't want it sitting on the table where the resin could adhere it down. 

make sure the panel is level

Next, I checked to make sure it was level!  ArtResin is self-leveling, which is awesome, but you just have to watch that it's not on a slope, otherwise the resin will level according to gravity.

 

combine equal parts of the resin and the hardener

Ok, ready to resin.  This part is actually not hard at all; you just combine equal parts of the resin and the hardener (50% from each bottle). For this project, I used about a cup of each part, so 2 cups total...

 

stirred really well 3-4 solid minutes

...and stirred really well (for about 3-4 solid minutes, scraping the sides of the container)...

 

poured the mixture right on top of the piece

...then I just poured the mixture right on top of the piece!  You don't have to worry about damaging the print at all; ArtResin will actually protect it (that's what it's designed to do!).

 

used a plastic spreader to guide the resin

I used a plastic spreader to guide the resin along to where I want it.

 

let it drip over the edge

I let it drip over the edge because I don't mind that look, and it's the quickest.  Other people tape of the edges, which is another way of doing it, but just an added step.  All depends on what you like.

 

used the spreader along the edges to smooth the resin out

I just used the spreader along the edges to smooth the resin out.

 

just blow some bubbles forming

I noticed there were some bubbles forming, so I just blew on them...

 

bubbles is easily gone on seconds

They were there one second...

 

bubbles is easily gone on seconds 2

And gone the next! 

 

Artist's Torch can gets rid of bubbles easily

An Artist's Torch, run quickly over the surface of the resin, gets rid of bubbles easily and efficiently.   

 

covered the whole piece with a big half-box

Then I covered the whole piece with a big half-box to protect it from any dust or whatever that could have landed in it while it cured.  At this point, it was a job well done!  I left it overnight and returned in the morning to check out what it looked like all cured.

 

little Zoë in her snowsuit

And there she is, my little beauty coated in a glossy, shiny layer of glass-like ArtResin!  This will be on my wall for ages :)

 

About the author: Rebecca Zak

Hi, I’m Rebecca, and I co-founded ArtResin with my husband, Dave. I’m a serial entrepreneur! As an artist and a former teacher, I've been able to leverage my creativity and experience to start multiple business ventures. In fact, there's nothing I love more than seeing a good idea turned into...