How To Resin Flowers and Preserve Them?

Coating flower petal artwork in ArtResin is easy! 

In fact, ArtResin takes floral art next level - not only will it protect and preserve the natural beauty of flowers forever, but will give it a sleek and glossy finish that makes color absolutely POP!


Resin Flowers - hang and admire your artwork on the wall

We love using wooden art panels here at ArtResin - you can mount your artwork and pour your resin directly on the panel!  Some panels even have a raised lip specifically designed to contain resin - they make for a super easy pour with clean edges.



Measure, mix, pour, spread, cover and wait, and in 24 hours your floral art will go from good to gorgeous!


Let's get started .... 



Supplies:

Browse our resin art accessories & tools!

 

Steps:

1. Assemble your Flowers

First, assemble your flowers.  You want to make sure your flower petals are completely dried before you resin them: any remaining moisture may cause them to decompose once covered in resin. 

Resin Flowers - Assemble your Flowers

There are several ways to dry flowers for resin:



  • Hanging upside down to dry:
    This is by far the easiest method. You can dry whole flowers this way, but it takes a few weeks for flowers to dry completely. Be aware that you will lose the flower's vibrant color.

  • Pressing in a book:
    This method is very easy and takes one to two weeks to dry thoroughly.
    It works best for thin petals or leaves, but the color can also lose vibrancy.

  • Drying in silica gel:
    You can buy silica gel at a craft store or online. This method takes up to a week and allows you to dry whole flowers. Preserves colour beautifully!
     
  • Using a microwave flower press:
    Microwave flower presses are made of two wood, plastic or terracotta plates with cloth and wool pads in the center to absorb moisture. Takes literally minutes in a microwave and preserves color very well. 

💡TIP: Whatever method you choose to dry your flowers, always make sure to allow plenty of space around each petal ( don't overlap ) so that the petals dry uniformly. Do not resin petals that are bruised, torn or bent as the resin may bleed into the petal at these points and cause dark, wet, spots.

We chose to use a microwave flower press for our petals.

Resin Flowers - simply freehand your design flower press

Once you have your dried flowers assembled, you're ready to apply them to your wood panel. You may choose to draw a design outline directly onto the wood panel before you start ( as we did ) or you can simply freehand your design.

Either way, coat the panel with an adhesive of your choice ( we used ModPodge ) and carefully apply your petals, one by one. 


Resin Flowers - mod podge matte-mat mate

Resin Flowers - simply freehand your design applying overhead


Resin Flowers - have your dried flowers assembled

Resin Flowers - simply freehand your design applying red petals

Resin Flowers - simply freehand your design applying black petals

When your collage is complete, seal it with a spray or brush on sealant ( we used some ModPodge thinned out with water and applied with a disposable foam brush.)

Once you've sealed your piece, allow it to sit and dry for at least 24hrs.

💡TIP: being an organic material, flower petals may contain trapped air which can release into your resin as bubbles. Pre-sealing with a spray or brush-on sealant is a good precaution to help to prevent bubbles. We used ModPodge, but as it is so thick, we chose to thin it out with a bit of water so that it wouldn't damage the fragile petals.  


Resin Flowers - seal it with a spray or brush on sealant


Resin Flowers - simply freehand your design applying glue closeup

 



2. Calculate how much Resin you need

 

Next, using our Resin Calculator, simply enter the length and width of your piece to determine how much ArtResin you’ll need.
👉TIP: a standard 1/8" layer for a 12 x 12" panel requires 5 oz resin ( 2.5 oz resin and 2.5 oz hardener ). Measure the lip on your panel as they can vary. The panel in our video, for example, has a 1/4" lip. In order to fill it to the top, you'd use double the amount: 10 oz total resin ( 5 oz resin and 5 oz hardener ).


Resin Flowers - resin calculator



3. Stir Thoroughly

 

Working in a well-ventilated area and wearing gloves, measure accurately ( by volume ) precisely equal amounts of resin and hardener. Stir thoroughly for 3 minutes total, ensuring you scrape the bottom and sides of your mixing container as you go. 
👉 TIP: for our very best measuring and mixing tips, read the blog How To Measure And Mix Resin And Hardener.


Resin Flowers - measure accurately by volume
Resin Flowers - Stir thoroughly for 3 minutes total


4. Pour the Resin

Pour the ArtResin onto the centre of your piece and spread it out to the edges using a spreader. You'll have about 45 minutes of working time before the resin gets too thick to spread. Read our blog How To Pour And Spread Epoxy Resin for more resin tips and techniques!


Resin Flowers - Pour the ArtResin onto the centre of your piece


Resin Flowers - pouring closeup


Resin Flowers - Pour the Resin

 



5. Use your Torch

 

Using your Artist’s Torch, hold the flame a couple of inches above the resin surface just long enough to pop the bubbles, keeping the torch moving from side to side at all times. 
💡TIP: if you're nervous about using a torch, don't be! Read our blog with all you need to know about How To Use A Torch On Epoxy Resin.


Resin Flowers - Use your Torch

 



6. Final Check of your Artwork

 

Once the piece has been torched, look at the resin in the light for any missed bubbles, tiny hairs or bits of dust, using a toothpick to fish them out. 

Resin Flowers - look at the resin in the light for any missed bubbles

 



7. Cover your Resin Art

 

With a plastic tote or a cardboard box ( with the flaps cut off ) cover your piece and let it sit for 24 hrs until it’s dry to the touch.


Resin Flowers - simply freehand your design cover

 



8. Wait 24 Hours

 

After 24hrs has passed, reveal your piece!  

💡TIP: the resin will be dry to the touch at the 24hr mark.  At this point, you're free to hang and admire your artwork on the wall, absolutely, but if you're planning on packing and shipping your artwork, please wait at least 72hrs until the resin has fully cured.


Resin Flowers - the resin will be dry to the touch at the 24hr mark


We hope you found this informative and helpful!

Do you want to learn more about using resin on different surfaces? See below our how-to tutorials: 

About the author: Joanne Wright

I'm Joanne, the Marketing Content Writer at ArtResin. Originally from Canada, my home is now Indianapolis, Indiana. My love of all things creative and my entrepreneurial heart means I’ve worn many hats over the years including fashion producer & stylist, retail store owner, t-shirt designer, and even vegan baker! I...