Jane Monteith is a modern mixed media artist, author, and educator from Ontario, Canada, who loves working with color, collage, and composition. She has spent over a decade exploring multiple mediums, including resin, alcohol ink, encaustic, etched metal, cyanotype, and more.
Alongside creating her art, Jane shares her knowledge through social media and online classes, helping artists learn new skills and techniques to elevate their work. With her own line of stencils and tea bag paper, she’s become a go-to resource for anyone exploring mixed media collage.
Jane says: “I love creating with different materials. I think experimenting is so important and it’s a key part of my process. I think it’s something all artists should focus on because when that’s when we make our best art, when we let loose, when we’re not worried, we’re not anxious, we’re not frustrated - we just have fun and play without pressure. That’s when we create that a-ha moment.”
In today's video, ArtResin's Joanne visits Jane at her studio, where all the magic happens! She walks us through her favorite papers, signature gold materials, and shares how she uses them in her work. Jane also explains why she loves finishing her pieces with resin and shares a few tips she’s picked up after more than a decade of using ArtResin.
Let’s get started!
Jane’s Favorite Papers
Every paper reacts differently with resin, so be sure to experiment and test before using them in a final piece. To play it safe, always seal your paper before applying resin.
💡 TIP: Learn more about sealing paper in our blog Should I Seal My Artwork Before I Resin?
Porous paper
A Japanese style paper, such as MA paper or Mulberry paper. These are thicker papers that can handle repetitive washes and moisture with a smooth, even surface ideal for layering. Jane says: "I love it. It's a bit thicker and you can create textures on it - it's one of my favorites."
Mylar or Yupo
Jane makes her own custom stencils from Mylar or Yupo paper, using them with medium or heavy body acrylic paint to add texture and detail to her work. She also embeds the stencils directly under resin for a unique layered effect.
White Mixed Media Paper (on a roll)
Jane notes: "I know a lot of artists enjoy using a journal, but I like creating textures and patinas on a roll. That way I can continue on it, and then I can cut pieces out where I like within the roll itself and add it to my artwork."
Teabag paper
As the name suggests, this is the same paper used to make tea bags. Designed to get wet, it stands up to multiple washes, resists tearing, and works beautifully with inks, paints, or patinas. It can also be cut to any size you need.
Jane notes: "You can really play and have fun with different materials on teabag paper. I love that it’s so thin. You can layer it up with collage and it's seamless. When I apply it to my panel, it doesn’t look like you’ve built up your artwork."
You can even print on it with either an inkjet or laser printer. It’s simple: take a sheet of standard copy paper, lightly spray it with temporary tack adhesive, press your cut piece of teabag paper onto it, and run it through the printer. Once done, peel away the teabag paper and use it however you’d like.
Jane: "On this I've applied some teal inks and acrylics to the teabag paper and layered it into my piece with gel medium."
Jane’s Favorite Gold Materials
Leaf, foil, ink, paint, and spray ... Tried and tested, these golds work beautifully together. Jane loves combining them in different ways for a shimmery, dimensional finish: "I’ve tested a lot of products over the years. These are my ultimate ‘must-have,’ ‘go-to,’ can’t-live-without faves."
Golden Fluid Acrylics Iridescent Gold (Fine)
Rich, lightfast, and versatile, this gold is perfect as a base coat or underpainting to create a strong foundation on wood panels.
Jacquard Piñata Rich Gold Alcohol Ink
Rich, pigment-based, and lightfast, it looks incredible under resin. Jane says: "I've used this for years. The way the gold reflects with resin is just beautiful. I often apply it with a spray bottle for a different effect. You can dilute it with blending solution, but be sure to wear a mask."
Pebeo Colorex Rich Gold Watercolor ink
Lightfast and pigment-based, this ink is a great one to brush on for a beautiful, luminous gold appearance.
Gold Transfer Foil
Gold transfer foil adds eye-catching detail to your artwork. When used with a tube adhesive like Pēbēo’s Mixtion Relief, it creates a shiny, raised, almost embossed effect -perfect for detailed embellishments. A brush-on liquid adhesive works too. Whichever method you choose, always place the foil with the gold-side facing up on the surface you want to transfer onto.
Gold Leaf (Imitation)
Jane always keeps plenty of imitation gold leaf sheets on hand. "Apply it with an adhesive and a brush, and layer it up to get different effects. You don’t have to be perfect or delicate - I want the distressed, worn look, so I’m quite heavy-handed to get that old, vintage-y vibe I’m going for.
“The gold leaf will oxidize and tarnish over time, which is exactly what I want. Each layer develops a slightly different coloration. Then you’ll want to seal and protect it before applying resin.”
Rustoleum Metallic Spray Paint
Saving the best for last! Jane shares: "This is my favorite gold medium of all. It has the best gold sheen. The effect changes depending on the surface, looking more matte on teabag paper and shinier on Yupo. The gold tone is just like real gold leaf. It's absolutely perfect.”
Resin Tips
Jane has been working with resin for nearly a decade and has learned plenty along the way. "I’m so excited to dive into this resin pour! I’ll share my favorite tips, tricks, and why I do things the way I do. I also highly recommend checking out the ArtResin website—they have FAQs, troubleshooting guides, and a whole bank of information that answers so many questions."
Resin When You’re in a Good Mood
After 10 years of working with resin, Jane has learned this is absolutely key: "I know it sounds silly, but it really does make a difference in your overall result. When you’re relaxed and having fun, not rushing or feeling pressured to finish, you’ll enjoy the process so much more, I promise. Make sure you’ve got plenty of time and approach it in a calm, unhurried way."
Work Early in the Day
"You want to see everything that you're doing in natural light so that you can clearly see all of the particles, bubbles, and other things that you need to eliminate to get a really good result.
Get down at eye level when you’ve added your resin layer to catch any dust, hair, or bits that might have landed. Looking across the surface at an angle lets you see much more than just looking straight down. Make sure everything looks perfect before you move on to torching."
Set-up
When working with resin, make sure you’re on a flat surface and cover it, because resin can get messy. "I line my table with heavy-duty black garbage bags—I love them because they’re inexpensive, and they catch resin drips. Once the resin cures, you can peel it off and reuse the bag over and over again."
Solo Cups
Jane uses four small solo cups on her work surface and sets her panel on top, keeping it raised off the tabletop. She also places larger solo cups to the sides of the panel to support a dust cover while her piece cures.
Tape Your Panel
Before starting any artwork, Jane tapes the sides of her raw panels - this ensures clean edges from the very first layer right through to the final resin coat. She makes sure the adhesion is solid to keep resin from seeping between the tape and the panel.
She also tapes the panel's underside, which makes cleanup so much easier - you don't have to worry about scraping off hardened drips.
Jane says: “My tape of choice (and I’ve tried a lot!) is 3M Scotch Blue 2090. It works the best for me.”
Resin Calculator
"I’ve been using ArtResin for over a decade. It’s the resin I always come back to, love, and really depend on. If you’re new to it, they have a really great website, which includes a Resin Calculator. Plug in the size of your piece (cm or inches) and it tells you exactly how much resin you’ll need to use."
Mixing Container
One of the best mixing containers you can use is a polypropylene one from the paint section of any hardware store. The bonus? Once the resin cures, it peels right out - just flip the container upside down on a plastic-lined surface, let it cure for a day, and then peel it away.
Jane adds: “I love it because it has oz and ml on it. It’s nice and clear and easy to read."
Mixing
Mix your resin for 3 minutes, slow and steady: "Don't mix very quickly; take your time and scrape the sides, just like ArtResin tells you to do. Once it’s mixed, I put it off to the side and allow it to sit for 3–5 minutes before pouring it onto the panel. I find the bubbles start dissipating, rising to the surface, which ensures you don't have to torch as much to get those bubbles out."
Keep it Clean
Make sure your panel is clean before you pour. A can of compressed air works great for clearing away dust or stray hairs. Jane always recommends wearing gloves from the very start: “Don’t pick up your panel with bare hands. The oils from your hands can transfer to the edges. When you resin, those spots may repel and leave bare patches. Oil and resin don’t mix, so wear gloves through the entire process.”
Pour & Spread
Start by pouring the resin into the center of your artwork. Since resin is self-leveling, it will naturally begin spreading toward the edges of your panel.
Jane explains: “ArtResin has a great spreader, and you can also use your mixing stick. My favorite tool is an offset palette knife - the handle is raised above the blade, so it makes spreading a little easier. It really comes down to personal preference. I think of it like icing a cake - gliding the resin across the surface. Once I’ve checked that the corners and edges are covered and the resin has flowed over the sides, we're just going to let it sit for a few minutes.
She adds: “Take your time - there’s no rush. You’ve got about 45 minutes of working time before it starts to set up. I let it sit for a few minutes so bubbles can rise to the surface naturally, then I go in with the torch.”
Multiple Coats:
If you prefer the look of a thicker finish, you can add more than one layer of ArtResin.
Jane explains: “I like to do 2–3 coats of resin. It may sound like a lot, but there are a few reasons why:
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Getting a flawless finish on the first coat can be difficult when you’re working with layered materials. I think of that first layer as a means of sealing everything in, so I don’t get too wound up about how it's going to turn out.
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I add my signature in between layers of cured resin because it gives me a nice smooth surface to write on.
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Multiple coats give your pieces some weight. That may sound silly, but when a piece like this is for sale or you're hanging it on a gallery wall, people often associate heaviness with value. By adding several coats of resin, it feels like a weighted, more valuable piece.
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And honestly, it just looks better. Several layers of resin really create depth and dimension."
💡 TIP: To learn more about pouring multiple layers, see our blog 3 Ways To Get A Thick Layer Of Resin.
Use Micro Make-up Applicators
These little tools are perfect for picking out hairs or dust from your resin surface. Another reason Jane prefers working in natural daylight - it makes spotting tiny contaminants so much easier.
Clean as you Go
Clean your tools as you wait for the resin to sit.
💡 TIP: To learn more about resin clean up, see our blog: How To Clean Up Epoxy Resin.
Torching
When torching, you don’t want to blast the resin with too high a flame - it can burn, over-torch, or create dimples in the cured surface. Jane suggests turning the flame down and sweeping gently across, almost “kissing” the surface to pop bubbles without lingering in one spot.
Jane explains: “This is another reason to work during the day - you can get down to eye level and see exactly where you’ve already swept with the torch. Keep going until all the bubbles are popped. You don’t need keep going over this multiple times. One or two passes over the resin should be sufficient. I'll leave it for a few minutes and I'll come back for a second sweep with the torch if a few extra bubbles have risen to the surface- now is the time to get rid of those.”
💡 TIP: See ArtResin's Maker's Torch
Curing
Once you’ve done a final check and everything looks perfect, it’s time to cover your resin while it cures. Jane likes using four large solo cups, one at each corner, to support a dust cover.
Jane explains: “There are several different things you can use as a cover. I like corrugated cardboard because there are no paper fibers that can fall into the wet resin, but you can also use a larger panel. Just be sure you don't have any of your resin surface exposed so that nothing can fall into it. Clean off your cover with a damp cloth or compressed air, and ensure your cups are in the right spot so they don't fall into the resin. Once it’s covered, you can still check it easily to make sure nothing has fallen in.”
💡TIP: To learn more, see our blog Tips To Keep Dust Out Of Resin Art.
Sign Your Artwork
One last tip Jane wants to share is about signing your artwork. “This panel is at stage two of my resin process: I’ve poured one layer and sanded it down, which I always do between layers. I like to sign my artwork in the corner between resin layers. You get a really nice signature, and the beauty is if you don’t like it, you can just erase it with a little acetone or alcohol and do it again.”
“One of my favorite pens is a metallic gold or rose gold. Thhe Sakura Pen Touches are perfect for signing your work. I highly recommend giving them a go on your next piece.”
The final result
Here’s one of Jane’s finished pieces, featuring three layers of resin with her signature embedded within. The gold and texture are beautifully enhanced by the resin, which adds depth and dimension, and really elevates the overall effect of the artwork.
Layer by Layer: Jane's New Fall Art Course!
If you’ve ;pv discovering Jane’s favorite materials and want to learn more about her creative process, she has some exciting news! Her new course, Layer by Layer, is launching this fall.
“I’m really excited for my new program Layer by Layer, opening this September. It’s designed for artists just like you who are looking to break free from anxiety and frustration, let loose, and have fun creating original, unique collage papers, exploring color and composition, and building up pieces in various styles, layer by layer, finished with resin.”
The fun kicks off Monday, September 8th, with a FREE Layer by Layer Demo Days Workshop. Register at www.taelife.com/learn
We hope you enjoyed visiting Jane in her studio and discovering some of her favorite materials and techniques. If you have any questions, comments, or want to share your own go-to gold art materials, we’d love to hear from you below!
To see more of Jane's work, tips, and process:
Visit her website: www.taelife.com
Follow her on Instagram: @janelovesdesign
ArtResin: The Original Epoxy for Resin Art.
