Kintsugi Inspired Resin Coaster Tutorial

Learn how resin artist Thistle.Hyde.Art creates Kintsugi Inspired resin coasters with MEYSPRING pigments



The ancient Japanese art of Kintsugi, or Kintsukuroi, meaning “Golden Repair,” involves repairing broken pottery with gold. A broken and fragmentary object can be transformed into something even more precious than the original by piecing together the broken pieces with lacquer and gold mixed together. 

Thistle.Hyde.Art’s DIY resin kintsugi coasters replicate the elegant look of this amazing art form, but they don't go smashing any coasters to achieve the look of Kintsugi! 

 



Instead, they make their own gold adhesive with MEYSPRING Royal Gold mica powder mixed with a full-body adhesive such as Mod Podge glue. Using an old, needle-point tube, they then "paint" this mixture onto coaster bases with free-form lines that mimic pottery shards. Once dried, they add a flood coat to protect the Kintsugi lines. 




Watch along to see their coasters made of MEYSPRING Olive Gold and MEYSPRING White Pearl come to life!


Supplies Needed:

 

Step by Step Tutorial

  1. Prepare the work area with all of the necessary supplies and protect your surfaces.
  2. Mix epoxy resin according to ratio and instructions for the brand of resin you’re using (typically stir VERY slowly for about 3 minutes or until mixture is clear).
  3. Add in the desired amount of MEYSPRING pigment into the resin mixture. We recommend 1g of pigment per 1oz of epoxy resin for opaque results for smaller projects. Mix slowly until well incorporated, and there are no visible lumps. 
  4. Slowly pour your resin mixture into the silicone molds. Quickly apply heat or flame from your heat gun/torch over the resin (avoiding the silicone to prevent damage or wearing down your mold) to pop any bubbles. A toothpick or stir stick can also be used to pop bubbles.
  5. Allow the coasters to fully harden before removing them from the molds (Refer to your brand of epoxy’s curing time, as this time may vary).
  6. Prepare your Mod Podge and MEYSPRING Royal Gold pigment mixture. Tip from the artist: “We literally did it by eye until the color consistency was right. We wanted the tube to be slightly full, so there was enough tension when we squeezed it out of the nozzle. A rough estimate for measurements would be a 4:1 mod podge to pigment ratio.” 
  7. Apply your Mod Podge mixture slowly in desired designs onto the coasters.
  8. Wait 24 hours to allow the lines to dry before adding the final epoxy flood coat. Use a heat gun/torch to pop any bubbles in the flood coat and wait for them to cure before applying any polish and before use.

 

Did you try this technique? We’d love to see the results! Tag us at @meyspring and also the incredible artists at @thistle.hyde.art with your Kintsugi art creations!

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