How To Make Faux Stained Glass With Epoxy Resin

How to make a faux stained glass with resin

resin supplies
Now that we’ve made the base for the faux stained glass, it’s time to pour resin.

The supplies for this faux stained glass DIY project:

Super Clear Resin
transluscent resin dyes
Stampendeous Fragments
Pearl Ex powder pigment
Resin Obsession stir sticks
Nitrile gloves.

Step 1:  Get ready

I covered my work area with wax paper to protect my work surface.

resin crafting tray

For small castings, such as this project, it can be helpful to have a small tray to move the project quickly. For my tray, I used recycled packaging and recycled cardboard from a paper pad for rigidity.

resin crafting tray

I slipped the cardboard into the packaging between the plastic layers.

 

 

tray for resin crafts

Since resin does not stick to wax paper, I always line my tray with it to reduce the chance my tray will get ruined runover epoxy resin.

I removed the wax paper with the outliner from the plastic sheet and taped it to the tray.

Step 2:  Mix resin

Super Clear is a 2:1 epoxy resin that cures very clear. Even though I’m not using a mold, the faux stained glass base is acting like a mold. I always use 2 cups to measure the resin parts. For this project, I poured 4 drams of part A and 2 drams of part B.

crafting resin

If you haven’t mixed resin before, learn how to mix epoxy in five easy steps.

pouring two part resin together

I pour part B into part A and stir slowly to mix the components.

Resin Obsession stir sticks are perfect for mixing resin.

Step 3: Time to color the resin

The first color on this project is the flesh tone. For this, I used Pink Gold Pearl Ex.

adding pearl ex powder to resin

I measure out a small amount of Pearl Ex, about the size of a pea.

TIP: Using different sticks for measuring and mixing reduces the chance of putting a wet resin stick in a dry pigment container.

mixing pearl ex powder into resin
Add a small amount of resin to the pigment.


mixing powder and resin
Stir the pigment into the resin slowly to avoid adding bubbles.

mixing resin with pearl ex powder pigment
Add more resin to the colored resin until it is the desired resin color and amount.

resin and pearl ex
When poured thinly, a small amount of Pearl Ex in clear resin is translucent.

adding colored resin to a stained glass template

Step 4:  Add the resin to the stained glass template.

Drip a small amount of resin into a skin area and spread it carefully to the edges. Our faux stained glass is coming to life!

spreading resin with a toothpick

To get into the small areas, you can use a toothpick. Try not to scratch the wax paper.

adding resin and pearl ex to faux stained glass template

With the project on a small tray, it’s easy to turn it to get to all areas of the image without hovering your hand over wet resin.

ensure resin touches all edges of the paint for good coverage

The resin must touch all edges of the outliner for the colour area. This is because the resin will bond to the outliner where it touches.

adding blue dye to resinStep 5:  Mix colors for the sky

The sky started with a drop or two of liquid blue transparent resin dye. Mix the blue dye with a small amount of resin.

mixing pearl ex powder with blue resin
To the resin and dye, I added a small amount of Pearl Ex Interference Blue.

mixing pearl ex powder with blue resin
Blue dye, Interference Blue, and resin has an intense, slightly pearlized colour.

turquoise pearl ex and resin
Add a small amount of Turquoise Pearl Ex and more resin to lighten the colour. As with the Pink Gold, add more resin until it is the desired colour and amount.

pouring blue resin as the sky for faux stained glass
Use a stir stick in the larger sky area to spread the resin. An even coat over the space is needed.

adding dye to resin

Step 6:  Mix color for the sand

The sand starts with a drop of both yellow and orange transparent dye.

adding gold Pearl Ex to resin
You can add dry pigment to the wet before adding resin. For example, I added Interference Gold to the yellow and orange resin dye.

gold colored resin

As with the other colors, stir with a small amount of resin, then add more until it’s the color and amount you want.

To add texture to the sand, I wanted to use Stampendeous Fragments. The fragments are pretty large, so I put a small amount of them in a coffee filter. I crushed them with the back of a paintbrush to make them smaller.

fragments for coloring resin
The crushed fragments are smaller and will add a nice texture appearance.

adding fragments to resin

Pour the crushed fragments into the sand-colored resin. I use a Pearl Ex bottle to prop up the stir stick because the stick is heavier than the resin in the cup. This helps to keep it from tipping.

adding fragment to create a sand appearance in resin

Mix the resin with the flakes.

faux stained glass project

Pour the sand like the other two areas.

spreading colored resin to create a faux stained glass

Use a toothpick to spread it to all areas.

beach theme resin project

Step 7:  Create clouds in the sky

The big areas are done and could be left to cure like this. But, since the resin has started to cure and thicken, you can use it for marbling. Add it to your stained glass to add clouds.

Thickened resin for making clouds

Mix Micropearl Pearl Ex with the thick resin.

dripping white resin to create clouds
Drip the thicker white pearl resin into the sky area.

pouring white resin for clouds

Drag a toothpick through the blobs.

marbled resin

The blue and white marble is a sky with thin clouds.

covering resin while curing

Step 8:  Time to let the resin cure

Cover the project while it’s curing to avoid unwanted bits, like cat hair, from becoming a part of your project.

removing faux stained glass from wax paper

Step 9:  Remove the faux stained glass from the wax paper.

You can peel off the wax paper when the project is cured to the point where it can be demolded. Super Clear cures to demolding in about 8 hours. Other resins can take 12 hours or longer. If you let it cure longer before peeling off the wax paper, it will just be stiffer.

If your resin project is a bit floppy when you first take the wax paper off, let it continue to cure on a flat surface.

trimming resin with scissors

When the project is fully cured, you can trim rough edges of the outliner with scissors.

If you have any gaps or want to make the project thicker, once it is cured, you can do an over-pour of resin as you would for any other ‘canvas .’Once fully cured, you can do a doming layer with a coating epoxy resin, such as Resin Obsession crystal doming resin.

faux stained glass diy

And our faux stained glass is finished!

faux stained glass resin project

This is another sample with a lighter sky.

translucent resin

 

light through faux stained glass

 

 

faux stained glass epoxy resin

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Originally written by Kate Ledum

Unpublished Blog Posts of Resin Obsession, LLC © 2023 Resin Obsession, LLC

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16 thoughts on “How To Make Faux Stained Glass With Epoxy Resin

  1. When I first saw this, I thought the blue was water – where you were making the swirls, it looked like sun on waves. i’d love to try this but don’t know if my hands are steady enough. i like both the versions you made.

  2. What a great idea! Just wondering how this would fare in an outdoor setting? Would the pigments be prone to fading and/or UV damage? Is there a different resin that would suit outdoor use better? Or would “sandwiching” it between clear resin pours on either side help protect the artwork?

  3. I love this project – thank you! I happen to have some Pebeo outliners from my silk painting days so I will be giving this a go very soon!
    Again, THANKS! 🙂

  4. Thanks for putting this out so far before Christmas. I have ideas…! I am a newbie to resin so forgive the possibly beginner question, but how would you add a hanging loop to this. Thanks for an awesome concept.

  5. Just loving this site, fabulous ideas. I am attempting to make resin pendants with the outline. My outline is gold and some shapes I traced, some I made up. Am going to colour the resin as I don’t particularity want it too transparent. If they work I will put them on your site.
    Very kind regards
    Michelle

  6. This is a great idea for an epoxy project, I never thought of this. You should maybe coat the piece in resin after its finished, just to give it some added protection and durability.

  7. This is a great idea for an epoxy project, I never thought of this. You should maybe coat the piece in resin after its finished, just to give it some added protection and durability. I’ll have to try out your epoxy too, I’ve been looking for some new brands to test out and this looks great

  8. If placed in a window is there an epoxy that wont yellow? Also will this adhere to glass? I want to use broken glass or acrylic pieces in my stain glass.

    1. Hi Diana, I’m afraid all resins are going to yellow with time. Yes, resin will adhere to glass.

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