2017 #6 Resin and UTEE {Challenge}

 2017 Topic 6: Resin and UTEE

Tammy Tutrow

Well hello everyone, Darcy here, apologies for being a little late, beaten by technology today. So what do we have for you this time, well this is a combined challenge using Resins and UTEE, some of you will have tried resin for others it will be a new adventure. Most of you will have tried UTEE, but perhaps not played wit this for a while. Now is the time to break out those huge tubs of UTEE that are stashed away and see what you can do with them. 

Before we start, let's see who won the Topic 5: Blue and Ochre Challenge...

The winner of Abstract Art  is: Tracey from New Beginnings

Email Darcy to claim your prize. Darcydotneedles@gmail.com

So let's play with some melty, sticky goodies for this challenge. there are so many wonderful embellishments that can be made with resin and UTEE. 

Resin can be a tricky one to get right if you have never tried it before, but with a little practice you can make some stunningly glossy pieces. For those that have not seen resin components it is basically two thick gooey liquids that must be carefully mixed together, the resulting mix can then be poured into a mould. 

Moulds are numerous, they can range from bought bezels, these are generally metal and form the basic for jewellery and embellishments. You can also pour into silicone moulds, homemade moulds, over stamps and directly onto a craft mat. 

Here is an example of a homemade mould, created with wire, this is attached to tissue paper, coloured and filled with resin. 

Andrea Ockey Parr

This jewellery made me smile, 'fruit in resin'.. well why not, if you fancy having a go have a look at this blog.

thegirlwhonevertalks

This next sample is just stunning, you might think these are glass flowers, but no they too are resin. the wires are formed and then dipped and then each individual piece is joined to another. this artist makes her flowers into hair accessories.

Sakae

You can also pour your resin carefully onto something that is not in a mould, such as the following butterflies. These were cut out and coloured and then the resin carefully spread over the surface. 

Mylene Hillam

There is no need to work small, how about going big, really big! This table is just gorgeous, it is acrylic paint mixed into resin and poured into a large mould. Just wow!

Bich Nguyen

ok back to something smaller, in fact something to go on the resin table that you just made!

These coasters look so much fun, follow the link under the photo for a full tutorial. 

Katherine Swift

As I said you don't need a mould, you can just pour, big or small it is up to you. Perhaps not a table, but really I am lusting after one of those, how about a small panel. Yes you can create a painting with acrylic and resin. Doesn't it look magical. 

Arthur Brouthers

You can also add resin to fabric, this opens up so many possibilities. Take a look at this video as it walks you through the process. 

Now let's take a look at some inspiration for using UTEE. This is a chunky, version of the regular embossing powder that I am sure you are all familiar with. This powder gives a thicker coating and is much stronger than regular powder. It can be sprinkled onto shapes, built up in layers or melted in a melting pot, this way you can dip shapes directly into the melted UTEE and then leave them to set. 

One item that you will have seen on here before is the Leandra bead, it's a fabulous way to create beads so definitely worth sharing again. 

Take your beads a step further and create dangles for jewellery, these fabulous leaf shapes have been coated in UTEE, it makes them almost look enamelled. 

Heather Powers

UTEE can be stamped into while it is hot, melt your powder onto some sturdy card and once fully melted stamp right into it. Leave your stamp in place till you are sure the UTEE has set and is cool. 

UTEE gets super hot, be very careful when moving pieces around. 

This embellishment shows how dimensional your pieces can be when UTEE and stamping is combined. 

Ink Stained

Sadly the Ranger melt pot is no longer available but most of you will already have one, never fear you can heat UTEE in a foil dish using your heat gun. Flat UTEE can be brittle, this is great if you wish to crack the embellishment to make it look vintage, but annoying if you don't want cracks. There was a product called UTEE flex, this did what it said and made the mixture more flexible, however I don't think this is available anymore. I have always used snippets of glue sticks instead, they always worked for me. 

As with resin, the UTEE does love a mould, silicone moulds are fabulous and give really clean shapes. But you can also use metal dies as moulds. This video shows how spellbinder dies and coloured UTEE create a fabulous embellishment. 

Our very own Lin Brown has a fabulous project on her blog involving die cut flowers, she takes them to a whole new level by adding UTEE and using a cookie cutter. See how she does this HERE.  

Of course your UTEE powder can be coloured by adding other embossing powders, but you can also colour the UTEE once it has set. One way is to rub on some Treasure gold, another way is to use Mica Powders. Visit Eileen's blog to see the steps she took to create this. 

Eileen Godwin

There are so many projects, techniques, shapes, sizes and colours  and ways to use resin and UTEE in your art. I hope these examples inspire you. We would love to see what you come up with. 

Don't forget to follow Darcy and Leandra's Pinterest boards if this topic pushes your buttons, you will see plenty more examples to whet your appetite there! I am really looking forward to seeing what you create over the next 2 weeks!

~ Darcy

We hope that you  learn something interesting from our blog. Our bloggers deeply appreciate your comments so much, so please take time to let them know you've been inspired! Why not join our challenge by blogging your interpretation of the current topic and link it here?

The current topic link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, 23rd April 2017, and the winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

All links go in the draw to win a £50 voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store.

Challenge Guidelines

• The challenge is a for you to show how you are inspired by the current blog topic. We encourage you to play with us and explore your personal creative style.
• Please mention which PA blog post inspired you and and why (link directly to that post). Please don't link to the home page of your blog because then no-one can track back to easily find the original post.
• We prefer your challenge blog post is created exclusive to our challenge, but if our topic fits perfectly with another challenge, then you may link to both if appropriate.
• You are most welcome to use stamps/ products/ substrates you have to hand from a variety of companies, we do not expect you to exclusively use PA products - it's lovely when you do though!
• You can enter as many times as you like. We don't want to restrict your creativity! 

NB. Link closes at 17:00 Sunday 23rd April  (London Time)

Prize: The winner will receive a £50 credit voucher to be redeemed on the PaperArtsy Website. The credit voucher includes VAT and postage. We request that one of your purchases is an A5 rubber stamp. You can add any other items to your basket, but the final total should not exceed £50. It's your responsibility to claim your prize coupon from Darcy. 

email: darcydotneedles@gmail.com

NEW Challenge/ winner: Each fortnight on Sunday, the winner will be announced at 19:00 (London time). In the same post, the link for the next fortnight will be posted. 

Good Luck! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!