How To: 2 Ways to Apply Resin to Rocks for Craft & Dot Art Mandala Painting Plus Bonus Tips

Learn to use resin with confidence! This tutorial is LOADED with tips to help you turn a rough rock into a smooth canvas to paint on!
Let me make the mistakes and share with you what DOES and DOESN'T work. I'm constantly testing and retesting ideas to share with you.
Please check out my other Dot Art Basics videos for more tips and tricks. • Dot Art Basics Series
I have recently started a relaxation tutorial series where you have a chance to win the piece I paint in the video. If you would like to check out the WIN Mark's mandalas series here is the playlist link: • Win Mark's mandalas se...
The resin I use is MAX CLR from The Epoxy Experts. If you order direct they will give you a 5% discount. Here is the link (other size kits available): theepoxyexperts.com/shop/cast...
For information on Marks Mandalas Dotting Tools and Hex Hive Storage Organizer System, please visit: marksmandalas.com/collections...

[@donnamoore7674]

great tip with the nail beds. Genius!

[@sherylldupuis6323]

Thank you. Love the pushpin idea. Brilliant. 🇨🇦

[@LiveLaughScrap]

Your rock that you painted then resined may be salvageable. There was something in your paint that was causing a resist to the resin. Sand the spots really good. You can sand the whole rock lightly. Then clean the rock really well with alcohol, concentrating on the resist spots really well. Once cleaned & dried really good, you can re-resin. Like I said it may work. Most of the time it does. Hope this helps.

[@barbaraduffell8179]

Thank you for sharing these ideas! Very interesting. You have learned so much!

[@carlawebb977]

What an awesome idea. Thanks for sharing.

[@PyrMom01]

You make this looks so easy!

[@victoriaoliver5113]

Great tip and very helpful! Thanks!

[@angiemanning7033]

Thank you. Very informative.

[@barbtimmerman9205]

I cut my nubs with a jewelry wire cutter and then apply a bit of resin where I cut the nubs.

[@susanherbstreit6421]

Thanks for sharing these great ideas, Mark! Very helpful!

[@MarksMandalas]

Glad it was helpful! ❤️

[@kim99may]

Also a de burring tool is great if you have drips or sharp edges. It will work as long as the resin isn’t fully cured. Prior to 72 hours. Be careful it’s not a blade but still sharp.

[@RocaBibaby]

Use acrylic paint then cover with resin in a warm room and you'll be fine 👍

[@JayneSecker]

Great tips Mark. I shall try the pin push base. And I do prefer putting resin on with gloves hands.

[@MarksMandalas]

I'm not a fan of trying to wash off resin. It does not want to come off my hands very easily. Wearing gloves when using resin is a must do in my regiment. 😃👍🏻

[@naptimecreations]

Very cool, great idea with the push pins. By chance were you using gloss black spray paint on the rock you got the fish eyes on? For some reason resin doesn't do well with gloss spray paint but it does fine with matte or satin.

[@MarksMandalas]

I use flat black. There is no need to use gloss paint. The less sheen a paint has, the more it will adhere to other paint. Also, whatever sheen you use to seal your finished piece is what sheen the entire piece will take on so the flat paint takes on the appearance of gloss if you use resin or a gloss clear coat. I also highly recommend spray painting after you use resin to smooth rocks to avoid the effect shown on the right. You can also tint the resin instead of spray painting. ❤️

[@naptimecreations]

@@MarksMandalas awesome, thank you so much for your tips 😁

[@Jodysfunstuff]

Less thumb tacs = less contact points 3 or 4 is really all Ive used when I used this method but Pointed Silicone mats work a lot better because the resin easily comes off the mat so you start clean the next time.

[@anawatson3787]

Vary informative.

[@elizabethguess2427]

Genius!

[@tammyslatten]

Thank you

[@fireblazinstar]

So I paint rocks (not mandala) and seal with uv resin. Lately all my rocks look like the bad one you show first. What is causing that I have tried all kinds of things I use UV resin. i cannot get the resin to look smooth. I use smooth Santorini and other smooth rocks. I also matte spray sela first to prevent smudging of the paints. Any tips you could give me to avoid my rocks for looking like that?

[@jscj2066]

Hi, Mark! I, too, have tackled the job of trying to cover my rocks with resin for that smooth finish to paint dot mandalas on. I have discovered that it is a trial and error sort of thing. I have been able to get a nice smooth surface on the rocks by using my gloved hands to apply the resin. Couple of things I’ve learned that has helped me is to NOT pour my resin RIGHT AFTER it is mixed, but to wait until the resin becomes the consistency of thick honey. (About 15 to 20 minutes after mixing). This DOES decrease the amount of time I have to work with the resin, but I have less runs. I’ve also learned that I was using WAY too much resin on my stones, and that caused a lot of pooling underneath. A little goes a long way. Just FYI, I use Art Resin, and it has a 45 minute work time. It has worked great for me. I’m curious to know if you are sealing your stone with resin again AFTER you paint your mandala on it. I know the makers of Art Resin say to rough up the first layer of resin (if it has cured) before adding another layer. I’m trying to figure out how to make my second layer of resin adhere to the first without ruining my artwork. If I sand the first layer of resin, I’m afraid I might damage my dotted mandala. I thought about using a clear spray over it, but I don’t know if that would work or not. Any help would be appreciated. I hope I’ve explained this well enough for it to make sense. Thanks for sharing your videos and help. 🙏

[@MarksMandalas]

While you may have some wetting issues covering your artwork with resin, I would not try roughing up the surface. I just covered the rock with the wetting issues shown in this video without roughing it up and it turned out pretty darn good. I plan on using for one of my WIN Mark's mandalas videos. I will be pointing out that it is that rock too. While Art Resin has a bunch of great content, they have a poor quality product. Many 1 to 1 ratio resins are filled will excessive plasticizers which is far from ideal. I have tried Art Resin and I encourage everyone to switch to a different brand. I used Pebeo by Gedeo with wonderful results. I wanted to find something a little more affordable and found Max CLR from The Epoxy Experts. So much better than Art Resin. I am thorough about following instructions and in the several times I tried Art Resin, I came out with only one kind of ok cure. I never had a single issue with Pebeo or Max CLR. Here is a video comparison I did awhile back between Art Resin and Pebeo: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6mcgKuCrLJqp7M I am not one to talk negatively about a product unless I have first hand experience with it. While many people have had good results, it does not change the fact that they sacrifice quality. BTW - Max CLR is FDA compliant & food safe. Art Resin cannot make both of those claims. Sorry for the long response. ❤️

[@jscj2066]

@@MarksMandalas ,thanks for your reply and for your suggestions! Good things to know going forward! I appreciate it! 🙏

[@ohcarolz]

Mark, what a great tutorial! I can’t wait to sit down and make my bed of nails, it looks super easy! Can you tell me how much and what kind of paint to add to the resin? I’m sure you posted a video on that but if you could send me into the right direction for that, I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you again for your time and work that’s put into these tutorials for people like me🤪

[@MarksMandalas]

I think it shows in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZobGkmZjoNOlfZI

[@beaulucas7736]

Sorry to be off topic but does anyone know of a method to log back into an Instagram account..? I was dumb forgot the password. I would love any help you can offer me!

[@marcelomaxton4213]

@Beau Lucas instablaster ;)

[@beaulucas7736]

@Marcelo Maxton Thanks for your reply. I found the site thru google and im in the hacking process atm. Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@beaulucas7736]

@Marcelo Maxton WTF IT REALLY WORKED :O Literally got access to my IG password within roughly 40 mins by using the site. Had to pay 15$ but definitely worth the money =) Thank you so much, you saved my ass !

[@latetotheparty4785]

I use a floral frog instead of thumbtacks embedded in resin.

[@paultoschi]

Only downside is that somewhere in the Pacific Ocean is a huge island of black rubber gloves.

[@cherylmoser8254]

Thank you so much for taking my suggestion of a video about applying resin and making one. Very informative! Thank you! Where did you get the silicone mold from?

[@MarksMandalas]

That one in this video I got from Michaels. Another great source for molds is "Let's Resin". 😃👍🏻

[@jimholowach457]

Will the resin hold up in cold weather out side. Like snow

[@gthompson4024]

Great video, Mark! Where did you get the silicone mold for the push-pin disks?

[@MarksMandalas]

I got it at Michaels. 😃👍🏻❤️

[@gthompson4024]

@@MarksMandalas Thanks!

[@charlottekohlman5268]

Just to clarify, can you paint the rock first with a design and then coat it with resin?

[@MarksMandalas]

Putting resin over paint is tricky but I do resin over my finished pieces quite a bit of the time. I recommend keeping an eye on a piece you painted and then resin. If you notice the resin is not sticking to certain areas I would rub those areas with a gloved hand. The resin I use is self leveling so if it is not fully cured or getting close to being cured you can usually move the resin around on the piece and it will smooth out. I wish I could give you more definitive info but the process has variables so there is not a one size fits all answer.

[@erikaweston2083]

I have 4 screws in some wood. I glue felt on the flat surface though. How’d you remove the nubs?

[@MarksMandalas]

You can try sanding them. I have banged the bottom of the rock on a hard surface which helped to flatten the nubs. I do not have a perfect method to suggest yet. Once I get one I will be sure the share. 😃❤️👍🏻

[@iphonejacki]

Thank you. I bet you only need three push pins for a wee tripod.

[@kim99may]

If you are going to spray paint prior to resin I find flat or at most satin works best not to get divots.

[@jeroennietsdoenn]

Is there any possibility to make the stone sides up and down both equally and smooth with resin, or isn't there a method?

[@MarksMandalas]

I have not found a way to do that yet.

[@nanciperrin7209]

You can do one side, let it dry, and then do the other side.

[@jeroennietsdoenn]

@@nanciperrin7209 I know.. but that does not make the result smooth and equal as in "one" resin layer. Im looking for the "perfect resin a stone way"

[@nanciperrin7209]

@@jeroennietsdoenn I know, which is why I don’t use it! If you find a way, I’d love to know!

[@China-Clay]

Why spray paint instead of just painting with a brush?

[@MarksMandalas]

No brush marks with spray paint 😃

[@China-Clay]

@@MarksMandalas thank you, that makes sense!

[@doglettina]

Hi Mark! I have a small observation/complaint regarding your instructional videos. I have watched several of them recently, and will, no doubt watch more, as I am planning to gift my DIL a starter setup for her upcoming B'day. I want it to be as complete as possible, so she can get started as quickly as possible. A couple of days ago I watched "Tutorial #3 Rock Smoothing" from 2017, I think. In that video you use spackle, followed by paint to prepare your rock for dotting. Tonight, I've watched the above video, in which you initially coated your rock with tinted epoxy resin, but later changed your mind to state that the resin need not be tinted, because you painted it afterward. Call me simple minded, but this is confusing. If you have evolved beyond spackling, perhaps that video should be taken down, or at least updated in the comments. And I think it would be of service to your viewers if you didn't appear to be figuring out the subject of your video AS you are making it. I, for one, am looking to you to be the expert, and I have learned so much from you, so far.. I'll, hopefully, be able to steer my DIL in the right direction to find any help she might need. Sorry if I have come off really b*tchy - that was not my intention at all. As a matter of fact, several of your own or recommended products will be a part of my gift. So, no spackling, no tint, resin, followed by paint of choice and resin again to finish?