One of our talented customers, Terri from Watersong Creek Creations, recently shared a project she brought to life using our Proglas 1000 Epoxy Resin. Her Seascape Window is beautiful and showcases the versatility and brilliance of our epoxy resin.

If you would rather read this tutorial, you can read the edited transcription below-

Today I am going to make a six-pane window epoxy resin art piece. This is a commission piece someone asked me to do. It’s going to have sand, sea shells and lots of ocean colors for the pigment as well as tabletop/ bar top epoxy resin.

Preparation

I start by cleaning the windows with isopropyl alcohol and then using a blow dryer to take away any debris that might have settled. Next, I very intentionally go over each pane front and back with a hot glue gun to seal every seam. I learned the hard way that you want to make sure every seam on a window is sealed because that epoxy resin will seep through any crack that is left. My workstation was a mess when I did not do that one time. Now I make sure every single seam is covered well.

Layout

I have a black line running along the middle of the window. I do that to lay out the line of the shoreline. I use a sharpie on the back of the window and lay out the design I want on the front of the window. Then I can start laying out my seashells the way I want them before I pour the epoxy resin and the sand on the window. This gives me a clear image of what I want before I am in a position where the epoxy resin might be starting to dry or get tacky and will not hold the shells as well.

Once I finish the layout, I am going to take pictures of my project with my iPad so I can re-create where the shells go with no problem. I turn one of the larger shells upside down and put some pearls in it. It’s a signature thing I like to do. I always put some pearls in one of the seashells as an added little treasure.

Once I’ve got my photographs, I am going to put the shells from each section in a different container to keep them separate. After, I start mixing up my resin with the sand.

Epoxy Tabletop Resin and Sand

I only use ProGlas 1000 clear table top resin from Fiberglass Warehouse. This is my go-to epoxy resin for everything I do. I can’t recommend it highly enough. It has a good work time and it dries rock hard. I’ve used other resins but once I started using ProGlas 1000 two-part resin, I never went back to using anything else.

I mixed up 24 ounces of tabletop resin and I did end up using all of it. I mixed it into 12-ounce batches and I ended up using about a canister and a half of sand. I like to use coarse sand for these ocean windows. I like the effect of the bigger sand that I use. I use kind of a sugar sand on smaller projects but for these big windows I really like the coarse sand. I mix it up to about the consistency of thick oatmeal. I don’t want this to run once I lay it down in the shape that I got laid out and if you mix it too thin, it will do that. Then it’s like herding a cat. You can’t get the resin to go back once it starts running. Once you mix up both parts of the epoxy resin along with the sand, you’re going to have a tremendous amount of air bubbles. You usually have to torch several times to get the air bubbles out because that sand will turn white almost. Once you hit it with the torch then it goes back the way it should be. 

Laying out the Shells

I’ve got my iPad right next to me. I’m checking each window pane for how I had the shells laid out. I always use the bigger shells and the more 3d effect in that lower left window pane. Its kind of the anchor spot. Then I go lighter as I move across and up. Once I get everything in place like I want it, I just go back and I tap down every single shell to make sure that its well seated in the resin. This is because once that resin dries, those shells aren’t going to go anywhere. Finally, I sprinkle all the smaller shells and the crushed abalone to fill in.

Adding Accessories and Pigments

My last step on this part of the project is to intentionally place some tiny starfish where I think they need to be, just to give it a little effect. So, for this window I am using Mermaid Trash, sea turtle and the Nerdy Birdy iridescent blue and Caribbean pigments. I really like this color combination for my ocean windows. Their pigments are vibrant and a high quality and they are pretty much all I use. Once I get all of the color in the pattern that I want, I am going to use Mermaid Trash lace in a small amount of resin to create the wave effect. I am going to lay that white right along the shoreline and then at the break in each color. At the top of each I am going to torch to thin it out a little bit and then hit it with the heat gun to start the movement. I am going to go back and do a thicker line along the seashore. Then I am going to use a toothpick and then just put thin lines all along the sand and the shells to give it the look of bubbly water that has stayed up on the shoreline. I just keep moving the white until it is the way I want it to be.

My second to last step is to lay down three little sea turtles in three different panes. I cover their back legs with a little resin to give them that look of being underwater. Lastly, I pull away the little pieces of dust that may have fallen in the project and give it a final torch.

Feeling inspired? Try ProGlas 1000 Tabletop Epoxy Resin today—it might just be the key to your next work of art!