Anyone who has spent time crafting with epoxy resin knows it’s more than just mixing liquids and watching them harden. The details matter, from measuring ratios to picking the right dyes or paints. Trying to color resin with just any paint can lead to disasters—colors splitting, muddy effects, or pieces that never really set. Not all acrylic paints get along with resin, and artists find out which brands can cause headaches through real trial and error.
Epoxy resin doesn’t easily put up with a lot of water or odd binders found in cheap acrylic paint. Cheap bottles stack their formula with extra fillers and a ton of water, trying to cut costs. Mixing watery or chalky paint into resin just breeds streaks, clumps, or those weird swirls that never blend. I saw a friend’s pour cloud up like milk because the paint tried to separate as the resin cured.
People gravitate to high-pigment brands such as Golden, Liquitex, or Amsterdam for a reason. Better paints hold up, create bold color, and rarely mess with the chemistry of clear resin. Take a closer look at the labels, and heavy body paints are usually packed with pigment and carry less filler. Less filler means bolder results and smoother mixes. Any time I tried a discount-brand tube, the project either yellowed, or the paint sat at the bottom of a mold, never actually blending in.
Acrylic inks also see a lot of success in resin work. These pour fluidly, which helps create art with drifting, blended color and sharp lines. People who do resin coasters swear by brands like Daler Rowney FW or Liquitex Inks and notice far fewer air bubbles or foaming issues compared to regular school paint.
Many artists online run comparison tests and share their failures—the same brands emerge each time. Poor-quality acrylics absorb moisture and bubble inside resin, leading to haze or weak color. The “Holy Grail” names stand out in these tests. Golden High Flow and Liquitex Soft Body get praised not just for color, but for the resin’s finish staying glassy and hard, not sticky. These paints cut future issues, which matters a lot for crafters selling their pieces or building a side business.
Stick with artist-grade, small-batch paints. Look for labels that say “high pigment load.” If using thicker paint, mix in small amounts to avoid clumping—patience wins here. Always stir gently and scrape the sides. I usually mix paint into the resin part before adding the hardener. This seems to prevent weird streaking and gets a more even color flow. Don’t use craft acrylics meant for kids’ projects—they’re too diluted for resin’s needs.
For anyone curious about safe, intense color, use acrylic inks or professional soft body formulas. These brands spend money on testing, so their paints don’t fight the resin’s chemistry. It breaks my heart to see expensive pours ruined by paint that cuts corners. Saving a dollar on paint can waste hours of work or entire bottles of resin. Reliable paint isn’t just a secret weapon—it’s the basic foundation for resin that looks as good years from now as it did the day it left the mold.
