Artists working with epoxy resin often reach for acrylic paint to add color. It’s easy to see why. Acrylics sit on many studio shelves, way cheaper than fancy resin dyes, and open up endless shades. The idea of grabbing a tube and squeezing color into clear resin appeals to anyone wanting to experiment, cut costs, or just get on with the job. Yet, resin mixing comes with some warnings worth considering.
Acrylic paint is mostly pigment suspended in a water-based binder, sometimes with extra fillers or plasticizers. Epoxy resin relies on a chemical hardening process that water can disrupt. Mix watery acrylics with resin, and you run a few risks:
I’ve stood over sticky resin projects, scraping my fingernail across goo and wondering if cheap paint was worth the struggle. If you add a little bit of thick, artist-quality acrylic paint, the resin usually still hardens. Dump in water-heavy student acrylics, and you ask for hazing and soft surfaces. The lighter the ratio of paint to resin, the better the odds of a decent cure. There's a limit, though. More than a few drops per ounce of resin often leads to trouble.
Resin-specific colorants exist for a reason. Mica powders, liquid resin pigments, and alcohol inks all keep chemical balance and offer consistent results. You can reach deeper color, see less clouding, and count on a hard set. Yet, some artists want pastel or opaque looks you can only reach with certain acrylic paints. If that's you, start with an experiment: mix a tiny amount, pour a test tile, wait a whole day. If it's sticky or foggy, swap to another approach.
Open a window, wear gloves, and don’t skip safety glasses. Once resin and paint mix, the whole batch will eventually set off a chemical reaction. Sometimes, fumes can cause headaches or worse. If you try new combinations, pour them in small, disposable cups first.
It helps to think about where the final piece will go. Coasters, jewelry, or anything that gets touched or washed should cure rock solid. Nobody wants a sticky mess melting on a hot day. Wall art has fewer demands, but yellowing or cracking can happen quicker if you go off-book with materials. Using established resin colorants reduces these headaches and makes art more durable.
Artists run many experiments for results they never would have expected. Sometimes rules get broken, but it helps to write down mixes that succeed or fail. Pull the safety data sheets for both products, or call the resin supplier for tips. Online artist groups love to discuss what mixes worked and what ruined a batch. If saving money sits high on your priorities, grab a few sample packs of pigments before switching to acrylics. Long-term, these approaches pay off—fewer ruined pours, more predictable art, and happier clients.
