7 Best Resin Craft Starter Kits and Supplies in 2023

Jun 01, 2024

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Whether you're looking for a new hobby or want to play with a new artistic medium, resin is a great and versatile option. It's often used in crafts like jewelry, keychains, coasters, and even 3D paintings.

"Resin is similar to a powerful glue, except it dries completely clear and turns into a glass-like texture," says Natalie Bickel, a resin jewelry artist who makes hand-crafted pieces with dried flowers. It can be used to craft individual pieces or combine with other materials such as wood to create unique, durable creations.

For Bickel, who uses resin to preserve flowers from events like weddings and funerals, it's a way to capture fleeting moments in nature. "A flower's life span is short, as they wilt quickly and even dried petals become extremely fragile," she says. "By preserving their natural beauty, I'm able to stop time in a sense, allowing for the memory to solidify," she explains. On a practical level, she "adores how resin allows for flexibility" because "its translucent nature makes it easy to shift the design around after the initial pour to get the optimal end result no matter what you're making."

"We love working with resin because we can salvage various pieces of wood that some people would consider trash into usable art pieces," says Alyssa Haley, who co-owns Grateful Woodwork with her husband. Resin provides a lot of possibilities and creativity, too. "We also like the ability to play with colors and work with the customer to create a unique and individual piece of art," she adds.

"I love the endless possibilities with resin," says Grace Chepenik, multimedia artist, painter, glassblower, and resin fan. "I have used it for multiple projects to dimensionalize paintings, preserve wedding bouquets, and adhere glass skulls onto large-scale sculptures."

If you're a novice and intrigued by using resin, a resin craft starter kit gives you the opportunity to experiment with this medium without spending a lot of money on materials.

"Resin kits are great for beginners to play with and get a feel of how resin works; [there's] no guesswork with supplies you need, like mixing cups with specific ratios and dyes," says Haley. "They give a sample of everything you'll need for a small resin project," adds Bickel.

But kits aren't just for beginners who want to get some experience before going out on their own. "Anyone who wants to do a resin project on any scale should consider a kit," says Bickel. "Resin kits allow for practice until you're ready to preserve your design."

If you've been playing with resin for a while, opting for a kit can be a great way to try out new possibilities. Even professional artists use kits sometimes, depending on their needs. "With my jewelry business, I still use resin kits because I'm typically making smaller pieces that don't take large amounts of the mixture," says Bickel.

If you're not sure how to decide on a kit, "it's wise to start with a kit that has instructions so you can practice mixing the correct portions of each liquid and your pouring technique to make a pristine resin that will last," according to Bickel.

High Gloss Amazing Clear Cast Resin Kit, available at Amazon, $15.50

"This kit gives users clear directions with several mixing cups and stir sticks," says Bickel. "It also lasts for several projects if you're working on small items." A benefit of this kit is the resin will not start to yellow after some time, which is something Bickel has experienced firsthand with other kits.

ArtSkills DIY Epoxy Resin Arts & Crafts Activity Kit, available at Walmart, $33.48

"This kit is nice because it also includes five different molds to make coasters, key chains, and little boxes, which is really convenient!" says Haley. Plus, the kit comes with a casting resin and hardener resin as well as inks, glitters, powders, and white acrylic paint for decorating your creations.

ArtResin, available at Amazon, $110

ArtResin has its own YouTube channel that explains how to use resin, along with various 30-minute projects geared toward all levels.

"Beginners can start watching ArtResin 101 before they even receive their kit to learn step-by-step how to use resin," says Chepenik. The kit includes resin, a torch, gloves, reusable spreaders, and a mixing stick. "It's non-toxic, doesn't yellow, and makes its own beautiful color additives!" adds Chepenik.

Silicone Resin Casting Molds for Beginners, available at Amazon, $14.99

This isn't a resin kit per se, but if you want to make jewelry with resin, this pack comes with an array of silicone molds for making jewelry, along with 50 screw eye pins and a hand drill so you can make resin earrings, necklaces, bracelets, or keychains.

Bickel recommends this kit and uses it herself. "I haven't found a [resin] kit that included the jewelry pendant shapes I wanted in addition to the resin elements."

Note: you'll need to purchase actual resin separately.

Blue Moon Studio UV Resin Craft Mixing Kit, available at Michaels, $2.49

Bickel recommends this helpful pouring kit for all your different resin needs. This kit comes with wooden and plastic stir sticks, as well as a silicone cup to mix glitters, powders, and dyes for all your creations.

Signature Crafts Light Cure UV Resin, available at Michaels, $23.99

This is a UV resin that you can apply on different materials — bezel, glass, plastic, and more — for your jewelry creations and will leave them with a beautiful glossy finish. "Once your design is good to go, you can simply put it under a light and it'll be finished in moments rather than hours," says Bickel. "UV resin kits allow for less work and wait time," she says.

But it's good to know that UV resin isn't "as durable and can turn yellow from the light," according to Bickel.

Casting & Coating Resin by Craft Smart, available at Michaels, $99.99

This epoxy resin dries clear and is heat- and alcohol-resistant. Versatile for a variety of mediums, you can use this resin on fabric, dried flowers, plaster, rocks, and wood. "It's a more affordable brand, which is great to use for learning and experimenting since resin can be pricey," says Chepenik.

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