How To WRITE On RESIN ART| BEST Resin Markers for 2024
You feel inspired and you've gotten creative and you are ready to work with epoxy resin. The craft area is set up ad you have all of your resin supplies ready; the colors are picked out for the resin art, the surface is prepped and you have put on your respirator and resin safety equipment.
And then you made the most beautiful geode resin art, or a resin wood project such as a cutting board or river table, or perhaps you made some resin coasters, an epoxy tumbler or something else, and you are so proud of it. Who wouldn't be?
Resin is a beautiful medium to work with. It colors beautifully with mica, alcohol ink and acrylic paint and it cures to a shiny, reflective surface. Often though you will want to add some finishing details. This may be some natural looking geode or agate lines, some intricate detailed drawings or even your signature.
What can you use to write on resin with that won't smudge, run or come off? We'll share the best tools and tips for writing and drawing on your cured resin layers and surface.
How To Write On Resin
If you are a resin artist and need to paint the fine lines in between your resin pours, cured resin layers or you are ready to finish your piece of art, then you need a good set of paint markers or paint pens.
Not all paint pens and markers will work best for writing on resin. After drawing and writing on many resin pieces, we discovered which are the best paint markers for adding details to resin art; ones that don't rub off or fade over time and ones that will give you fine line details, thicker lines for edges and full color pigment ink that will highlight your vibrant linework in a beautiful way.
Here is a list of the best pens and markers to write on resin with
We have researched and collected some key points to help you purchase the best tools for your resin projects, and we are always updating our lists with more options as new products are developed so be sure to bookmark this page and check back often.
A note about the quality of resin markers
There's a huge difference between finding the best quality of paint markers and cheaper markers for epoxy resin finishing details. You might think you are saving money by opting for the cheapest medium, but in the long run, the cheaper markers might not hold up to regular use for resin art and may fade or smudge.
Especially when you are going over the rocks, gems and glass parts or you are using your tip markers for resin on your top layer of resin.
So if consistent flow and unfading details are important to you as a resin artist, it is best to invest in a good set of paint pens from a reputable company.
Please remember: with any set of paint pens or markers, be sure to try out a test piece first. As a general rule of thumb, always practice on small resin area first when trying out a new product.
How to store paint pens for resin
When you have a set of paint markers, you are going to want to store them sideways. If you store them up and down, you will either be drying out the nib tip too much, or oversaturating it with the weight of the ink. Instead, you are going to want to store your markers sideways to keep your nib wet but not oversaturated.
With a permanent marker, it is ok to store in any direction as it is not a liquid medium being held in the marker capsule. But when you are using an oil-based paint pen or a paint marker filled with an acrylic paint based dye, these paint markers need to be taken good care of when not in use. This will also help increase their working time and avoid dry spots on the nib which could result in skipping on your epoxy resin surface. Let's keep those paint pens smooth and ready to paint directly on your resin.
How To Write On Resin
First, start with products that will work on epoxy. Here are the best:
1. Sharpie Oil-Based Paint Pens
These paint pens are the best overall markers for resin art.
Because each sharpie pen is medium-tipped, it is easy to get those lines and details in your work, and you are able to go over them a few times to add the appearance of thickness and dimension of line in some areas.
This set is great because it comes with eight pens and has a variety of colors to try, so there are some really good options here in terms of base colors.
We find that we use white the most, so if you want more white you can get a set of all white paint pens from Sharpie here.
The pigment in these oil-based markers is a quick drying oil-based ink that resists fading, smearing and water. These markers are the perfect choice for art resin but also work on:
- wood
- glass
- rubber
- metal
- pottery
- rocks
This colorful set allows you to explore and try all of their colors.
2. Uni Posca Paint Pens
These paint pens are another hugely popular medium and is a long time fan favorite for art resin detailing.
These opaque felt tip markers write on resin very smoothly without skipping and each pen has a reversible tip for thick line work to fine line work. This particular set comes with beautiful metallics as well, which is great if you are looking to accent with gold or silver details.
Here are some of the reasons these markers are a top seller among professional resin artists:
- Reversible Tips – Reversible bullet tips allow Posca markers to last twice as long as other markers; To reveal the other side of the tips, simply pull the bullet nib out to reveal one of two sides, from 1.8mm to 2.5mm
- Safety First – Posca markers are non-toxic, which means our pigment formula does NOT contain alcohol like other markers, each Posca marker is water-based which means it’s alcohol-free, waterproof, and still lightfast.
- Versatile – Posca paint markers have been professionally tested and used on over 50 different surface types, which means you’re covered whether you’re using a canvas, fabric, acrylic, metal, surfboard, rocks, windshields, or anything else
The fully pigmented ink is non-toxic, lightfast and is waterproof. These resin writers are great for bold as well as fine linework in your resin art.
This set is water-based so be sure to do a test before adding resin over the top of these paint pens in a clear layer. It is always best to make sure that the resin you are using won't cause them to run.
Be aware there are a lot of knock off's for the Uni-Posca pen, find the original brand here.
3. Krylon Leafing Pens
This is our top pick for metallic markers and they are a well known, trusted brand. Krylon leafing pens come in a variety of metallics including gold, silver and copper. The gold looks amazing on both light dark-colored art resin surfaces and adds gorgeous, metallic detail with a gold that is a true gold, not a yellow or green gold.
4. Molotow Metallic Paint Pens
Here are some pens for painting on resin from Germany. These paint pens are premium quality and will cover resin completely with a beautiful line of paint. They have a flowmaster pump system so you can actually buy them, use them completely and then refill them!
These are quick-drying paint pens for resin so if you need to layer your lines, you can absolutely do that with these. The ink is a high-covering, premium acrylic-based pigment paint that is actually a hybrid paint: it is UV and weather-resistant for highest opacity.
How to apply paint pens and markers to resin
Once you find the set of paint pens or paint markers for writing on resin, there are two ways to use these.
1. Write on your resin in between cured resin layers
You can use your paint pens or markers in between your resin pours if you are pouring in layers to create a sort of three dimensional look. This can be especially striking of you are doing this for a geode or agate, or if you are trying to make a 3D image.
We have often watched artists draw gold fish in layers (it doesn't matter how many layers or artwork depth, these markers will show through) and the end result is like you are looking into a pond of three dimensional fish. It is really beautiful effect.
Again, be sure to do a test patch somewhere to make sure the brand of resin you are using won't smear the paint pen.
2. Write on your finished resin surface and finish with varnish
Check price of Kamar varnish here
Once you are done your resin art, you can use the paint pens on the fully cured surface. You can leave the piece as it is or you can spray it with a finishing varnish spray to lock them into place.
We like to use Kamar varnish for something like this, but like the resin, we highly recommend wearing your respirator for varnish work as well. The respirator we use and trust is listed at the bottom of this article. Again, test your products together first.
3. Write on your finished resin surface and pour a clear layer to seal
This tends to be the most popular options for writing on epoxy. The same as the previous point, but instead of varnish, you seal with a clear, thin coat of resin on top of your art.
If you are going to have your resin art in an area where it won't be touched very much, you might be fine with an oil-based paint marker on the surface as well without a clear top coat.
However you want to seal your resin and whether or not you choose to seal the writing in your resin is up to you. It is best to try all different ways though and find the style that is best suited for you and the artwork you create.
Here are some more helpful articles you may be interested in!
Resin + Beginners
Resin How To's
Resin Supplies & Purchasing Advice
Best Resin For Your Project
USE RESIN SAFELY
No matter what type of resin you decide to use, always use personal protective equipment (PPE). Take time to carefully go over safety data sheets before making anything with resin, and make sure you have the proper gloves on (not latex) and the right respirator for resin protection.
Here are the exact gloves we always use
This is the respirator we use and recommend for resin work
Read more about resin safety here
And please remember, even if your epoxy resin of choice is "VOC-free, odor free" and/or "non toxic", please always wear the proper respirator for epoxy resin.
Here is the BEST respirator mask for epoxy resin: this Full Face Organic Vapor Respirator checks off all of the boxes for resin safety, and comes with
- free 30 day returns
- a 1 year factory warranty
- free US shipping and free shipping on international orders
Here it is:
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