DIY Colorful Layered Resin Pencil Holder

I’m excited to share with you the technique I used for this DIY Colorful Resin Pencil Holder. I have done a lot of resin projects, but this one was really fun because it was required layering resin which isn’t the fastest technique but it sure looks cool! Here are all the details!

This project was sponsored by ETI Technologies. It appeared originally on Resin Crafts Blog. All words and opinions are mine. There are also affiliate links in this post, which if you click on them and buy something I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. For more details see my Disclosures page.

DIY Colorful Layered Resin Pencil Holder

Supplies:

• EasyCast Clear Casting Epoxy
• Stir Sticks
• Disposable Measuring Cups
• Latex Gloves
• Protective Eyewear
• Square Mold
• Mold Release and Conditioner
• Micro-butane torch (optional)
• Paints of various colors – I used DecoArt Americana acrylic paints
• Drill
• Drill bit, same size or slightly larger than your pens or pencils
• Castin’ Craft Resin Spray Finish

Prepare your Mold:

Spray a thin layer of the Mold Release and Conditioning Spray into your mold and let it dry. Do a second layer. Now your mold is ready to use and your resin will be removable once it is cured.

Mixing Resin:

This project uses multiple layers of resin, so for each layer you will be mixing equal amounts of Parts A and B of EasyCast Clear Casting Epoxy. Put on your latex gloves and protective eyewear and let’s make this pencil holder!

You will need to pour 1/4 oz. of Part A into a marked measuring cup. Then pour the same amount of Part B (1/4 oz.) into the same cup.

Pour the mixture into a second clean cup and mix thoroughly again. This is called the two cup method and ensures that all the resin is completely mixed.

Next, add your paint color. I did about five drops of each paint color but the amount you use will depend on the viscosity of your paints. You want to use as little as necessary to get your desired color, so do a few drops and mix, then add more if necessary. Adding too much paint will result in the resin not curing properly.

Mix the color in thoroughly and get ready to pour!

Pouring the resin:

Pour the resin slowly in one spot in the center of your mold. The resin will spread evenly across the bottom.

Give the resin a few minutes to settle, then use your micro-butane torch to remove the bubbles.

Let this layer cure for at least 24 hours. Cover it with something large so no dust gets onto it while it is still curing.

Pouring 2nd through 6th layers:

Follow the exact same instructions for the second through sixth layers, just changing the colors that you add each time. Wait at least 24 hours between each layer so each has a good cure. You will find that the mixing and pouring goes quickly. While this project takes many days to finish, it is not very time consuming.

Here are photos of each of the resin layers being poured. Remember to pop the bubbles after each layer is poured and let cure!

For the final layer make a little more resin so it will be thicker. I filled my mold completely, you may not want to do that because it does make it slightly more difficult to remove from the mold once cured. It’s truly personal preference.

Again pop all of the bubbles and let it cure for at least 24 hours. I left it for 48 hours this last time just to be sure the entire piece was completely cured. If you have trouble releasing the piece from the mold at 24 hours, it may mean that it just needs some more curing time. I got a good image of the bubbles being popped on the middle section of this last layer, so I wanted to add that here.

Drill Holes for Pencils:

Remove your square pencil holder from the mold. This can be a little difficult with large pieces in a full mold like this, but just take your time pulling the sides away from the resin. Once the air seal is broken it will release pretty easily. On one side I did slide a thin knife blade in just to break the seal and it popped right out.

And now you have a resin block with layered colors. Time to turn it into a legit pencil holder!

Grab your drill and a drill bit the size you want, and let’s get to it!

Begin drilling slowly into the resin where you want the holes to be. I chose to do four holes, two each of two different sizes.

As you drill, you’ll notice the colors of the resin layers appearing in the resin shavings.

Drill until you get to your second to last layer color, which for me was purple.

Then drill the other holes. Now brush off all the resin dust (rather than sawdust, ha!) and spray with one thin coat of Resin Spray.

And there you have it! A shiny and colorful pencil holder!

When you look down into the holes you can see the resin colors perfectly. It’s really cool!

I just love all the colors sandwiched in between the blue layers.

Good news, it holds paintbrushes too!

What do you think? Do you like this project? What would you change? Please share this image on Pinterest if you liked this tutorial!