A quick disclaimer: Hi everyone! This article was previously incorrectly labeled as a “faux resin finish” tutorial by the AcrylicPouring.com editor. The following article is on how to create beautiful ocean inspired coasters, with no faux resin finish. We apologize for the confusion and inconvenience. Happy Pouring!
As much as I love the shine and depth of resin, sometimes it just isn’t cost effective to use it or, and I’m being honest here, I just don’t feel like cleaning up a resin mess.
I do love the idea of an ocean inspired coaster though, and making coasters is one of my favorite things to do. I especially like to make faux marble coasters; I love the swirls and designs that appear in a simple gold, black and white pour! That three color simplicity has also been one of my top sellers, so when I set out to do an ocean-inspired pour, I didn’t try to reinvent the wheel with my tried and true method.
Ocean Vibes
Because I wanted to stay simple, I narrowed my colors to a maximum of three. For inspiration, I looked at aerial views of the Bahamas, and pictures of rustic Cape Cod. I imagined how the colors seemed to dance with each other gracefully, and how they each balanced to create a harmonious, shimmering seascape.
Here are a few color combinations I came up with:
Sunset Ocean: A few drops of pink mixed with a bright orange, layered with aqua and gold.
Tropical Seas: Aqua with a few drops of teal, navy and white (I did cheat and add a touch of gold flake to this one).
Northern Atlantic: Dusty blue, deep rich navy, and a stark white.
What You’ll Need:
- (4) 4×4 ceramic tiles
- Three acrylic paint colors of your choosing
- Floetrol, or your chosen pouring medium
- Blow dryer or a straw to manually blow the paint
- Mix your paints and elevate your tiles.
- Decide which color you’ll use for your waves and set it aside—when ready, add a bit more pouring medium to this color to thin it out so it doesn’t sink into your other paints. Do not include this color in your layering.
- Layer your two main colors—you can do any type of pour you’d like for this step.
- Drizzle lines gently on the surface of your poured paint in stripes.
- Use the blow dryer on low or a straw to blow the color out, causing it to fan and wave. Keep in mind that waves generally move in the same directly.
- Allow to dry completely, thn seal and embellish with metal flake if you like.
Ocean pours are pieces of paradise that you can hold in your hand—don’t forget to post what you’ve made so we can see!
Sara Wagner is an author and artist from Upstate New York. She is the owner of Studio Blackwater and can typically be found covered in paint, cats, or her two young daughters. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram as @studioblackwater.