How to Adjust Pigment Amount for Desired Resin Opacity

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Opacity is a crucial element in resin art, allowing for anything from delicate translucency to rich, solid colours. Understanding how to adjust the pigment quantity will help you consistently achieve your desired effect, whether you’re creating jewel-like casts or bold decorative pieces.

Determining the Right Pigment Amount

When aiming for a transparent or subtle tint, start with a minimal amount of pigment—often just a drop or small scoop per 100g of resin. Gradually increase the quantity, mixing thoroughly and checking the colour as you go. For highly concentrated liquid colourants like Colourfun, as little as 8–10ml per kg resin is usually sufficient for vibrant, solid hues.

For pastes and liquids, add pigment slowly while mixing to assess the intensity.
For powders (such as mica), typically 5–8g per 1kg of resin will create strong colour coverage without overwhelming the mixture.
Do not exceed manufacturer recommendations (often 5% by weight for liquids, or up to 15% for powders) to maintain proper resin curing and strength.

Testing and Achieving Your Desired Opacity

Test your blend by dribbling a small amount on a white surface or allowing a droplet to cure. If aiming for a stained glass or water-like effect, stop once the desired translucency appears—more pigment can always be added, but it cannot be removed. For deep, opaque effects, keep adding pigment in small increments but avoid surpassing the safe limits that could interfere with chemical curing.

Translucent effect: use minimal pigment.
Opaque effect: increase to the recommended maximum, mixing diligently.

When This Matters Most

Opacity decisions are especially important for statement pieces, jewellery, or functional artwork. Not only does opacity affect aesthetics, but using too much pigment risks incomplete curing, surface tackiness, or a weakened piece. Always stick within suggested ratios, especially for critical projects.

Related guides

How To Calculate The Amount Of Pigment To Mix With The Resin

Mastering opacity control ensures your resin work matches your artistic vision. For more tips on perfecting the resin-to-pigment ratio, explore our main guide on how to calculate the amount of pigment to mix with the resin.