Many years ago when my kids were still toddlers decoupage was very fashionable and I used to play around with endless decoupage projects which involved wrapping paper, stenciling things and hand painting trays and it was here I learned of an epoxy resin that dried like clear glass over the base of a serving tray.

I got to thinking so many people buy my camel paintings as something to remind them of a place they love or once visited on holiday.  Why not trays with a camel landscape base?  I am a sucker for a gorgeous tray so slowly the seed of an idea grew….  Unfortunately my first effort for reasons I will explain was somewhat of an epic fail, but I have not been put off and my search for a solution continues.

I bought one of the cheap Ikea trays that had a very cheap chipboard base painted white with simple pine sides.  It wasn’t a tray I would usually consider using for a final product, but for the purposes of an experiment it would work well.  I also don’t seem to find a huge supply of raw decoupage items here in the UAE so if I couldn’t find a more ‘upmarket’ looking tray I was hoping this one would work with the ‘look’ I was trying to create.

I sanded the base down to roughen up the surface for the gesso base coat I ultimately needed to work and paint on.  It is always important to sand a shiny smooth surface down a little so the layer of paint you are applying can adhere to it.

Tray with gesso preparation and layout sketch

Once that was dry I planned a basic landscape in pencil, followed by the acrylic texturing.  This step takes a while to dry as it is done in stages and needs to be properly dry by the time I put the final acrylic paint layers on.  Depending on how thickly I apply the various textures, and how warm the weather is the tray can take up to a week for all the textured layers to dry properly and I can begin further work.

Tray complete with textured layers

Tray with final painting complete awaiting the resin step

Once the painting of the tray was completed I needed to source a resin like the one I used to use in my decoupage days locally.  This proved far more challenging than I expected.  In the end, after endless phone calls, wonderful helpful friends doing research of their own on my behalf, and trips to craft shop after craft shop in Dubai I resorted to ordering a sample off the internet from a craft store based in the USA.  That had it’s own set of issues……  Two liquids, potentially a toxic hazard and being sent to the Middle East to boot……  Needless to say the order never shipped.  Whether it was just impractical or whether they suspected use for nefarious purposes history didn’t relate!  One way or another I was left trying to think laterally in order to find a solution.  Phil came up with the idea of using fiber glass resin for boats.

Our solution…. A case of desperate times call for desperate measures….

We were both a little suspicious of this solution but nothing else seemed to be presenting itself and I was desperate.  We bought some resin from a hardware store in Dubai and followed the instructions.

My first feeling was it wasn’t going to dry clear and that it was a lot thicker than the resin I had used years ago so I was concerned it would crack. 

Evidence of lifting and cracking along the sides within the first 40 minutes of pouring.

The end result was disastrous.  The chemical reaction formed when mixing the hardener and the resin generated far more heat than what I was expecting (probably because we poured too thick a first layer). The heat from the reaction melted all the glues in the various layers of texturing resulting in it melting into the fiberglass resin.  It also separated from the edges of the tray and the base taking the textured landscape with it.  Besides all of these issues the colour of the resin didn’t change and it continued to look more like amber coloured tree gum than the clear resin I needed to cover the base of the tray.

The textures literally melted onto and into the fiberglass resin so when we lifted the resin top it came apart. (I was still hoping I could lift off the resin block and the tray and painting underneath would still be intact). This shouldn’t happen and it doesn’t happen if the correct resin is used.

Many friends have offered to ship it to me from the USA and Europe, but I am not sure if this isn’t throwing good money after bad with regards to postage regulations.  Plus if this is going to be in anyway cost effective I need to find a source locally.  At the moment a craft shop and supplier in Dubai has offered to try to source and import the product for me.  I am hoping they will be able to make a plan for me because I really would like to see this work even if it doesn’t prove cost effective.  Besides I wouldn’t mind a tray for myself and it would be great for gifts for special friends….

I have included a link so those interested can see what I would ultimately like to do with this project. Take note of the shipping information…..

http://www.artresin.com