NAME: Chantal Cross
BUSINESS NAME: Live Sleep Resin
INSTAGRAM: @livesleepresin
YOUTUBE: Live Sleep Resin
WHERE CAN YOU SEE MORE?: 11th - 12th Dec. Warlingham Church Hall, 399 Limpsfield Rd, CR6 9HA, UK
TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR WORK.
Oh my goodness, how long have you got? So my ‘therapy’ as I like to call it has become my ‘go to’ for relaxation, I have taken over a room in my house which my husband insisted for a long time should be the ‘exercise’ room. He has now finally conceded that it’s my craft room! I am such a messy crafter, it’s honestly everywhere and with the silly season fast approaching, glitter seems to find it’s way into the weirdest places!
I absolutely love colour and the use of negative space and of course anything shiny or glittery! I like to experiment with different techniques and to share what I make (good, bad and ugly) so I can pay forward what I’ve learnt from other generous YouTubers. I think it’s important to show what works and what doesn’t work because that’s real life isn’t it!
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING WITH RESIN?
I started watching acrylic pouring videos during the first lockdown in March 2020, I found it incredibly relaxing. During my marathon youtube sessions, someone had adopted an acrylic pour technique with resin and that was it! I was absolutely hooked, I started watching every single video I could and learning as much as I could about resin. My brother bought me some very very smelly resin for my unbirthday that year (I’m a boxing day baby so I have another summer birthday) and I finally plucked up the courage to pour on 26th June 2020. I absolutely love it, it’s so so good for your mental health as you can get really immersed in what you are doing.
YOU'VE RECENTLY STARTED TO USE HYDROFLOW, ANY TIPS TO GET THE BEST RESULTS WHEN YOU ADD GLITTER OR PIGMENT?
So with Hydroflow (or indeed when you are using a resin that is opaque in colour), you need to be a little careful so that it shows up. I literally just threw it in the mold then poured the Hydroflow on top. Be careful not to agitate too much otherwise you’ll mix the glitter in. I’m still experimenting with this. So far, I’ve used fine glitter and chunky glitter and both seem to work quite well. I used some tiny ‘ho ho hos’ though and they just seemed to get ‘eaten’ by the Hydroflow. If you are wanting to produce eco pieces though I would also pick from the hemway range of eco glitters.
In terms of pigments, I understand that you can use acrylic inks or acrylic paint and micas to colour Hydroflow. If you want a strong colour though you really need to get the specifically formulated concentrated pigments, I need to test out some of the jesmonite pigments to see if they work. I also notice you do some cement pigments so I’m wondering if they might work! Watch out for that video soon!
HAVE YOU EVER TRIED SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAT WORKED OUT WAY BETTER THAN YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD?
See this is what I absolutely love about resin, sometimes you leave a pour thinking, well that’s gonna be hideous and you come back and somehow it’s turned into a stunning piece. The first collaboration I did was with the gorgeous inside and out Claire from Claire’s Crafty Corner and Wendy from Toonpish Crafts. It was for valentine’s day last year and I literally threw everything at it and tried so many different techniques. I painted the mold in acrylic ink, I used alcohol inks, I used glitter, I used other inclusions and I used a cookie cutter!! I was absolutely blown away by the results and I was really relieved as I wanted to get it right and put the effort in. Check out the full video:
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE METHOD FOR APPLYING GLITTER / PIGMENTS TO YOUR RESIN PROJECTS?
I don’t think I really have a favorite method as it’s so versatile. If you want a lot of negative space you can just use a tiny amount and use clear resin to show it off. If you want it to stay in certain places you can make up a very thin concoction, if you want it evenly spread in say, a pyramid then timing and knowing your resin, is crucial.
WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING HURDLE YOU'VE ENCOUNTERED WHEN USING GLITTERS IN RESIN?
I actually find glitters very easy to use and I’m fairly free in the way I use them. Resin is a bit of a fickle mistress in that she kind of does what she wants and she will tell you if she’s not happy (yes I see resin as female, there’s nothing wrong with that!!). I suppose if I had to nail it down though it’s getting glitters to ‘float’ evenly. I had a tip from a good friend of mine, Yvonne, (she’s a member of Resin Supplies Den on Facebook) advised to have a small amount of resin next to your piece and to add a tiny bit of glitter to, then to wait 5 minutes to see if it sinks to assess when it’s thick enough for the glitter to remain suspended evenly. If you’re new to glitter and you want this effect, I’d start with the fine glitters first till you get to know the resin you’re using.
Another hurdle is glitter spreading everywhere and going places you don’t want it to go!! This can be easily overcome by either mixing it into a very thick paste (so go easy on the resin) or by pouring it specifically where you want it, then allowing it to cure (or using UV resin) before finishing the piece off.
SO WHAT SORT OF PRODUCTS ARE IN YOUR RANGE?
I have coasters, glittery hair grips, tree decorations, trinket dishes, Christmas decorations, phone grips, a pyramid, sculptures, small hearts, fridge magnets at the moment but I'm really happy to take commissions. It's quite a flexible craft and I can always make a mold if it doesn't exist.
WHAT MAKES YOUR PRODUCTS STAND OUT?
I think people are drawn to the colour, sparkles, use of negative space and 'freezing something in time' and preserving it forever! The pieces I make are all completely unique as resin is unpredictable so it’s difficult to replicate results.
IF YOU HAD TO PICK, WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE HEMWAY COLOUR?
Nope, absolutely impossible. Seriously, the range is so so vast, everytime I use a colour I think, okay I absolutely love this, then I use another and I think okay I absolutely love this!! I suppose if it was life or death I could possibly commit to the holographic range but then I’ve just seen your glitter shapes oooh and the harlequin rose gold and harlequin blue red purple mixes.
POLYURETHANE & EPOXY GLITTER - HARLEQUIN BLUE RED PURPLE MIX - 100G
£8.95
ULTRA SPARKLE GLITTER - CHRISTMAS TREE - EMERALD GREEN HOLOGRAPHIC
£10.95
ECO FRIENDLY BIODEGRADABLESPARKLE COSTMETIC GLITTER - SILVER HOLOGRAPHIC
£10.95
POLYURETHANE & EPOXY GLITTER - HARLEQUIN MIX WITH ROSE GOLD - 10G
£3.95
WHAT’S YOUR MOST DIFFICULT PROJECT TO DATE?
I think it’s got to be my nemesis pyramid. So I had to have three goes at doing a pyramid, the first one I’m pretty sure I had an exothermic reaction along with using far too many alcohol inks, the second one I used cellophane on the outside of the mould and resin seeped in under it in some places and not others and finally the third one came off beautifully!
WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES YOU AND WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO COLLABORATE WITH?
Oh my goodness, I get inspiration from so many places and I have a whole play list of amazing artists that very generously agreed to collaborate with me here:
I also find inspiration everywhere, for example I got inspired the other day when we went to get some oxygen plants for our pond, I walked into the shop and I saw some very brightly coloured pink fish contrasted against the water that looked a cobalt blue! Or I’ll see a pattern or texture or a style like art deco!
I absolutely love the collaborative process and in particular the planning phase when you’re throwing around ideas and making new connections so I’m open to offers!! I must say though I’d love to collaborate with Artsy Madwoman and Daniel Cooper.
FAVOURITE MAKERS
