Ella Huang: Making Molds for Resin Art

Ella Huang

With the success of her resin and mold making business, you'd think Ella Huang (@ellafuldeco) would be taking it slow. Instead, she’s only just getting started.

Huang never took any art classes growing up, as she found the more traditional arts like painting and drawing weren’t for her. Instead, in high school she began an engineering program that continued through college.

Ella Huang's turtle silicone mold with the finished resin pieceHuang’s turtle silicone mold with the finished High Performance Epoxy piece

 “The problem-solving skills I learned there became very helpful later on.”

When she found she wasn’t that passionate about engineering as a career, she was too far into her degree to stop. However, she started exploring other opportunities.

Ella Huang resin waves pieceAs seen here, Huang also likes to create resin waves

Huang had always been crafty, and wanted to do something more handmade. In her last year of college, she worked at a personalization shop.

“It was really nice to see the final product be so meaningful for the customers.”

Instead of searching for a job, she started looking for a creative outlet. She stumbled upon a floral lamp made of resin and went to social media to find out more. While it was mostly river tables at the time, she decided to try it out herself.

Ella Huang’s first resin piece, which was on canvasHuang’s first resin piece, which was on canvas

What Huang discovered was the passion she had been missing previously, and decided to go for it full time. Before graduating, she asked her parents to give her 1-2 years to figure out if she could turn her passion into a career.

“I did a lot of experimenting in the beginning, then started promoting pieces on Instagram in September of 2019. By March 2020, I was able to do resin full time. By August, I was able to move out of my parents’ house and was running my own business.”

Ella Huang using the High Performance Metering Pumps to get the perfect ratio
Huang using the High Performance Metering Pump to get the perfect ratio

At the start of her resin journey, Huang saw TotalBoat had an epoxy line, but figured it wasn’t as much for artists due to the name. But when an artist friend introduced her to it and she tried it, she was hooked.

“I mostly still use the High Performance Epoxy with the Slow Hardener, it’s so clear and cures fast. If I time it right, I can pour four layers in a day!”

Ella Huang's honeycomb mold with a High Performance Epoxy piece, coated with TableTop Epoxy for extra shine Huang’s honeycomb mold with a High Performance Epoxy piece, coated with TableTop Epoxy for extra shine 

Huang uses TableTop Epoxy for all her dome coats though, achieving an extra shine with the thicker viscosity.

Ella Huang’s first silicone mold, and the resin piece she made with itHuang’s first silicone mold, and the resin piece she made with it

Her mold making business began because she wasn’t seeing too many on the market. After finding a silicone kit online, she quickly started making them for pieces she wanted to create, the first one being a butterfly mold from a cardboard cutout.

Ella Huang taking a picture in a resin mirror she made with High Performance EpoxyHuang taking a picture in a resin mirror she made with High Performance Epoxy

“I started looking around for everything I could make into a mold. I love when I can create a piece fully from scratch and see it all come together after measuring and testing it.”

Another part of her business has become flower castings. Originally using ThickSet Epoxy, then switching to ThickSet Fathom Epoxy when it launched, Huang can get a crystal-clear custom block for any occasion.

Roses Ella Huang preserved in ThickSet Fathom Epoxy Roses Huang preserved in ThickSet Fathom Epoxy

“Flower preservation is very meaningful - seeing a client’s reaction to their wedding bouquet being saved in time is a cherished moment every time.”

In the future, Ella is looking forward to doing more experimenting. On her YouTube channel, she’s been focusing on teaching what she already knows how to do. But she wants to transition to showing off her new projects more, as it takes a lot more creativity and brainstorming.

A resin lamp Ella Huang created after the one that inspired her to start using itA resin lamp Huang created based on the one that inspired her to try resin art

Huang’s been taking classes at a local makerspace, which led her to become interested in trying her hand at woodworking. Luckily, High Performance Epoxy is the perfect fit for that!

“Right now I’m just open to learning and experimenting more - we’ll see where that goes!”

A halfmoon mirror holder Ella Huang made from RazzoA half-moon mirror holder Huang made from TotalBoat Razzo

This creative experimentation includes making beautiful creations using the new TotalBoat product, Razzo, a mineral casting compound.

A tray Ella Huang made inspired by aurora borealisA tray Huang made, inspired by the aurora borealis

Ella’s main Instagram page is @ellafuldeco, her mold making page is @ellafulmolds. To watch her YouTube tutorials, you can subscribe to @EllaFulDeco. All her products can be found on her website, ellaful.com.

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