How to Make a Basic Glitter Tumbler

We are greatly blessed to have so many new resin artists in our community! And many of you have been asking us how to make a basic glitter tumbler with resin. So today we are giving you all the steps and all the details so you can make your own beautiful glitter tumbler!

Glitter and tumblers go together like peanut butter and jelly. Actually, even better than that. If you think about it, you rarely see a tumbler without some splashes of glitter. There are many ways to use glitter in your resin art and we have covered many of them in the past.

But today we want to get back to basics and teach you how to make a basic glitter tumbler with resin. If you are just getting into tumbler making, this is the perfect place to start! So grab a stainless steel tumbler and lets get crafting!

How to Make a Basic Glitter Tumbler

The first thing you need for making a basic glitter tumbler is…the tumbler! There are lots of brands and styles to choose from. Which tumbler you choose depends on your preferences. Some are “skinny” while others are “plump”. Some are straight and others are larger at the top than at the bottom.

You also have different options for the amount of liquid they hold. Working with a 20oz cup versus a 32oz cup will be just a little bit different. You can scroll around on our Counter Culture DIY Artist Support Facebook page and see what other tumbler artists are creating and what types of cups they are using.

We have listed the rest of the supplies that you will need in the recipe card below. Scroll past the supply list and find the step by step instructions. We break them all down for you so, even if this is your first tumbler, you will know exactly what to do!

Step One: Clean and Prep Your Tumbler

Start by using sand paper to lightly sand your tumbler. You can use any grit from 80-120. Whatever you have on hand or prefer will work fine! Once you have sanded your tumbler, wash it with a mild dish soap (Dawn works great!) and allow it to dry.

Then rub the tumbler down with rubbing alcohol. This will get rid of any left over residues. Once you have used the alcohol, don’t touch the tumbler with un-gloved hands. That way you won’t transfer any oils that could cause your paint or epoxy to repel.

Step Two: Apply a Base Coat to your Tumbler

Once your cup is sanded and cleaned, you are ready to move on to your base coat. A base coat can be many things. We made our Prime Time specifically to be a base coat for tumblers. You can also use paint (we love Pop of Color Paints!!) or our Dispersion Colors.

The important thing is to get a nice even layer of a base color. You want to cover the stainless steel and give yourself a smooth starting point. If you are doing a glitter only tumbler, you want to match your base coat to the glitter color you are going to be using.

For example, is you want to use Mystique Glitter, choose a Dispersion Color like Cobalt to be your base coat.

For a pretty dark silver glitter like Silver Sand, you can use Black Prime Time as our base coat.

Once you have your base coat applied, let it dry completely before moving on to the next steps. Curious about Dispersion Colors? We have a post that explains all about using Dispersion Colors as a tumbler base coat!

Step Three: Measure and Mix your Resin

When it comes to working with resin, measuring and mixing the epoxy is very important. There is a Part A and Part B for most resins. When they are combined, the two parts cause a chemical reaction that will later allow the resin to cure.

For tumblers you want to use Artist Resin. Artist Resin is made for pours that are less than 1/2″ thick which includes tumblers. We have three different types of Artist Resin to choose from.

Each epoxy will work beautifully for your tumblers. Which one you choose will depend on personal preference. Many of our tumbler artists prefer our Medium Viscosity Artist Resin so you may want to start there.

Whichever one you choose, having equal amounts of each part is very crucial. You need to make sure you have equal parts of Part A and Part B. It can be helpful to measure each part out in a separate measuring cup and then places them side by side to make sure they are equal amounts in each cup. Then pour those two parts into one cup for mixing.

Typically 20ml-30ml of combined resin is enough for glitter application. You want to smooth your resin as evenly as possible over the entire surface of your tumbler. You don’t want a thick coat. Just a nice thin coverage over the entire tumbler.

Mixing your Resin

Aside from exact measurements, mixing your epoxy is one of the most important steps of working with resin. Mixing your epoxy incorrectly can result in lots of issues. You need to mix your epoxy for 3-5 minutes, sometimes more. You mix until the epoxy is clear, not cloudy.

Stir at an even speed. Mixing too quickly can add lots of little bubbles into your resin. Some bubbles are inevitable so don’t panic if you see some. We will tell you how to get rid of them a little later. But if you are slow and steady, you can prevent some of the bubbles.

It is also important to make sure you scrape the sides and bottom of your cup while stirring. Also scrape your mixing stick from time to time. This will ensure that you are combining all of the resin completely.

Popping Resin Bubbles

Once you have thoroughly combined your epoxy and the little wispy clouds have cleared, it is time to pop any remaining bubbles. Your best weapon against bubbles is heat. Hitting the resin with a heat gun or torch will pop any bubbles that have risen to the top of the resin in your mixing cup.

Lightly hit the epoxy with heat but don’t hold it in one place for too long. You don’t want to burn the resin or melt your cup. Just quickly move the heat gun or torch over the resin and watch the bubbles pop!

Step 4: Apply the Resin to your Tumbler

Now it’s time to apply the combined epoxy to your tumbler. This will give you your first layer of resin and also give the glitter something to cling to. Using your gloves, pour a small amount of resin onto your tumbler and smooth it on with your fingers. Don’t forget to get the rims of the tumbler.

Go ahead and Rub your epoxy over the entire surface of the tumbler. Make sure you getting the rims and bottom of the tumbler too. When adding the layer of epoxy you don’t want to make it a thick coat. Usually it should take 5ml or less to cover the tumbler.

You want to it to be thin so that your glitter does not sink down into the epoxy. If it sinks it will give you a wet glitter look that you don’t want. Having a thin coat of epoxy will allow your glitter to lay right on top instead of sinking down in. The exception is if you are using a chunky glitter. These glitters have a larger cut size and can handle a thicker coat of resin.

Step Four: Add your Glitter!

While your resin is still wet, it is time to add the glitter! Lay a piece of paper on the table under the tumbler. This will catch the glitter that falls. You don’t want to waste any of that pretty sparkle! Sprinkle the glitter over the entire tumbler, don’t forget the bottom. Gently shake your tumbler to get rid of any excess glitter.

Once your tumbler is completely covered and you’re happy with the application, allow the tumbler to cure. If you have a tumbler turner, allow the tumbler to turn for the next few hours. When the resin is tacky enough you can move it to a drying rack to cure for a few more hours.

Step Five: Finishing the Tumbler

Your tumbler should be ready for the next step after curing for about 8 hours. Next you will need to mix another batch of Artist Resin. You need enough to cover the entire tumbler again. That could take up to 60ml of combined epoxy.

Just like you did before, apply the resin to the tumbler. You can use a thicker layer this time which will give you a nice smooth finish. Use the heat gun or torch again to pop any bubbles that rose to the surface.

Then move your cup to the tumbler turner and allow it to cure for a full 24 hours. And that’s it! You have a beautiful glitter tumbler that you made yourself!

The Final Touches

This glitter tumbler is a simple and beautiful one. It is a great way to dive into tumbler making! You get to learn and practice the most used tumbler techniques so you will be a pro in no time! Once you have the basic glitter tumbler down, you’ll be ready to move on to more complicated (and fabulous!) tumbler designs.

We have a ton of great tutorials here on the blog. AND, you can find awesome video tutorials on our YouTube channel!

Be sure to follow us on Pinterest so you can stay on top of everything that’s new and never miss a blog post!

If you want more inspiration and information we have a Facebook group for that. Join us in Counter Culture DIY Artist Support where we, and other artists, offer ideas, answer questions, and support each other!

Do you have an art project using any of our products that you want to share? Send it to us at support@counterculturediy.com, and we can feature them here!