As resin artists we sure do love our heat guns! They are a great tool for making gorgeous ocean waves and out of this world galaxies. They also pop bubbles and can blend colours. However - they aren't the only way to move and blend resin and if you're looking to create some more realistic looking Northern Lights resin art then ditch that heat gun!
When you use a heat gun it warms the resin making it thinner so it's easier to move it around. The ripples the air creates on the thinner resin are how you get cells forming. Cells are great for ocean art - not so great for Northern Lights. When I create my Northern Lights I do not use a heat gun at all. I use a swipe method.
What is the swipe method? After pouring my Northern Lights colours onto my art surface I let them sit for about 15 minutes or so. Then instead of using a heat gun I use a plastic or silicone spreader to lightly swipe my colours upwards. Doing this blends the colours nicely while also creating a realistic Northern Lights dancing effect without forming any cells at all. The colours also stay brighter as they aren't heating up and blending with the clear underneath them which is what happens with a heat gun. The other reason I keep the heat gun put away is because the air it creates also can mean more dust particles blowing around and getting into your art. To release bubbles I use a butane torch instead and lightly go over the surface.
For a full demonstration of this technique as well as seeing the difference between the heat gun and the swipe you can watch my video on YouTube showing everything I've explained here.
Need some plastic or silicone spreaders? I've got some great options in my Amazon storefront here: https://amzn.to/3T3RiBf
For the glow pigments I use (they're the best!) you can find them here: https://amzn.to/3TkVIFf
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases that you may make through my links.