 What is the difference between art resin epoxy resin and varnish? The main obvious difference that you'll notice right off the bat is that art resin is very glossy and has a nice Thick surface when cured. It's about an eighth of an inch. Whereas varnish is shiny Maybe not quite as dramatic and it's paper thin when it comes to application art resin is poured on and Spread out and it takes 24 hours to cure whereas varnish is typically painted on or rolled on and Does not take nearly as long to dry