Shrink Art Techniques
Have you heard of Shrink Art before? Not many people have but when they see how cool it can be they simply love using it to create unique artwork and gifts. There are so many fabulous things to be made using this technique. But first, let’s start by explaining exactly what Shrink Art is.
What is Shrink Art?
Shrink art is a really different craft activity that uses thin sheets of polystyrene plastic. You simply add your chosen design and bake it in an oven to shrink it. The end result can be used in lots of different ways. As well as great artwork these little pieces of ‘cooked plastic’ work well as tags or keyrings as they are quite hard and durable. The heating process still retains the same colour used and the shape remains the same, just smaller.
Do you need special plastic?
To make your shrink art designs you’ll need some Super Shrink Sheets which come in a handy pack of ten so you can make lots of different ones.
How do you do shrink art?
Once you have decided on a design, colour it in using Deco paint pens. This type of artwork really suits the use of bright colours. You will see that one side of the plastic is frosted or a little bit rough. This is the side to work on and needs to be facing upwards. You can lay one of our free downloadable templates underneath as a guide to help keep your work nice and neat.
This Shrink Art Heart Magnets project project is a fun idea to get you started.
Simply colour in using some Deco paint pens and leave to dry. It is important to cut out your design before baking or heating the shrink art. If it will require hanging cut a hole using a hole puncher at this stage. It is much more difficult to do this once it has been shrunk as the plastic is more brittle at that stage. Any rough edges can be gently sanded down before wearing or using.
What kind of markers do you use for shrink art?
The best results are those that use waterproof and quick drying pens such as our multi-purpose Deco paint pens. It is a good idea to remember that whatever type of pen you use the colour will most likely turn a darker shade so always allow for this when choosing your colours. Check out this brilliant Shrink Art teacher gift idea
There are lots of other colourful ideas on the Creative Station page of our website. Make personalised Shrink Art keyrings and add beads and plastic motifs to make them extra special. It is important that you always follow the suggested Shrink Art instructions for each particular activity to get the best results.
If you enjoy this type of artwork why not create your very own Shrink Art kit so you will always have everything ready for you feel creative and be sure to let us see your creations by sharing a photo to our social media platforms.
For more Shrink Art inspiration and easy-to-follow instructions check out Creative Station on our website. There are magnets, keyrings and lots more crafty ideas for you to make. Have fun.
