Shrink art, also known as shrinkies or shrinky dinks, is a fun craft that turns your drawings into wearable art. While it’s a fantastic craft for kids, adults can also dive in and take it to new heights.
Here I’ll be sharing:
What is shrink art?
Shrink art involves using a special type of plastic sheet that shrinks and thickens when exposed to heat.
By drawing, coloring, cutting, and heating shrink plastic, you can transform your illustrations into wearable art; such as earrings, badges, magnets, and keychain charms. The possibilities are endless!
How do you make shrink art earrings?
Making shrink art earrings is a fun and straight-forward. The basic steps are:
- Draw a picture and colour it in using markers or coloured pencils.
- Cut it out with a pair of scissors.
- Heat it in the oven or sandwich press for about 30~60 seconds until it shrivels and shrinks.
- Glue earring findings to the shrunken plastic using glue.
Watch me make these cupcake & ice-cream stud earrings:
Taking shrink art to the next level: 3D charms
With a little creativity and planning, you can go beyond flat designs and create 3D charms using shrink plastic.
During the heating process (step 3), you can bend the plastic while it’s still hot and malleable to shape it into 3D shapes.
Winter gloves are recommended to protect your hands from the heat while allowing you to maintain dexterity. The plastic remains pliable for only a few seconds though, so practice makes perfect!
I’ve made a detailed post on how to make 3D earrings with shrink plastic:
How to make cute 3D earrings with “puraban” shrink art plastic
Shrink art (a.k.a. shrinky dinks, or “puraban” in Japanese) isn’t only for making flat creations; three-dimensional shapes can be made too. Here’s how.
Can you make shrink plastic charms without an oven?
No Oven? No Problem! A hot sandwich press, toaster oven, or even a heat gun can be used to “bake” the shrink plastic. Just make sure that the plastic doesn’t come into direct contact with heated surfaces to avoid any mishaps.
I used to use an oven, but now I prefer to use a hot sandwich press because it’s quicker to take the charms out = more time to shape the charms while hot 🙂 When I didn’t have an oven or a hot sandwich press, I’ve used a microwave that had a grill feature and that worked too.
If you have options, try a few methods and find what works best for you.
Shrink art tutorials & making-of’s
I’ll be growing this list so please stay tuned 🙂
Do you have any tips you’d like to share?
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