How to Craft Sheets of Plastic From Paint
Creating "plastic" from paint is a simple technique with a very unusual outcome. The sheet of dry paint can be used in many decorative applications. It is vibrant in color, flexible and stretches. You can cut it, punch it and stretch it around objects. The "plastic" is shiny and not at all like if you had just painted a surface.
Things You'll Need
- Acrylic paint – variety of colors
- Wax paper
- Piece of cardboard or old credit card
- Brush or finger
Instructions
-
-
1
Lay out the wax paper. Drop a variety of paint colors onto the surface. You are attempting to create a layer of paint that will adhere to itself. Choose at least three colors. Use an odd number of colors that work well together.
-
2
Using the cardboard or credit card, create a somewhat thin layer of paint. Move the paint around until you are happy with the look of the design. You could use a faux finishing design tool, but it is not necessary to buy one.There are two sides to this plastic sheet. It doesn't look like much now but the other side will be different. The bottom side is more vibrant in color and more interesting.
-
-
3
Allow this to dry. It can take several days if your paint is very thick. But check it after one night, it might be dry.
-
4
When completely dry, peel the paint away from the wax paper. Do this slowly, if the paint is thin in spots, the plastic can tear. This flexible “plastic” sheet can now be used in many crafting applications.
-
5
Cool, so now what do you do with it? Think scrapbooking applications, paper projects or book making. It can be cut or punched easily. Because it is somewhat flexible, you can stretch it around objects as well. It works well in bookmaking applications or office products like a post it note holder.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Although not tested, other water based house paints may also work.
Another option would be to replace the wax paper with a sheet of Plexiglas, glass or even tin foil.
Once you are comfortable with the technique, you can experiment with additional options.
- Photo Credit J. Van Lone Trieschman
