Shrink Film and Stencils!

This is a guest post I did for the Artistcellar Blog at the end of June. It features another Shrink Film project. Enjoy!

Hello again!

How long has it been since you played with Shrink Film? I found a few packages in my stash and decided to play. I had never tried to shrink an entire sheet before so I decided to try that and see if the result could be used as book covers. I was not disappointed!

Here is my supply list for this project:
Shrink Film (regular ol' clear stuff)
Cheap-o craft paints (but any water-based acrylic will work)
Halftone Dots Stencils (I just used the two largest dot sizes)
Cosmetic sponge
Hole punch (3/16 size)
Basic Bookbinding supplies for the Coptic Binding Stitch

Cover one side of the shrink film with one color of dots. When that is dry cover the other side with dots in a complementary color. Repeat this on another sheet of Shrink Film. Using a hole punch punch the holes where your binding will be. Remember to punch the holes BEFORE you shrink!










Now it is time to shrink the film in your oven per the instructions on the package. It will take less than 5 minutes and it is so cool to watch!!



Cool under a heavy, flat weight for a few minute to make sure it ends up flat.



The results will not be consistent from one sheet to another and the edges most likely will not be square but that was okay with me.



Time to assemble the book!

I will not include a full tutorial on preparing a book block or the coptic stitch because there are a multitude of them all over the internet that explain things much better than I could. So I encourage you to search it out and watch a few videos.



Ta Da! The final book is fun and whimsical. I like the dimension that results from having the dots on both sides of the film. It makes a cool layering effect. The color of the paint became rich and dark after shrinking and has a cool texture to it. There is a little flaking as it is just cheap craft paint so I think a light layer of a spray sealer would help. I want to try this with more quality acrylics (like Dina Wakley's paints) to see if they end up having a different texture after shrinking.

Shrink film and stencils are a match made in heaven!