Enamel pins are really popular. However, it is a whole different thing to be able to design and get them made. 

There is another way to indulge your creativity and make not just enamel pins but charms for jewelry making. No need to know how to use a drawing program or have a stylus pen and digital drawing pad. Just marker pens, pastels or color pencils will suffice.

Shrink plastic is the answer.  The polystyrene sheets have been used for arts and crafts since the 1970's - the first brand was Shrinky Dinks - that should ring bells! This medium is not just for kids anymore. 

You can also recycle #6 polystyrene which is typically used for baked goods, salads and other foods. 

Watch one of my favorite crafters on Youtube, the soft spoken,  TheCrafsMan, cover how to make shrink plastic pins.  He also shows his fabulous basement studio where he films his videos. 

He shares some great tips - like doing the outlining on one side and the coloring on the other. The Japanese made Posca markers he used, are great because they are opaque, rich quality water based paint which dry quickly and permanently. They can be used on many surfaces. Indeed, the first artists who really loved these markers were those in the graffiti community back in the 1980's. But their popularity have spread far and wide. 


Another good tutorial to get you going is the Shrink Plastic for Beginners: Coloring, Cutting, Shrinking, and Sealing by AmyMade


I also like this one where she shows how to print onto shrink plastic using an inkjet printer. Her pins turned out very professional indeed. 



Amy's channel is a great one to follow as she has many useful tutorials on different craft media. 

Before You Go :

Disclosure 

This blog may contain affiliate links. I do receive a small fee for any products purchased through affiliate links. This goes towards the support of this blog and to provide resource information to readers. The opinions expressed are solely my own. They would be the same whether or not I receive any compensation. 
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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM