Days 56 & 57: How I Make Shrink Plastic Earrings

Making earrings is usually a two-day process due to the drying time for the varnish, so I'm combining my bug days here and making two pairs! The first is a tropical stinkbug from the Amazon (above), and the second is a lovely blue weevil from Papua New Guinea (below). This post is a photo summary of how I make them...

I start with a drawing...

Frequently I will make mirror versions using the computer, so they appear to face the same direction when being worn, but these are fairly symmetrical and shouldn't make a difference*. I will also re-size them if necessary.

Then I choose the colored pencils I will use...

Using a sharpie marker, I outline the drawing onto the shrink plastic sheet:

Then I color them with colored pencils:

I punch holes for the jump rings and then cut them out with scissors. Besides making the design, the cutting can be the most time-consuming part of the whole process:

Here they are cut out and ready to bake in the oven:

(How did those chameleons get in there??)

While they bake, the plastic shrinks to about a 1/3 of its original size and thickens:

I actually had to re-make the weevils because the first set I made (below, on the left) came out too dark. I used a lighter shade of blue to make the second set, below on the right (and threw some chameleons in there with them! *The chameleons are an example of a design that required a mirror image).

After baking, I apply three thin coats of polyurethane-based varnish; allowing each coat to dry before applying the next. Varnish must be applied thusly because a thick coating will cause the sharpie marker (which is alcohol-based) to run:

I apply the coats of varnish over the course of a day and let it dry overnight.

The next day I assemble the earring parts.

The crystal beads are threaded onto metal eye-pins (bead connectors) and a second loop is formed with the round nose and chain nose pliers. The excess metal is trimmed off with the wire cutters. I then use the pliers to assemble everything.

And Viola!

The earrings can be seen in my shop with the following links:

Tropical Stinkbug

Blue Weevil

Chameleon

[February 25 and 26, 2020]

Post Script:

I found this old photo on my computer of the shrinking/baking process taken back when I used a toaster oven for these (I now use a regular oven because the old toaster has become inconsistent):