Project designed by Linda Ragsdale.
Materials:
photograph with a side view
tracing paper
frame stickers
empty, clean soda cans
stylus
flat-nose pliers
self-adhesive pin or tie-tack back
double-sided adhesive or quick-grab glue
optionals - wire and beads
Steps:
Frame
- Cut open tin cans. Puncture the top of the can with the bottom blade of open scissors or an awl. Turn scissors so the top blade cuts perpendicular to can. Cut off the top of the can. Cut down the side of can, round corner and cut off the bottom. Trim away any burrs created by the process.
- Select a frame sticker that has the shape and picture opening desired. Adhere the frame sticker on the colored side of the tin. Use stylus to trace and transfer design of the frame sticker to silver side of can with embossing. See figure 1. Cut around the frame outline adding approximately 3/8" around the outer edge. Use flat pliers to fold the 3/8" edge flat to the back side of the tin. Cut open the picture hole in the frame by clipping diagonal lines through the center of the frame. Cut out the center and fold down the edges surrounding the picture hole at a 90-degree angle. Trim all four sides to the desired depth.
- To make the picture mat, cut a piece of tin slightly smaller than the frame created in step 2. Cut out a small square shape at each corner of the mat and fold each side piece upward at a 90-degree angle, creating a shadowbox-type mat to fit inside the frame. Cover the inside of the mat with paper if desired. The mat in the featured project was covered with red corrugated paper.
Silhouette
- Trace over a side view photograph with tracing paper. Color in certain areas to identify breaks like head, hair, collar and neck. See figure 2. Photocopy and reduce tracing to a size that will fit inside the frame created above. Trace the components of this pattern (hair, face, neck, collar) onto different colors of tin, and cut out each piece. Glue components together, then glue into the shadowbox mat. Adorn with beads, ribbon and paper if desired. Position and glue outer frame over the shadowbox mat piece by adhering the sides of folded edges. Stick on a pin back to make a wearable cameo.
Tips:
- For outside rounded edges, trim off and fold over all straight segments.
- Add dimension to aluminum using embossing tools to trace around and highlight design elements. Do this prior to finishing edges of the frame.
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