Soda Can Fish Art

Do your part to save the environment by making an aluminum can craft you can display forever! You don't need a fishing pole for this project - just some imagination and soda cans! Make your own Soda Can Fish Art from Heidi Borchers and display it on your mantel.


 

Materials:

• Aleene’s Liquid Fusion Glue
• Soda cans
• Craft knife
• Fish pattern (or pattern of your choice)
• Stylus (with ball point tip)
• Scissors (I use dollar store scissors to cut my soda cans)
• Alcohol inks
• Paint brush
• Toothpicks (or wooden skewers) to glue to seaweed
• Clothespins

Instructions:

1. Use craft knife to remove top and bottom from soda can. Use scissors to cut along seam to open can.
   
   
    
2. Lay pattern on inside (silver) side of soda can and trace with stylus.
   
   
    
3. Use scissors to cut along pattern line. (I have a lot of people ask me if the soda can is sharp. My suggestion is to always round any corners and cut in smooth strokes so that there are no “nibs” of soda can which can be sharp and can snag.)
   
   
    
4. Turn cut design over and gently run fingers over surface to help to flatten design. At this step, the design will not lay down completely flat but it does help to coax it to flatten slightly at this step.
   
   
    
5. Place design silver side up on craft foam. Draw desired detail patterns with stylus on silver side.
   
   
    
6. Your design lines can be as easy as squiggles!
   
   
    
7. Turn design over and trace alongside pattern lines. This will create a raised effect to your design on the silver side. This step will also help to flatten your design.
   
   
    
8. Drop alcohol inks onto design and use brush to blend colors together.
   
   
    
9. Cut seaweed strips from scraps of soda can (or from new can). Add design lines with stylus.
   
   
    
10. Glue toothpick or skewer onto back of seaweed.
    
    
     
11. Use clothespin to hold toothpick in place while glue is drying.
    
    
     
12. For the base of my sculpture, I smashed a soda can until it was flat.
    
    
     
13. Determine placement for seaweed and punch smashed can with tip of craft knife.
    
    
     
14. Dip end of toothpick into glue and insert seaweed into hole(s).
    
    
     
15. Repeat until desired design is achieved. To attach fish, determine placement on seaweed. Apply glue and use clothespins to hold in place while glue dries completely.
    
    

For a comprehensive video tutorial of this project, check out How to Create a Soda Can Fish Sculpture.