How to Make an Embossed Metal Heart for a Valentine's Day Card (Mexican Tin Art)

All you need for this project is

1. An empty, washed, aluminium drinks can
2. A pair of scissors
3. Fine grade sandpaper
4. A ballpoint pen, that doesn't work
5. Cardboard, for a template  
6. Nail varnish.
7. Newspaper or kitchen towel to work on

With scissors carefully cut the top and bottom off the aluminium can, this leaves you with a piece of aluminium to work with.

Using fine sand paper remove the print from the can, this gives the appearance of brushed metal. Wash and dry your piece of aluminium.

Make a template to draw around, from cardboard, a heart, bird or what ever you like.

Draw around your template on the aluminium.

With scissors cut out your chosen shape from the metal.

The embossed appearance is created by drawing both on the obverse and reverse of the design. A ballpoint pen, that doesn't work, is all you need as your embossing tool

'While repoussé is used to work on the reverse of the metal to form a raised design on the front, chasing is used to refine the design on the front of the work by sinking the metal. It is also known as embossing.'

Don't work on a hard surface you need to work on something with 'give' to execute the embossing technique, newspaper or a few sheets of kitchen towel are perfect.

To achieve the embossing you draw lines on one side then flip the design over and draw on the other side.

Because the aluminium is virtually free, a byproduct, you can experiment and try out designs without feeling guilty at wasting it.

The designs can be left plain or painted with nail varnish, I think the painted ones remind me of the colourful Mexican tin art, examples of which I have included at the end of the post.

Use the designs as embellishment on greeting's cards, the heart would be perfect on a Valentine.