(check out the video)
I had always been so intimidated by the thought of making my own image transfers. For some reason it always seemed so far out of my reach, but alas! It's really quite simple.
I'm calling this a tutorial but it's more some tips on how I did it, and some neat things I found out. There are many, many image transfer ideas out there, more than I would think. I just happened to take a spin of the gel medium transfer. I find that most mixed media artists suggest doing the image transfers with Golden's soft gel medium. I didn't have any of that, so I just never tried it out (which you shouldn't do! I have found out with experimentation that you should never not try something based on a lack of supplies, there are always alternatives, especially cheap ones- these are things I want to share)
After viewing a video on YouTube of Claudine Hellmuth doing a demo of image transference just using some acrylic paint I realized that even though the majority people may do something one way doesn't mean that is the ONLY way. Great thing to remember folks.
Anyway, onto this little tut.
The supplies are simple:
-Mod Podge (used for decoupage and much more inexpensive than Golden's gel medium, although gel medium nonetheless I found out)
-A paint brush or sponge to apply Mod Podge
-Your surface to put image on
-Your image (Which must be toner based ie: photocopy, magazine image, picture out of a book etc) **please note that whatever image you are using is going to be in reverse so if you want it to be text you will need to flip the text and then print it out**
-A credit card or something hard to use as a burnishing tool
-Bowl of water
1. Take your image and apply mod podge liberally to the FRONT. Now I've heard several different references to how to gauge this and what I did was spread it like I was lightly buttering toast. Cover the entire image.
2. Place image/mod podge side down where you would like your image to transfer.
3. Take your credit card and firmly drag it across the surface in all directions being sure to apply even pressure. You have to be careful not to rip through the actual paper.
4. Now here is a variable part. I am impatient so I wanted to push the limits. I've heard to leave these for up to 30 minutes to dry- I on the other hand, probably waited about 3 minutes. Pull from the corners up to see if the ink stays on your page being altered. If it has start tearing it up gently. It doesn't need to all come off, I just like to get rid of as much as I can get away with. If you see the page underneath starting to rip or the image starting to distort you may want to leave it a bit longer or stop pulling it up.
5. I take my fingers, but you could take a cloth and get it damp and begin rubbing in circular motions gently. You'll soon see what's left of the image sheet starting to roll up and fall away. This part may take a while for you to get it all up but it really depends on your taste. I happen to like the shabby sort of feel. The imperfection of it looks nice to me. I think if you wanted a more uniform or perfect image you should let it dry longer. I was concerned about the fact that some of the mod podge got onto the back while burnishing and the fact that once the mod podge is dry it is waterproof so I honestly don't know how that will work.
6. Keep working at your image until it is clear of the haze that is left from the image paper pulp and there you have it. A awesome image transfer.
Now keep in mind that this is not necessarily the idea method. It produces quite a messy result (which I happen to enjoy sometimes) I just wanted to share this one because it is the best for those who have a tight budget (like me!). I also wanted to encourage experimentation because you never know what you will figure out!
Some examples:
(Self portrait- image printed on plain printer paper, transferred onto a watercolored background)
(Image from a paperback book- window on a brick building onto water colored background)**Please click for larger images**
If you end up seeing this post and trying this out, share what you do- I'm totally interested in seeing
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