Transfer Experiment {with Chatsworth Papers by Lucy Edmondson}

Hi, Darcy here. Tonight we have a new feature for you. I recently contacted a few people and asked if they would like to be 'Experimenters' The brief was to take a PaperArtsy product and do 'something different' with it. ..use it in an unusual way,push the boundaries, combine it with something not tried before.. create a technique...you get the idea. Choose a product, run with it and see where you end up. 

The resulting blog post is a breakdown of just the experiment, not a project, though I have asked my 'Experimenters' to include possible projects at the end, just to give you an idea of how you can use their experiments in your own creations. 

So tonight I leave you in the capable hands of Lucy, who has been creating wonderful texture on Chatsworth paper.

Hi Everyone, Lucy here, and I'm so excited to bring you an experiment I did in image transfer. How would you like to add the texture of canvas to the lovely Chatsworth designs (or maybe your secret stash of Thorndon Hall)?! Well, this is a simple and inexpensive way to do it without any holes where you have rubbed too hard, or any white paper 'bloom'. All you need are some A4 double sided extra tacky sheets ........

I searched a well known auction site and found some cheap double sided sheets. but they are also available from Stix2. 

As with most methods of image transfer, your image will be reversed, so be aware that words will be a mirror image. Most of the script on the Chatsworth designs is subtle, but choose accordingly. Peel off one corner of one side of the backing film of your double sided adhesive sheet and position it at the corner of the side of the Chatsworth you have chosen to transfer (I've chosen the darkest paper with the bubbles). Once you've lined it up you can peel away the rest. Burnish it with a ruler or brayer to make sure you have good contact with the adhesive. Then peel away the top backing sheet and adhere your canvas sheet and burnish again. You can use canvas from a roll, a pad, canvas boards, stretched canvases, and some other fabrics as well.

Turn back over to the Chatsworth side, lightly score to start to break down the fibres, spritz with water, let it soak a moment, and start to rub with your fingers. It's quite a heavy-weight paper so at first you will get down to the white core, then you will see the 'other side' start to come through. Keep going until you have finished the whole sheet. You will have sore fingers, I'm afraid!

Getting rid of the pesky white bloom is the magic bit! I used Golden Regular Gel (Matte) or you can use Fresco Matte Glaze. I have done the left hand side of the photo but not the right side and you can see the difference. Put a pea size amount on the sheet and do a two inch square area at a time so it doesn't dry too quickly. Rub your fingers up and down until it forms dry, grubby bits as if you were rubbing out pencil marks with an eraser. This will take away the last of the paper pulp. Finish off with a thin layer of either medium.

You now have a sheet of patterned canvas!

You can now use this sheet to make the flowers and leaves in the projects shown, to wrap around frames and curved objects, to stitch and die cut, to stamp on, to add texture and strength - so many ideas!

For the project on the left, I have used the same method to transfer the Chatsworth paper onto a Reeves A5 canvas covered sketchbook, taking the covers off the spiral binding first. I have used Eclectica Darcy Stamps EDY 09 and EDY 10, Fresco Finish Paints in Marlin, Seaweed, Tikka, Caramel, and Cinnamon, Grungepaste, Fibralo pens, Treasure Gold in Emerald and White Fire, and Archival Ink in Jet Black. The stencils I have used are ELB 004, and ELB 005.

For the 6 x 6 Chunky Canvas on the right I have transferred the Chatsworth paper onto the front and then I have also used the JoFY stencil 008. I have popped a full tutorial for the projects on my blog.



I'd love to see what ideas you can come up with!

Lucy

Thanks Lucy, what a simple but amazing way to create our own patterned canvas. You have come up with a whole new way to make a background.  I just want to reach out and touch it. You have also shown us 2 fantastic examples of how to then use that canvas in a project, I personally love the canvas flowers. 

We would love you to join in with our monthly challenge. If you are inspired by any of this month's guests who have blogged between Sept 1st 2014 and Sept  30th 2014 then join in and link up your creativity HERE. You will go in the draw to win a voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store. You need to add your link by 19:00 (London time)  Sept 30th 2014