2016 #4 Through The Window {by Pam Thorburn}

2016 Topic 4: Image Transfers 

Hi everyone, It's Pam Thorburn from Waltzing Through Life here. 

I'd like to share with you this evening  a post about Tape Transfers. 

I love using image transfers in my work. My favourite technique is a gel medium transfer, but for this project I thought I'd try a tape transfer for two reasons: Firstly they are easy, but more importantly a tape transfer suited my vision for a still life with window. A tape transfer has a shiny glass-like finish, so I thought it would be perfect for making a window view.

Lately I have found myself very attracted to indoor still life scenes, particularly those done in a naive style. If you check out my pinterest board you will see what I'm attracted to, and where my inspiration for this piece of wall art comes from. 

So this is my finished piece:

Step One: The first thing I did was my tape transfer. To make a tape transfer you can use clear cellotape, the wider the better, or you can use sticky back clear plastic, which is what I used. Select the image you want to use. Mine came from a Marks and Spencer catalogue and is quite a large picture. Using sticky back plastic rather than cellotape for my transfer allowed me to use a large picture. If you want to use a large picture, but only have cellotape, that's fine. You will need to cover your picture with overlapping pieces of cellotape. Your transfer will have fine lines where the tape is overlapping, but that can add some interest to your transfer.

All you do is to cover the front of your image with tape or clear plastic, turn it over, and burnish hard on the rear, ensuring that every part of your image is firmly adhered to the tape. I used an old plastic card to burnish, but you can use the back of a spoon. Then place the tape into water and let it soak. After a few minutes your image will be wet through and you simply start rubbing the back part of the paper away, leaving the image adhered to the tape. If you rub too hard you will rub the actual image away, so proceed with caution. If you look at mine you can see white spaces where I rubbed too hard. However I was quite happy with that as I didn't need a really clear image, since it is a view through a window. I adhered the tape to the substrate with some matt medium.

If you are wondering about my substrate, it is heavy duty watercolour paper. When I am painting with acrylics I always have a spare piece of paper onto which I clean my brushes and wipe excess paint. I then use those papers to paint on later.

Step Two: Having applied my transfer I worked on the basic composition of the picture. The walls are painted in Mermaid  I used stamps from EEV03 and for the piece. The wallpaper is her diagonal line stamp using Sage The floor was painted with China and then given a wash of Nougat to knock back the colour a bit. While the paint was still wet I dragged a comb through to create a wood grain effect. The lower half of the wall was painted in Tinned Peas and Hey Pesto and for the tableI used Nougat.

EEV03

Step Three: Next I needed to make some collage elements. I stamped onto scrapbook paper using EEV03 and 04. The curtains were made from paper stamped with the triangle lined stamps.

EEV04

 

My favourite collage piece is the table mat. This is a simple Gelli print Smurf paint rolled onto the plate, then paint removed with the thick circle stamp from the EEV03 set. I just love it!

Notice here I have painted over the green on the wall behind the table the lighter Antarctic The darker green just wasn't doing it for me!

The other collage elements were the flowers. I stamped a range of flowers and leaves onto scrapbook paper. The flowers and leaves are all made from EEV04 with the flower centres coming from EEV03.

Step Four: The kraft coloured vase was stencilled with a Tim Holtz line stencil in Nougat, then over stamped with Ellen Vargo's lined diamond stamp from EEV03 using black ink. The fruit bowl is scrapbook paper stamped with the line stamp from the same set. I arranged (and rearranged) the collage pieces until I was happy with the composition and adhered them with gel medium. I thought at that stage I was finished, but when I stepped back to assess my work it all seemed a bit bland.

Step Five:  I decided that the piece needed some pencil detail to make the various elements stand out more. So using water-colour pencils I outlined parts to add some shadow detail and add a little dimension.

Here's a close up of the outlining and the shadows.

If you like still life art in a naive style and you're not confident with drawing and painting, then why not give collage a go? There are lots of PaperArtsy flower stamps which would be perfect for creating a vase of flowers. The other parts of the collage are basically just simple cut out shapes. And a tape transfer makes a great window in the background!

Pam x
Blog: Waltzing Through Life

Thank you Pam for allowing us to revisit this image transfer technique ... there are so many out there and it's not always the easiest technique to perfect. I love how the white spaces from the over rubbing add an interest to this beautiful image. The whole composition lends itself to the still life scene. Great use of the EEV stamps to create all the other fab elements ... so creative. ~Gillian

We would love to see how you interpret this Image Transfers  topic by linking what you make to our 2016 Challenge #4: Image Transfers, on this page HERE.

All of our bloggers love to see your twist on their ideas,  particularly if you were inspired directly by their post. 

All links go in the draw to win a £50 voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store. The Image Transfers link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, March 6th. The winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

2016 #4 Enjoy the Little Things {by Penny Nuttall}

 2016 Topic 4: Image Transfers

Hi everyone Penny here, with a post to share this evening on the subject of image transfers.

I have often used this method of transferring drawings onto canvas using a black inkjet photocopy, but had never tried a colour copy.....until now. The project developed step by step with no real idea at the start of colour or material choice, it just grew. More exciting that way!

The first step was to gesso a background piece of canvas board, (ooooo nooo not the gesso!). Thankfully I managed this without major carpet incident.

Next, the choice of photocopy: it needs to be an inkjet printed image as this type of ink is water-based. I applied a layer of matt medium to the canvas board and placing the image ink DOWN, smoothed it carefully and then burnished with the back of a spoon.DO NOT get any medium on the upper side of the paper.(Note: the image is reversed so allow for this when photocopying if it matters). It needs to dry thoroughly overnight.

When dry, I sprayed it with water and carefully rubbed the paper with my finger to reveal the ink underneath. Magic.

That's my boy!

To meld the picture into the background, I brushed on a generous layer of gesso around the edges, and stamped texture into it with Kim Dellow's circles stamp (EKD01).

Until this point I had not chosen a colour palette, but as soon as the lovely faded colours of the photocopy appeared, it was obvious......I picked the Fresco colours that matched and extended the edges outwards onto the canvas.(Dolly Mix, Dusty Teal, Coral, Granny Smith and Haystack), spritzing with water to blend.

Then the stamping. I love Kim's joyful, happy designs (EKD02). In keeping with the delicacy of the background colours, I thought.......vellum and white embossing powder.

Vellum does not like a lot of water, so I used the Fresco paint straight from the bottle, in some of the background colours.

AWWWW the little birds!

I collaged the cut out stampings. If you put the glue in little dots with a wooden toothpick behind the painted bits you cant see it :).

And finally...... "Enjoy the little things"

I intend to work more like this....not trying to think of an end result but just letting one step lead to the next. Why not try it?

Thank you for joining me, back again soon,
Penny.

Aww Penny I am love with this lil guy, so utterly gorgeous. You have done him proud with this wonderful project, a true keepsake. I didn't think Kim's stamps could get any better but using them on vellum has added a whole new look; combining the bold with the delicate. ~Darcy 

We would love to see how you interpret this Image Transfers  topic by linking what you make to our 2016 Challenge #4: Image Transfers, on this page HERE.

All of our bloggers love to see your twist on their ideas,  particularly if you were inspired directly by their post. 

All links go in the draw to win a £50 voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store. The Image Transfers link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, March 6th. The winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

2016 #4 Spring Transfer {by Lauren Hatwell}

 2016 Topic 4: Image Transfers

Hi everyone Lauren Hatwell here to share with you a little home decor project I made using Fresco Paint as a transfer medium for a lovely magazine image I wanted to use in a spring inspired home decor item.

In the past I've struggled a bit to master image transfer with gels mediums; I never seem to be able to get it right. It's such an effective technique that I really wanted to master it and this fortnight's topic at PaperArtsy seemed like just the right opportunity to find a method that works for me. After the usual disaster with gel medium from my stash, I decided to give Fresco Finish paint a go and to my astonishment  got a really great image first time...

Step One: I wanted to use a piece of wood I'd been saving so I followed the instructions in this YouTube video. When I thought through the process a bit more I wondered if I actually needed the gel medium at all. Why not just apply the image straight onto wet Fresco Paint?

I applied a medium coat of Buff Fresco paint, but any light neutral shade would work. The image was taken from a magazine and laid face down directly onto the wet paint. Success at last! I was really pleased to get this beautiful impression first time.


Step Two:  I applied a coat of DecoArt Crackle Glaze around the edges of the panel to frame the image and then I sealed the whole lot with acrylic wax. Acrylic wax, if you've not used it before, gives the feeling of a wax finish and you can buff it to a shine or sand it for a matt finish. It's a lovely product. It's not wax so it doesn't resist any further products you want to add.

Step Three: The stamping needed to be understated so I picked a couple of my "go to" sets of stamps by Emma Godfrey (EEG13 and EEG14). I love the new larger sentiments Emma picked for her latest releases and her sets always have really useful little elements alongside the main images. I wanted to create the impression of dappled light so I used the gorgeous random dots from EEG13 and stamped them with grey, brown, yellow and white fresco paints before stamping the word Bloom from EEG14 twice, once in black and once, slightly offset, in white. Lastly I picked out a few random dots in glitter glue to add a little sparkle when the light hits it.

EEG13

 EEG14

Step Four: I edged the wood panel in Marlin Fresco Paint (a gorgeous blue/grey colour)  Baltic Blue would work perfectly here too.I then stamped another of the sentiments from EEG15 in white around the edges so that I can see the sentiment no matter which direction I'm looking from (even when I'm sitting down at my desk). I finished the edges with some acrylic wax to seal and protect it.

Step Five: On just one edge I stamped a few more dots in white and then applied some glitter glue over them to add some dimension and a feeling that the little "happiness sparkles" carry on up the side of the frame.

I'm going to hang this by my desk in my craft room, which overlooks the garden. It would make a great Birthday or Mother's Day gift for someone. You could use their favourite flowers, a favourite animal, a picture of a loved one, anything you like really.  I want to have a go at applying photographs to the insides of Emma's shapes too. The paint has the added bonus that I can see where I've put it and make sure I target the images exactly where I want them

I think having mastered image transfer will add a really useful dimension to my own work, and I hope those of you who maybe haven't been successful with other methods of image transfer will find this a useful technique. It's a great way of quickly adding photographic or laser images to home decor items, canvases and journal pages.. 

See you again soon

Lauren Hatwell
Marvelous Mechanical Mouse Organ 

Thanks for joining us tonight Lauren. I am so impressed with your paint transfer, yet another medium to add tot he list of ones that work well. i adore your glittery bits, they are exactly like dappled light, so clever. Great attention to the sides too, so often forgotten about, but you have made sure the art can be seen for every direction. ~Darcy 

We would love to see how you interpret this Image Transfers  topic by linking what you make to our 2016 Challenge #4: Image Transfers, on this page HERE.

All of our bloggers love to see your twist on their ideas,  particularly if you were inspired directly by their post. 

All links go in the draw to win a £50 voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store. The Image Transfers link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, March 6th. The winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

2016 #4 Happy Thoughts In Art {by Helen Chilton}

2016 Topic 4: Image Transfers

Hi everyone Helen here from A Splash of Colour. I'm following the theme of transfer methods and looking at TAP (Transfer Artist Paper). You can use this paper on all sorts of surfaces as long as it's ironable: I've tried fabric, canvas, wood, Stampbord, cork, burlap, all with some degree of success. The only things I've really struggled to transfer onto are glass and metal because they're so slippery. 

Obviously the success of the transfer depends also on the design - very intricate designs will transfer better onto a fine weave or smooth surface. If you want to add colour to your design you can colour directly onto the TAP and then transfer, or you can transfer and colour. If colouring onto the TAP it's better to use a smooth, translucent medium that doesn't scratch the surface of the paper - markers, crayons, inkpads, inks.

I've made a piece of fabric art using Urban Snapshots Nature Plate 3. This is fitted into an embroidery frame.

First of all I've designed a collage on PicMonkey using images from The Graphics Fairy. I've put together 5 images on top of a background pattern, leaving space in the middle for the stamped images. I always do a test print onto copy paper just to check size and colour before printing onto the TAP paper.

If you find it easier you can keep all the images separate and just iron them one on top of the other to make the finished design.

Once printed, flip the TAP over and dry iron onto some calico following the instructions carefully. Try out a small test piece with your iron first as all irons vary - too hot, you could scorch the fabric, too cool and it won't transfer properly.

.

To see if it's transferred  carefully start to peel away one corner of the TAP. If not ready, just put back down and carry on ironing.

Next stamp your images from Urban Snapshots Nature Plate 3 using Tinned Peas and Granny Smith paint onto separate scraps of calico and tear out. (I tried stamping directly onto the TAPped fabric, but the background colours showed through too much).

Urban Snapshots Nature Plate 3

 Add the quotation (from Ink and the Dog One Penny Plate 2). 

Ink and the Dog One Penny Plate 2

Paint in the TAP images using Frescos.

Back the leaves and tree with Bondaweb and iron on. (This is where I used too hot an iron and slightly scorched the fabric - I just disguised it with some Granny Smith paint added to the background!) Add detailing in black pen.

.

And there you have it - my TAP fabric piece of art. 

If you've never used TAP before you're going to love it - I've decorated bags, cushion covers and aprons as well -  the large JOFY/Lin Brown/Darcy stamps and stencils are great for those. Experiment with colouring and stamping onto the TAP - bear in mind that the colour on top will transfer first onto the surface.

When using printed images, fill up every spare corner of the sheet with designs/text even if you're not going to use it all at once so that none of the TAP is wasted. It's difficult to feed a partial sheet back through the printer.

So get out your canvas boards, patterned paper, wooden boxes, fabric and have a go.

Helen

This is fabulous Helen, so many great techniques all combined beautifully. I had not seen this paper before, so your instructions were really interesting. thankyou for sharing your experience with us ~ Darcy

We would love to see how you interpret this Image Transfer topic by linking what you make to our 2016 Challenge #4: Image Transfers, on this page HERE.

All of our bloggers love to see your twist on their ideas,  particularly if you were inspired directly by their post. 

All links go in the draw to win a £50 voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store. The 'Transfer' link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, March 6th The winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

2016 # 4 Penny {by Sarah Allan}

2016 Topic 4: Image Transfers

Hi everyone Sarah Allan from The Handmade Card Blog joining you this evening with a post about image transfers. I chose this technique after I was inspired by learning how to do this by Darcy Wilkinson, Darcy came up to Scotland to teach a workshop for my local craft shop, Stampers Grove in Edinburgh it was fun and I learned so much. 

This technique appeals to me because it is so versatile, plus you can transfer an image onto so many different surfaces! My project today is a spiral bound book that uses Paperartsy 5” x 7” Grey board and an image transfer with a twist, I wanted to try and transfer an image from a stamped image rather than one front printed matter. 

I have been crafting since 2009, it all started with making a few cards, and it has been a wonderful journey and I enjoy playing and creating so much. I love to try new techniques and incorporate them into my craft projects. So when I learned the transfer technique from Darcy I could not wait to try it out!

Step One: I used Paperartsy Grey Board for the cover of my book, I chose a few colours of FrescoFinish Chalk Paints, Bora Bora, Honey Dew and Sage, and a hint of Limelight, using a piece of cut and dry foam and a brayer I blended and created a base to stamp and stencil over. I used the star and script stamp from ID07 to complete the background on my book cover.



Step Two: I used Tyvek as my base material for my image transfer, applied Chalk, Blush and Honey Dew to create a subtle background and base for my image transfer.



Step Three: For the image transfer I took a piece of acetate designed for ink jet printing, one side is smooth, the other has a tooth to it, on tooth side, I stamped in Blue Hawaii Stazon an image from the ID07 then set it aside to dry. I applied a layer of Satin Glaze to the painted Tyvek surface, placed the acetate and stamped image face down and gently rubbed so that all the image was in full contact with the tyvek. I left this for 5-10 mins then gently removed.

ID07 

Step Four: With the image now transferred to the Tyvek, I gave it a quick blast with the heat tool to dry it ... you can see there is only a small amount of ink and Satin Glaze left on the acetate (right). Once dry the image was sewn directly onto a piece of painted cardstock that had been ripped around the edges painted and mounted onto another painted layer of Grey Board. 

Step Five: I wanted to add some embelishments to my project so I painted a scrap piece of white cardstock with more Fresco Finish AcrylicPaints (Sage, Granny Smith and Honey Dew) were painted on and die cut ... I also added a touch of Metallic Glaze to the leaves to add a bit of shine, then from the same stamp set stamped the leaves with the text stamp using Watering Can Grey Archival Ink and heat set.

Step Six: The final step in the project was to assemble all the elements, my favourite part, with the addition of some vintage lace, I added the ticket stamp from the stamp set, painted some flowers in Bora Bora and a touch of White Fire Treasure Gold completes the project.

I had so much fun creating this book for the blog, I really enjoy doing the image transfer technique, I am looking forward to experimenting and trying different materials to transfer in the future, perhaps onto a wooden surface and I also wondered what it would look like transferring some patterned paper using this technique. 

The addition of some crackle glaze would have looked great on this book cover too, perhaps I can try this on my next craft project, really the possibilities are endless, I encourage you to try doing an image transfer, they are so much fun, easy and just add that little bit extra to your project.

Thank you for joining me tonight. I also have a couple of upcoming workshops in Edinburgh if you fancy joining us the dates are: 28th February and 5th March held at Stampers Grove, 92 Grove Street, Edinburgh EH3 8AP.

Sarah

Satin Glaze makes the perfect medium for image transfers Sarah as you have demonstrated, not always an easy technique to carry out. The image from ID07 looks so pretty surrounded by all the shabby/vintage embellishments. Thank you for sharing your creativity with us. ~Gillian

We would love to see how you interpret this Image Transfer topic by linking what you make to our 2016 Challenge #4: Image Transfers, on this page HERE.

All of our bloggers love to see your twist on their ideas, particularly if you were inspired directly by their post. 

All links go in the draw to win a £50 voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store. The Image Transfers link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, March 6th The winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

2016 Topic 4: Image Transfers {Challenge}

 2016 Topic 4: Transfers

Susan Ukkola

Well hello everyone, Darcy here with an intro to our latest topic; Image Transfers.

 (Leandra is currently at the Stitches trade show here in the UK, follow her on Periscope to see live shows as she wanders around the show talking to designers and manufacturers. See the replays of the shows HERE. )

When researching techniques for this topic I was astounded to find around 25 in a very short time, I am sure there must be many,many more. These are mostly modern techniques but let's not forget that image transfers have been around over 100 years. Our Grandparents and great-grandparents were transferring images way back when in their own creative pursuits. Think of all the vintage embroideries you have seen, most of these will have started as a transfer. 

In 1870 William Deighton, was a surgeon and apothecary in Bethnal Green, London and helped both financially, and with his knowledge of chemistry, to develop a heat activated printing ink and modified the tailors method of “prick and pounce” to print transfers through perforated patterns onto tissue paper, ready for ironing down at home. These were used to decorate clothing, household soft furnishings and framed artworks.

 I can't even begin to imagine the effort involved, heating a flat iron over a fire, over and over to be able to transfer a large image to a table cloth, and then all the embroidery! Fast forward to the present, we have embroidery machines and transfer techniques have moved on to using glues and chemicals. Not content with adding images to fabric, we now add them to paper,canvas, glass, clay and wood surfaces. So enough of history, let's examine some modern techniques. 

Before we start, let's see who won the Topic 3: Wax Challenge...
Well this was an interesting topic, one that I am sure more than a few of you looked at and said 'ohh no way' It looks like a tricky technique, but lots of you took the plunge and had a go. ..with fantastic results! I hope this topic helped you to firstly dig out old stash and secondly to overcome the fear of all things melty. 

The winner of Wax Art  is: Lynn from Experiments in Paper 

Email Darcy to claim your prize. Darcydotneedles@hotmail.com

Ok, back to transfers. Well where to start. I shall try and break the many methods down into groups. The first being 'mediums' . Transfers can be achieved using matte medium, gels, mod podge, satin glaze, gesso and paint. .

Any image can be used for transferring, although some work  better than others. Magazines/newspapers/old book text works really well as long as there is no shiny coating on the original. Photo copies work really well too, it is often said that laser prints work best, however I have never had a problem using ink jet copies. (though there are a few methods that specifically require a laser print) Transfers can be taken from regular copy paper or from a transparency film. 

Let's begin with a fantastic post and video from Leandra, showing just how easy a transfer can be using Satin Glaze. See the post HERE. 

If you think this method only works for small images then take a look at this next photo. This is a school project by one of the PaperArtsy munchkins, Ella. The individual pieces look to be A4 size, and together they form a huge portrait of her friend. 

I am a little bit in love with all the images of transfers onto wood. Here is a cute little one onto giant popsicle sticks. 

Ashley Hackshaw

And another, this time creating wooden postcards. Both of these examples were transferred using gel medium. (click the links under each photo for tutorials)

Gabrielle Blair 

Another way to use gel medium is to create a transfer skin. Paint several layers of gel medium onto your image, letting each layer dry. You really do need 5-6 layers. once this is completely dry pop into water and rub away the back of your image. You will be left with a floppy gel skin with your image embedded within it. Check out Sarah's blog post with instructions for this and other transfer methods HERE. 

Look at these seriously stunning pieces of glass, the images were transferred using mod podge, see more of them HERE. 

The next most commonly used method uses packing tape or contact paper to transfer the image. This is a very cheap method, clear tape is easy to find, and contact paper whilst a little more expensive can be found in most stationers and enables the transfer of much bigger images. Here is a really great video of this technique by our own Sara Naumann. 

A twist on the packing tape method is to transfer paint from a Gelli Plate onto the packing tape, not only does this work brilliantly you can also add metallic into the mix. Check out that link for a detailed explanation. 

This is a gorgeous example by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. 

Most surfaces will take an image transfer, even glass, plastic and ceramic. For this kind of transfer you will need to purchase Lazertran, it is available for both laser and inkjet printers. This printable film creates waterslide  decals that you literally just slide onto your substrate. 

Jenn Erickson

In the same style, don't forget good old rub-ons. surely there can be no easier transfer method. If like me you have old rub ons stashed away, go dig them out and use them. Just look at these cute stones, very simply decorated with rub ons. Follow the link under the photo to see how much fun this lady had with her children, some stones and a few rub ons. 

Gardenmama

So, there you have some methods using stuff we already know about. How about some more unusual transfer mediums? Let's start with freezer paper. Apparently you pop this into your inkjet printer , let it briefly dry and them apply to fabric or wood.. or I am guessing any porous substrate. Burnish the back with a spoon and your image appears like magic. 

See how Crystal made this wooden sign HERE. 

I wonder would this method work with PaperArtsy Waxed Kraft paper? Only one way to find out. I printed a vintage photo onto the Crunchy- waxy paper. No special way, I just popped a piece into my inkjet printer.. and printed. I left it to dry for about 5 minutes. 

I placed it ink side down onto white cotton fabric, a little of the damp ink came off but not much else. Hmm, maybe this paper isn't waxy enough. Maybe heat would help? 

First I ironed the fabric, just enough so that it was warm, then I replaced the waxy paper and burnished the back with a spoon. The ink came off really well. 

Maybe more heat from the other side would encourage more ink to release?. I placed printer paper over the waxy, ( to protect my iron;also note this is a NON steam iron)

I ironed for just a a minute, the excess wax from the crunchy paper soaked into the printer paper. I lifted up the iron, and the two papers and this is the image that was left on my fabric. I can't tell you how chuffed I am with this!

Of course remember this is inkjet ink and will not be washable on fabric, unless it is treated before with a printing medium.

ok, so now that little bit of excitement is over, let's look at other unusual transfer mediums. 

Let's pop back in time again just for a minute. In the 1950's an American painter and graphic artist, Rober Rauschenberg, discovered by accident that applying solvents to the back of newspaper would cause the ink to transfer to another substrate. He used this method to apply images to his collages and paintings. This birthed a new generation of artists developing ways of transferring images. 

Rauschenberg solvent transfer collage from 1978

Time warp back to now, and solvents are still being used to transfer images. Nowadays the preferred image is printed on toner based paper and a variety of solvents can be used to complete the process. The image is laid ink side down and solvent is applied to the back in thin coats and then burnished. This can be done with Acetone, nail varnish remover, wintergreen oil, paint thinner, blender pen, citra-solv. 

( I tried this method with an inkjet copy and it just wouldn't work, you do need a laser/toner based copy)

This box is just beautiful, the image is a solvent transfer, created by Cameron Kaseberg

Try a transfer onto polymer clay and make some stunning jewellery. 

Gwen Gibson

Have you heard of Gum Arabic? this is a natural product, used in many catering situations. It can also be used for transfers, and this method is known as paper plate lithography. You will need a toner based copy for this method. A great explanation of how to do this can be found in the book Image Transfer Workshop by Darlene Olivia McElroy and Sandra Duran Wilson,

Gum Arabic transfer collage by Lucy Autrey Wilson

One last product to play with is transfer paint, this also comes in crayon form. These are also known as Disperse Dyes. The paint or crayons are applied to regular paper; draw, paint, colour, layer and leave to dry. These papers are then flipped and applied to synthetic fabric, (to achieve a really bright transfer you do need between 60% and 100% synthetic) finally iron the paper on the reverse and the paint will transfer to the fabric. 

Add a resist to the fabric first, such as a leaf or string or paper doily and then place the painted paper in place for added interest. 

Pin Tangle 

A twist on this method is paper bag printing. You know all those beautiful patterned paper bags that you get in gifts shops?, try laying those pattern side down onto synthetic fabric and iron on the reverse. Some really cool patterns and colours will transfer. I have done this many times and it makes a great background. Unsurprisingly I have a whole box of pretty paper bags, saved just for this purpose. 

On the left is a printed paper bag from a gift shop, and on the right is synthetic fabric with the patterned transferred. Usually this is a one time deal, you can transfer the patterned once.. and of course not all paper bags work, it is a case of try and see. 

There are so many other methods,hairspray! yes apparently this does work. However hairspray can go yellow over time, if you are going for a vintage look then this could work out well. If you don't want the yellow look then try using a fixative spray instead. Why not try the hand sanitiser method? I have done this one and it does work. (smells good too) Finally look out for TAP ( Transfer Artist Paper) this can be stamped and coloured and then ironed onto fabric. I am sure you can find even more methods, don't forget to link up and share them with us. 

Have fun!

Don't forget to follow Leandras pinterest if this topic pushes your buttons, you will see plenty more examples to whet your appetite there! 

I am really looking forward to seeing what you create over the next 2 weeks!

Darcy

Topic 4: Transfers; PaperArtsy Blog Challenge

We'd love you to share your ideas and link up your creative response to our current blog topic. Take a minute to read the challenge guidelines below.

All links go in the draw to win a voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store. The Transfers link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, March 6th, winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

1. The challenge is a for you to show how you are inspired by the current blog topic.

Your entry should contain:

- a mention of which post inspired you and why, and 

- a link in your blog post to that original post on the PA blog.

The whole concept of this challenge is 'play along with us'. You are encouraged to put your own twist on ideas you see on our blog, do your own thing - whatever grabs you!

2. The link you put on our linky page must lead directly to the specific post on your blog where you have explored the technique/ idea mentioned in point 1 above. Don't link to the home page of your blog.

3. We prefer your challenge blog post is created exclusive to our challenge, but if our topic fits perfectly with another challenge, then you may link to both if appropriate.

4. You are most welcome to use stamps/ products/ substrates you have to hand from a variety of companies, we do not expect you to exclusively use PA products - it's lovely when you do though!

6. You can enter as many times as you like. We don't want to restrict your creativity! 

NB. Link closes at 17:00 Sunday March 6th   (London Time)

7. The winner of the random draw will receive a £50 credit voucher to be redeemed on the PaperArtsy Website. The credit voucher includes VAT and postage. We request that one of your purchases is an A5 rubber stamp. You can add any other items to your basket, but the final total should not exceed £50.

8. Each fortnight on Sunday, the winner will be announced at 19:00 (London time). In the same post, the link for the next fortnight will be posted. 

9. It's your responsibility to claim your prize coupon from Darcy. 

email: darcydotneedles@hotmail.com

Good Luck! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!