Skip to main content

transfer experiments

.

I bought some HammerMill Color Copy Gloss paper this weekend at Office Depot. I had never seen it before and I keep trying to find a paper that gives me a really nice, consistent transfer without a whole lot of effort. (besides that I'm just a paper junkie.) Anyway here's a couple of samples of what happened. (remember this is just an experiment, I'm not going for art yet.)

In the first photo (above) the images are transferred to MDF that has a light coating of dried white gesso. I applied a layer of Golden Polymer Medium (gloss) and then burnished the images face down with a brayer -- the back of the paper covered with plastic to prevent gel medium from going everywhere. The daisy on the right was printed on a color laser printer and the one on the left was printed on an epson c88+ with durabrite ultra inks. This next one (below) is transferred to some untreated matboard -- again the laser on the right and the inkjet on the left.

Of course, the laser print is the more vivid of the two on both and I did have to be careful not to rub too hard on the inkjet one because it wanted to lift off a bit once I was down to the image. I only let it dry about 30 to 45 min. before I removed the paper. Whatever this paper is coated with makes it really easy to roll the paper off the image/gel layer. It rolls right off leaving kind of a chalky white film with just a tiny bit of paper fibers still attached. Doesn't take much after that to get the remaining paper and white stuff off. I used a wet paper towel to completely remove the white chalky stuff when all the paper had been removed. Not sure why the gaping hole in the daisy on the right -- probably didn't get gel medium spread evenly or I may have been too energetic in removing the paper.

I think I love experimentation more than the art. It's nice not having any expectations or being afraid I'll ruin something I'm working on.

Comments

Diane said…
These turned out wonderful! So vivid. I, also love the experimentation as much & sometimes more than making an actual piece of art. You described that quite nicely as I could relate immediately. Very nice work!
Laurie said…
Thanks Diane! I've been to your blog and enjoyed seeing your wonderful art. Lots of great transfers!

Loved your playlist as well. :)
marianne said…
thanks for visiting my blog. also thanks for posting the experiments- helps to see what others have figured out- and i noticed paper on sale at o.d. yesterday- may have to go back :)

enjoyed looking at the rest of your art- hapyy playing!
Mary Lynn said…
Thank you for the information. These flowers are beautiful.I had no idea that a lazer printer made that big of a difference in the print quality. What type do you have? Before you used the brayer, did you just cover the back with plastic to keep the brayer clean, or is it for something else, and did you leave it in place after you used the brayer?
LTG said…
Hi Mary Lynn -- thanks so much for visiting my blog! (I sent an email response to you but just in case it didn't get to you, I'm repeating myself.)

I have a Konica Minolta Magicolor 2530DL. I got it at Sam's Club almost two years ago and it's been great. It was probably around $200+ at that time.

I just covered the back with plastic so any gel that might squish out would squish onto the plastic and not onto the brayer, so yes, mostly to keep the brayer clean but also to keep the gel medium off the back of the image. After burnishing or rolling it, I took off the plastic. You could just use parchment or wax paper instead but plastic shopping bags are free. :) (be careful if the bags have printing on them though because that ink will transfer too.)

Popular posts from this blog

what a mess!

Cloth Paper Scissors is publishing a special issue about studios . It will hit the news stands early in October. There's a lovely photo on the cover of some artist's very nicely appointed, clean, well kept art space. It will also have, " 85 ways to find, sort and store your stash " and " 11 best organizing tips from an expert " and " BIG solutions for small spaces ". I need to read all of these articles, I'm sure and I'm really looking forward to getting a copy so I can be inspired and encouraged by all those organized artists. Or possibly not. Usually, I just feel depressed when I see the large, clean, orderly work spaces that other artists work in. Anyway, just knowing this special issue was coming out has made me think about what condition my art condition is in. Here's mine... Sorta pathetic. Actually, I try to be organized. I really make an attempt at being organized but I don't love to organize or the discipline that it takes

nothing new

. Ok. So I'm blogging. I still say who cares? I really wonder. I also wonder what I have to say that hasn't already been said. Somewhere. By someone else. Before I even thought to say it. There's nothing new under the sun as someone before me has so wisely said. For instance take the above example. I had tumbled the antique purple Glass Graveyard find (aka dump glass) in my brand new rock tumbler overnight with water and sand to simulate a frosted sea glass look. Today I (being afraid even of miniature power tools) took my brand new $10 off, cordless, bargain Dremel tool and actually, successfully drilled a hole in the glass. (First try!) Jump rings were then inserted successfully into the hole by this non-jewelry maker. I printed the image of the flowers on the glass by a printmaking technique called polyester plate lithography and then embossed the image in silver, inserted the ribbon and ta-dah . . . a necklace. I thought maybe no one else had ever thought to d