AGNES THE RED ART and CRAFT TUTORIALS

Most techniques require a laser printed image to ensure successful tranfer - this is because the toner componants of a laser image (or a photocopy from a copier shop) are non water soluable and donot dissolve or become affected with the application of a liquid transfer medium. Ink jet images are liquid based and often produce an inferior or unsuccessful result.....but this simple and quick technique uses ink jet printed images and CAN produce very good results.....and CAN be done successfully onto paper, fabric and other reasonably flat surfaces. Bear in mind however, that it will not produce good results on heavily textured surfaces...but it is really a case of trying it out and experimenting on various materials.

MATERIALS REQUIRED - Ink Jet printer, Cheap Glossy Photo Paper, Images - photos scans etc of your choice, warm tap water, surface you wish to transfer image to (ie paper, fabric etc), iron (non steam setting), ironing board or other heatresistant surface, cotton tea towel or kitchen paper.

IMPORTANT NOTES to consider before doing this technique -

PHOTO PAPER - this must be a glossy photo paper as it is this glossy plastic layer that acts as the transfer medium. Do not use expensive paper, I have had very successful results using a very cheap brand and you will probably be discarding the paper afterwards so it will be a waste of money. Do, however, make sure your printer property settings are for glossy paper to maximise the quality of the printed image . Also remember to reverse any images that have script, words etc otherwise the transfered image will be a mirror image of the original. You MUST also cover the photo paper with a cloth or kitchen paper BEFORE ironing - the paper is made up of plastic componants which could melt, stick to and ruin your iron plate.

TRANSFER SURFACE - The photo paper isn't very flexible so isn't that good for transfering to heavily textured or dimensional surfaces. It works best on flat or smooth surfaces, is excellent on paper and card but also transfers successfully to fine woven fabrics such as cotton as shown in the photo below. I have managed to transfer a picture to a coarser canvas but the image isn't so clear and gives a more distressed and worn look. When transfering to paper and card CARE MUST BE TAKEN when applying the heat and the steps 5 and 6 must be done very quickly - the heat of the iron softens the glossy coating and makes it sticky and glue like so if it is left to cool too much before the paper is peeled off....you'll find the surfaces will stick solid together and you won't be able to remove the photo paper and your image will be ruined. When using fabric, do not apply too much heat or the image will melt slightly or distort.

NON IRON TECHNIQUE - This technique can be done without heat and an iron but will produce a more subtle transfered image. Follow steps 1 to 4, then use your finger or something like the back of a spoon to BURNISH the paper and image onto the surface. Peel off photo paper and allow to dry as normal.

  1. Select your image and surface to transfer onto              2. Close up of printed image and fabric.         3. Thoroughly wet the area you wish to trans the image

      (in this tutorial I used plain white cotton)                                                                                     onto- run under the tap or apply with a brush.                 

  4. Place photo paper image face down onto wet        5. Cover with cloth or kitchen paper and apply warm               6. Quickly peel off the photo paper.

          area and burnish with your finger.                                     iron for a few moments.

7. The transfered image will remain tacky for a short while, so allow to completely dry before covering with cloth or kitchen paper and re-ironing to set the colour and remove any creases that may have formed. If you try to iron while still sticky, the image will come off the fabric or surface. When dry, the image will be slightly stiff but still retains enough flexibility in the fabric to use as a dimensional piece.

1. Various printed images for transfer techniques.              2. Apply clear tape over image.                                 3. Burnish over image with something like the

                                                                                                                                                             back of a metal spoon to get good adhesion.

4. I also decided to transfer some lettering.                    5. Cut out and soak the paper in water. It will              6. VERY carefully rub off the paper backing.

                                                                               curl up but don't worry it'll flatten when rubbed.           Don't rub off the glue!

7. This one seems to be working better.                              8. As much paper rubbed off as I dared!                  9. A reasonable success! Just need to lay out

                                                                                      the image was very faint to start with.                  upside down to dry and the tackyness will return.

CLICK HERE for tutorial