Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Image Transfers

I've been having lots of fun with image transfers on the larger painting I am working on. I hadn't played with image transfers in a while and really missed it. The process is fairly simple. You apply gel medium (I use Golden soft gel medium - matte) to both the surface you want the image transferred to and the image itself. Then you position the image on the surface, use your brayer to get it really glued on. When it's all dry, spray a little water on the paper and start rubbing off the layer of paper. What you are left with is the image transferred to the gel medium.
Click on images to see them larger.

Now, this works best with an image on regular paper rather than a photo on photo paper. I think there are different techniques for that. Here I used some pretty scrap book papers. If you transfer an image to a smooth and solid-colored background, it's easy to know what you'll end up with. In this case, however, all bets were off. My background was multi-colored and very textured. But it turned out really well!
If you click on the images you can see the faint picture of an old postcard on the first one, an old map on the second one, and a border of a pretty vine and flowers on the this image. It's all coming together nicely!
On another note, yesterday Daniel called me outside because we had a whole flock of cedar waxwing birds in our ornamental pear tree eating the tiny fruit. They migrate through here and it was so much fun watching them through our binoculars (the neighbors probably thought we were spying on them...). What gorgeous birds!
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Wishing you all a most wonderful Tuesday! I'll be by your blogs later on!

37 comments:

  1. Hi Silke!
    Ohhhh, I love image transfers but I haven't had much luck with them. I need to experiment more!
    That bird is beautiful!
    have a great day!!
    You asked where I get my homespun yarn? I purchased some at Walmart but found it's on sale at Michaels almost every week lately :)

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  2. Hi Silke. Image transfers are next on my list. I've been wanting to get to that and just haven't had the time. Now you have inspired me and I will soon get to it. Your's are wonderful. Good job. Have a great week.

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  3. Okay, when my obligations are completed, I have to try this. What weight of gel medium do you use; medium or light? matte? glossy?
    I have tried them from transparencies and to say I have failed gloriously is an understatment!!!
    This however, look doable, especially since I now have TIME on my hands......hmmmpft!

    XXOO!!
    Anne

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  4. This image transfers look great.
    Ich beneide dich um deine gefiederte Nachbarschaft bei uns krächzen zur Zeit nur die Krähen

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  5. Image transfer you say - hmm - thats something I haven't tried yet...so may just give it a go, thanks for sharing the process Silke.

    The background looks EXCELLENT - can't wait to see what lovely 'pretty' you decide to paint on top :D

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  6. Silke, you told how to make the transfers so easy, thank you. Oooh, so many textures and patterns, there looking awesome!

    Hugs!

    Julie

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  7. Hi Silke...your image transfers look wonderful...something i would love to try....

    thanks for stopping by farmhouse....
    wish you were here for the mushroom pasta tonight..and lorrie too..i think us girls would have fun....and the birds are so beautiful..love the birds

    more later, dear one

    fondly,
    kary
    xxx

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  8. Those are beautiful, Silke. I am wondering if you've ever tried Sheer Heaven paper for transfers? It is done with alocohol rather than rubbing off all that paper. So many many ways to transfer images. One of my favorite things to do. Hugs, Diane

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  9. These image transfers are COOL! I want to learn how to do them. Wish you lived closer so you could teach me!

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  10. Forgot to say how amazing it must have been to see those cedar waxwings! I recognize the name from hearing my mom talk about them. (She was a great birder.)

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  11. Sooooo great! Informative and inspiring! These look beautiful! Blessings friend!

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  12. I love that you're always experimenting with different textures and color. These look really interesting. Now I'm anxious to give image transfer a go!

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  13. I love the colors you are using in these latest pages. I might try the image transfer in my journal page, I have the stuff and you make it sound easy. I agree with Kary,I think we would have fun.

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  14. Hi Silke! I never thought of transferring images onto scrapbook paper! I can't wait to try it! This looks great. :-)

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  15. Oh, I really want to try that! You did an amazing job. So lovely! What a beautiful bird...it would be neat to see a whole flock right in your yard. Wonderful!

    Hugs,
    ~Jamie

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  16. Love the transfers - this painting is looking very exciting!
    The cedar waxwing is gorgeous!

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  17. Hi Silke , your transfers are so very beautifull, the colors so fantastic.Thanks for telling the how to----
    I`m home from my daughter`s and try to find myself again, a bit used --after looking after the kids, and looking around in the town for goodies..
    Well I`l tell more about that on a later blog.
    For now, hugs and love.
    Dorthe

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  18. Always something exciting going on with you and Daniel! Ah image transfers! Manon did a video and it looked so easy and now I read you saying it is easy. I can't imagine doing them, It seems like a lot of work! However, look at the outcome! It's a beautiful collage sort of art and you get to do things with your hands! I love doing things with my hands but knowing me, I will buy the materials and never do them. I will stick to what I have been doing all along pens and oils. I need to diversify!

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  19. Oh darn, I am so rude. GOOD MORNING!

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  20. Love the image transfers...haven't ever tried them for myself. I really like the effect w/ the textured backgrounds.
    Birds are so much fun to watch...here, even with the colder weather, we get so many coming to our feeder: bluejays and cardinals also chickadees and titmice (pl?)...I love to watch them from the kitchen window.Something very comforting about them.

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  21. That looks lovely, Silke! Amazing work. I've always been interested in image transfer techniques. So happy you've shared it here with all of us! :) Theresa

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  22. Silke the pictures look fantastic.

    Lets become brussel sprouts.

    xoxox

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  23. Hey Silke,
    Great explanation of the transfer process! I love doing them and I use the same Golden product!!
    Btw.... I understand the watercolor thing completely. When I painted with that medium I was constantly melting down! Way too frustrating for me!!

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  24. You always make me smile while taking in the beauty of your art. Thank you. I hope you'll visit my blog soon.

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  25. Well, now i'm understanding a bit more of the how and what you do to achive your gorgeous paintings. still i wish i could look over your shoulder while you worked. i am really going to try my hand soon...
    maybe you could paint the cedar waxwing, such a pretty bird!

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  26. Hagve you ever put up the story of the butterflies. Sounds interesting........

    xoxoxo

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  27. That sounds like fun! Love the piece you are working on and those birds are gorgeous! Hugs, Lynda

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  28. Those transfers are great and I bet they are fun to work with.
    I love cedar waxwings. Such beautiful birds.

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  29. Silke! You are so sweeeeet! Thank you for your comments and your visit. I am fine, thank you. I just need to get away for a while. I will still visit you so keep on because I am looking forward to seeing your next creation! Tsup!

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  30. Hiya, Silke! Wow, I learned a lot today. These transfers look really gorgeous. The colors and textures that you've put together work so well with each other. Love the one with the map, especially.

    Hope your neighbors are good looking and do interesting things. Ha!

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  31. silke, ah, you are a teacher...

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  32. Goofy is a good place to be and thank you for the german lesson.

    xoxox

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  33. Good morning gorgeous! Smile and eat something tasty.

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  34. Really lovely backgrounds Silke, love all the textures and colors. Such a beautiful capture of the bird!! I have never seen one, they must not come to Blue Ridge!! Enjoy your weekend!!

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  35. Oh, you wonderful people!! Thank you all for your kind comments! I'm glad you liked my tiny tutorial on how I do image transfers - it's so much fun to do, especially if you are a tactile person like I am! Wishing you a most wonderful weekend!! Love, Silke

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  36. I don't have much luck with transfers so I'm wondering - did you use a laser or inkjet print?

    Also, I'm new to your blog and I really love the way you build up your backgrounds. I do something similar - yet not.

    Thanks for sharing your how-tos ~ Sherry

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  37. Thanks for the tip on image transferring...I'm new to the whole paper thing but loving the paper cloth process so I'm thinking transferring images is the next natural step...I really enjoy your color play, beautiful...thanks for sharing...
    enjoy!

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