Monday 1 September 2008

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES




Had another go at the Golden Gel Medium Transfers today.

Yesterday, i had printed out 2 sheets of Acetate with the Frieda Kahlo pictures, and like a Booboo, put them away to dry, with the printed parts facing together. And guess what lol, they were stuck together.

So i printed them out again on paper, and left them to dry overnight.

This morning, i gave them a couple of light sprays of hairspray, to stop the ink bleeding, left it to dry a while, and then work began.

THIS time, i slowed myself down, which is very very difficult for me to do.

But the results are a lot better this time round. Judge for yourself.



.

Still imperfect, but this time they really do have a vintage look to them, instead of looking a complete mess like yesterdays attempt.

So what did i do different this time round.

First of all i cut each photo copy out with a border left all round. This makes it easier for pulling the paper away.

Then i painted on the gel, but then put a small blob on my finger and rubbed it on also. You can get a better feel for it this way i think.

I also went over the edges, to make sure i could get a better edge to the transfer.

I cut a piece of white cotton fabric, larger than the photocopy, and stretched it out on a flat surface, holding it down with masking tape.

I then laid the photocopy, face down on the fabric, and rubbed with my finger. I rubbed and rubbed, making sure that EVERY part of the transfer had been rubbed down. I didn't rub too hard, but kept on rubbing til the paper itself started to rub away. This way i knew that the transfer had taken.

Then i gently peeled away the paper, smeared a tiny piece of gel medium to the back of the fabric. and left it to dry a little bit.

I then got a piece of cloth, which was hardly damp, gently wiped it over the transfer, and gently rubbed away the remains of the paper.

So will i be using these for the Fabric Art Journal I have just started making. I'll let you know.

Last night i was so frustrated at my miserable attempts at this, that i ordered some Freezer Paper online, so that i could print out my own fabric.

Freezer paper isn't so readily available in the UK, and can only be bought at specialist places, not like in the USA, where it can be bought in the supermarket.

So when the freezer paper arrives, i will show you the results, and then make up my mind which i prefer.

In the meantime, this is the 7th Transfer that i did today, and this one i have falled head over heels in love with.

I know it's imperfect, but i looooooooove the look of it. Something i don't hardly find in my work. Just wish I had painted it.

But that's another story for the future, til then, you'll have to wait.

PS , there were 8 pictures to start with, but one was a complete bodge.

11 comments:

Kim said...

Oh Margaret, these are lovely! They aren't supposed to be perfect, if they were, we could just paste in a copy! I have only made inkjet copies from transparencies, so I will try this method... can hardly wait to get a few hours. I will be back, I really like your blog.

Sherry said...

Looks like you've cracked it Margaret - they're fantastic!

Genie said...

Good work Margaret

Maureen said...

These look great Margaret, success at last , they'll look good in your book.

purplecat said...

great job! its a fun technique isnt it?

Dot said...

Oh -you have done a fantastic job Margaret! I have never quite mastered doing these. But feel much more confident after your tutorial. Thanks so much!

Jan said...

You've cracked it! Got just the right vintage feel. As you may know, Frida is my idol so I shall be following your progress very very closely and with great anticipation!

TanyaMac said...

Perserverance is the name of the game then - oh, and patience {of which I am severely lacking}

Jacky said...

You're so clever Margaret, these are fantastic (and I love Frida Kahlo too).
Cant wait to see your journal pages and thanks so much for sharing the technique with us. I have tried the gel transfer but with no great success. I suppose practice makes perfect.

SANDERELLA said...

Wonderful work!! Nice to meet you

nancy said...

I do like the look of your transfers. I've been using freezer paper some of the time and have gotten some good results. The drawback for me is that I apply it immediately after it comes from the printer, like a stamp, while the ink is wet, so can only do one image at a time. Is that how you're going to do it? I haven't tried using a medium to transfer it from the freezer paper. Wonder what would happen...
BTW, did you get my message that I was left out of the maps swap? I left a note at Flickr.
Nancy