Re: transfers - acrylic emulsion
Bruce McCaughey (dcav@unixg.ubc.ca)
Sun, 17 Nov 1996 15:09:40 -0800
>I'm about to start an art project using acrylic medium to do a
>collage of image transfers....what process do you use to transfer
>images from fiber paper?
I have transferred laser prints to hand made paper. The method I use is to
coat the image with acrylic medium and let it dry(make sure that it is
completely dry!). Than repeat the process another 4 times. If you want a
smooth surface slightly dilute the medium with water(try 1 part water to 3
or 4 parts acrylic medium). I have found that it takes longer to completely
dry the diluted medium. Care must be taken not to over brush especially with
the first coat it can produce little paper balls. Also don't brush so
vigorously that it creates bubbles. A hair dryer can be used to dry the
medium but it is better not to rush the process. It's a good idea to keep
track of the number of coates by putting marks at the edge of the paper,
this way you can have a number of prints going at the same time and not
loose track. Once you have finished coating take the paper and soak it in
warm water for 10 or 15 minutes. Take the paper out of the water and place
it on to a smooth surface (abderite counter works well) face down. Than
using your thumb and fingers to rub the paper backing off. It takes some
practice not to rip the acrylic medium. Once you have most of the paper off
use a finger nail brush to get the rest of the paper off. Make sure that you
keep wetting down the paper so it does not dry out. When you can't remove
any more paper use your nails to remove excess edges from the print or if
you want a clean edge trim it with an exacto knife. The next step must be
done quickly and carefully or you end up with a curled up wad of acrylic.
Coat the back of the image with a layer of acrylic medium and than carefully
lift the image from the counter and flip it over onto your paper, an extra
set of hands at this point can be helpful. Let it dry for a day, I destroyed
two prints that I didn't let dry long enough and they stuck to each other
when I tried to transport them. You can stick the images to almost any surface.