Presently I am working on 10 collages at once...each of them a botanical print...
Scandinavian I believe...mostly of grasses...
I prepped each canvas the same...french manuscript pages wrapped around the frame...followed by two layers of paint...applied with an old sponge for additional texture...
Now I'm in the midst of composing each collage...for me, it is an exacting science...I think it resonates with the botanical theme...measured and methodical...to have order and relation...as things would be in a scientific study...
As I'm building the layers and the nuances, I want to add another image to the main plant focus...and in keeping with the scientific theme, I decided to design my own "insect studies" to complement the botanical plants.
I had read about making your own image transfers...using overhead transparency sheets...I liked the idea of being able to add another layer and yet still see what was underneath...I spent the weekend exploring the options...my own sort of artistic/scientific "lab experiment"...here's what I learned...
Its much easier to design transfer images (especially if you want to use a number of layers) in Photoshop...and at the end, when you need to flip the image horizontally so that you have a reverse image to print, is also easier with Photoshop...
Since you are printing on transparency with an inkjet printer...the ink can smear...even after it is dry...so be very careful when you are rubbing the image onto your surface...I tried to transfer an image onto one of my painted canvases...it smeared...but the good thing...its inkjet...which means its water soluble...I wiped the smeared image off with a damp paper towel and it was completely erased...
Printing onto fabric worked the best...and since I set the image with a hot iron, it won't rub off the fabric...here I used a french postage mark from French Kiss transferred onto a piece of raw linen...
Even after I had transferred the design onto either fabric or paper, there was enough of the image left on the transparency to be recognizable...so these transparency sheets will be directly attached to my collages...ink side down against the canvas so no residue ink can be worn off...
As a thank you to my faithful followers...I've included here a PDF sheet with four of my transfer designs from my weekend experiment...all you need to do is print them out on a sheet of overhead transparency film...with an inkjet printer...cut them apart (ever so carefully!), flip one of the images ink side down onto your surface...and then using a popsicle stick or a bone folder or a wooden spoon...gently rub over the entire surface until all the ink has lifted off the sheet and adhered to your surface...
I'd love to see what you create...I'll show you mine if you show me yours...!
