I’ve
had a first attempt at transferring an image to wood.
I used a laser print from my local library
laser printer which cost me 15p for
two copies on one sheet. The image is one
of my Carbon Paper Trace Monotypes that I finished extensively with a
mechanical pencil – building the image up
in sections by reprinting each successful edit and continuing on a
printed copy until I ended up with a
finished image.
The
piece of wood was just an off-cut and I
painted it with two coats of white acrylic
paint. When thoroughly dry I hand sanded the face
of the wood with fine sandpaper and brushed
off the piece with dry kitchen roll. Then with a wide soft-haired
brush I evenly coated the wood project face with
clear acrylic gesso. Once smoothed level with the brush –
brushing up and down
in one direction only. I then gently
laid down my
image (printed mirror image and cut to fit the wooden surface). I
gently smoothed the paper down using an old credit card and my
fingers. Once it looked firmly pasted to the wood with no bubbles
(smaller images work best!) I left it to
dry overnight.
The
next day I filled a yoghurt pot with water and placed the wooden
project onto some old newspaper. Dipping my fingers into the yoghurt
pot of water I wetted the paper image and let it soak in a bit before
gently rubbing the paper away to reveal the image underneath. Take
care not to rub too hard. I left it to dry before repeating the
process. Once the paper was removed and I let it dry once more, I
sealed the project with the same clear
acrylic gesso.
For
my first attempt, I am really pleased with
the result. There are a few areas in the hair that
are missing but these could be touched up
with a fine brush and some acrylic paint. The wood I used was not the
smoothest as it
was just an off-cut. However, with
a suitable wooden panel well sanded I
expect to be able to get exceptional results that can be used for
various decorative craft items.
Possible
uses: Vintage wooden projects, Re-purposing, Shabby Chic,
Arts & Craft style wooden panels (option
to stain or paint with thin washes of
acrylic).
I
can also see a niche for providing similar
high resolution images as clip-art for sale as a download
or on recordable CDs.
