Altered Silver

Le Jardin spread continues. Previously, the pages were touched with a pale brown glaze and a catalog transfer of an arched garden trellis was applied.


Next, two strips of magazine grass were added to frame the trellis image. Using a stencil brush, the colors of the grass were extended through the spread.

I had a new stencil of a leafy vine that I wanted to try out with paint, and this seemed like a good place for it. I used an ivory color for that. I have rarely (perhaps never) applied paint directly to a stencil, and my inexperience shows on this. For any future time, I'll remember to use a lot less paint on the brush. While the stenciled vine was drying, I prepared two more transfers for the page. When all was dry, they were applied. I like how the color changes show through the text areas.


The final step was to add "dans" and "jardin" with marker through a template; "le" was added by hand after seeing what space remained for the word.




Technorati Tags: altered books, art journals, collage, mixed media

There are many techniques for transfering printed (or photocopied) material from one surface to another. Some of the methods can get pretty complicated. I've tried out two of the simplest-seeming methods so far.

Inkjet onto acetate
Basic instruction: Print from your computer onto a sheet of acetate. Burnish it to the new surface.
My findings:
- It works. Keep in mind that the resulting print will be reversed, so if you want to transfer text, it needs to be reversed before printing; then when you transfer it from the acetate, it'll be the right direction.
- It's messy; the reason the transfer works is because the acetate isn't porous so there is nothing to absorb or hold onto the ink. This means that touching it or brushing the printed area against anything will transfer the ink also, so it's best to print only one item at a time.
- The resulting transfers I got were generally satisfactory, but less than thrilling (partly due to an inadequate printer).

Acrylic Medium
Basic instruction: Apply the medium in several layers to form a plastic film over the printed item. Then remove the underlaying paper and adhere the film where desired. (Any acrylic medium will do the trick, even Mod Podge will work since it's acrylic-based. Either matte or glossy finish is fine; gel medium will also work but take into consideration that it requires longer drying times.)
My findings:
- It works well.
- Mildly messy; use a sheet of wax paper to keep your work area dry and collect the little paper bits.
- The resulting transfer looks as if the original had been printed on the secondary material.

Here's how I used the medium transfer method for the "dans le jardin" spread.

I clipped this image from a garden sales catalog. The arched trellis appealed to me as an invitation, a gateway to cross through. I applied about 6 layers of matte medium over the image, allowing plenty of drying time between each one. (I've since found that I can get by with as little as 3 layers of medium, but the final film is necessarily weaker and more prone to tearing.)

When I figured I had built up enough layers of medium on the image -- and all was thoroughly dry -- I turned the image over and used a paintbrush to add a touch of water to the back of it. (This photo might seem confusing at first; the back of my chosen garden trellis displayed another garden trellis. Easy distinction: This backside picture has no arch connecting the gateway trellis pair.)

I let the water have a few moments to soak into the paper, then began gently rubbing my finger in a circular motion against the paper, starting from the center. I continued the gentle rubbing until the paper began to dissolve and peel.


These are more progress stages. Notice the picture from the frontside (the arched trellis) is starting to become more and more visible while the removed paper bits are building up in little piles around the working area. I kept going until the colors and detailing of my chosen picture were quite visible, using a touch of the brush to add moisture whenever the paper started feeling too dry.


When I was satisfied, the film was flipped over again (back to its original direction) and adhered into a waiting spread with matte medium. My camera isn't strong enough to show it but the transfered image is transparent; the book text that shows through the gesso also shows through the transfered picture.

More on this spread to come.




Technorati Tags: altered books, collage, art journals,mixed media