Image Transfer

 This week I've been working away in the studio to create a piece for an upcoming charity exhibition at Gravelly Barn.

I love using fabrics and wanted to use my photo's taken earlier in the week. Using Image Maker, a special paste which transfers pictures onto fabric, I created a base image to work from.

 The secret ingredient is of course, Image Maker, which can be found at most hobby and art stores.

Paste it thickly all over your image so you can't see the picture very well anymore. Wash up your brush in water straight away as Image Maker will dry rock hard! I've lost many a good brush to the paste.

 Once your image is completely covered, flip it over and press down onto the desired area on your chosen fabric. Smooth out any wrinkles by hand to get it as flat as possible.

Now leave it to dry. Overnight if you can resist! Sometimes I place mine on the radiator to speed up the process (naughty!). Keep it flat whilst drying, this will prevent wrinkles. Wrinkles! *shakes fist*

 Once dry it's the fun part! Saturate the image with water. And I mean saturate! You should be able to see the image through from under the layer of white paper.

 Take a cloth or your strong finger and begin rubbing in circular motions. The top layer should begin to ball up and rub away. Brush the excess paper away to reveal your image underneath. Leave to dry.



I've taken my image a little further and screen printed over it.

This wet /rub process may have to be repeated several times, drying in between, to ensure all the 'fluff' has gone. Once you're happy you have done as much as you can, rub in a final THIN layer of Image Maker over the top to seal in your picture and give it that crystal sheen!

It's good stuff, you can use photocopies, printed images from your own photos, pages from magazines or books (although words will come out backwards so reverse the image on the photocopier first). Have fun!

The secrets within..

Spring has hit town. Hello sunshine! Its been too long! First chance I get I'm out and about my little English village, soaking up the rays. I love walking alongside the canal, watching the narrow boats chug by or being stalked by sinister swans. Sometimes I remember to take my journal or camera with me and record my journey and finds. I love the history that England provides, imagining what or indeed whom, took this path before me. Here are a few snaps from today, looking at the gorgeous old locks and secret doors which hide the many stories from the curious passerby.

This is one of my favourite images - look at the beautiful soft blues and purples that have come out!

I'm loving the teal greens in this local lady's fence. There is the shadow of what was once a lock in the shape of a flower. Awww. You may also notice I love the colours and texture of this image so much - it's my background!

Finally!

Well, it's about time. I've been talking about getting online since the dawn of the Internet and now here I am finally! In blog form!

This blog has come at the right time for me. I am about to embark on a new career move into Fabric Technology, leaving my beloved studio based Art Technician job behind. I know deep down it is the right thing to do, but of course, as soon as you hand in your notice, the job you once loathed becomes your dream job. Suddenly cleaning sinks doesn't bother me anymore! All I can see are the wonderful opportunities my role provides me as I skip through the corridors. Much to my colleagues disgust!

So, in order to ease my fears of the big scary corporate world, I am to write this blog to provide creative inspiration for you and for myself. I hope this way I will continue to develop my art and to feel part of an online artist community. Join me on my quest to stay creative and inspired whilst holding down a 9-5.