Layers Upon Layers: Mixed Media Art

Fabric image transfers: t-shirt & transparencies

by Cyndi on March 13th, 2007

Technique Tuesday

Last week I talked about a couple of my favorite methods for transfering images from one paper to another. Today I want to look at transfering to fabric instead. There are two methods that I use more than any other, and I want to start by showing you side-by-side what the final results look like:

The first is a t-shirt transfer, and the second is a transparency transfer. It’s easy to see how much more pigmented and opaque the t-shirt transfer turns out to be. Both of these methods will reverse the image, just like the ones we saw last week, so keep that in mind when you are printing out your inkjet picture.

We’ll start with the t-shirt transfer method:

1. 
   Print out your image with a bit of extra saturation of color. Prepare the receiving cloth, ironing it flat if needed.
2. 
   Use parchment paper to protect your iron and board. Iron the transfer in place, following the manufacturer’s specific directions for heat and time. Peel off the transfer paper.
3. 
   Again using parchment paper to protect your iron, iron waxed paper over top of the image to remove the plastic-y feel of the transfer. Peel off the waxed paper. I learned this trick from Rice Freeman-Zachery on a radio interview that she did.

As you’ve already seen, the transparency transfer method yields a more delicately colored and transparent image:

1. 
   Print out your image on the rough side of an inkjet transparency. Prepare the receiving cloth, ironing it flat if needed.
2. 
   Apply a thin but thorough layer of polymer gloss medium to the fabric. Position the image and burnish it well. The fabric will probably be slippery, so hold your image down carefully.
3. 
   Remove the transparency carefully, and top the image with matte medium to cut the shine if desired.

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POSTED IN: Collage, Digital Art, Fabric & Fiber, Mixed Media, Photography, Technique Tuesday, Tutorials & Techniques