Paris Panel

It's been a while since an update but I have been working away and this one has been done for a while now. I've even put it up on the wall in order to live with it for a while to see if it is actually finished.

Tutorial - Making a photo transfer

As promised, here's that tutorial. Photo transfers are fun and can add an element of collage to a work or be used entirely by itself. Generally you would want to put the transfers on a panel but you can also use them in other creative ways including lampshades (since they are almost transparent) or shadow boxes. I've found that self-levelling gel works really well. I came across this quite by accident since the jar looks the same as tar gel and I obviously wasn't paying attention! I started with a layer of self-levelling gel and then an application of tar gel but really the self-levelling works well on its own as long as you do two applications. It also dries faster and smoother.

What you'll need:

A picture printed on plain paper
Knife or scissors
palette knife
self-levelling gel or tar gel
tape
backing board
sponge with scrubby side, if possible

Step 1:

Print out an image onto regular plain paper. The cheaper the better. Pigment inks are best but are not necessary. Any regular print will do. Any true blank area will not show white in the final. So remember that when choosing your image and choosing what to show and what not.

Step 2:

Cut down your picture (if necessary). Leave a bit of a border. You'll see why. You can always cut down the image after its gel application.

Step 3: 

Tape down your image (leaving a bit of a border around the true outside of your image). It's best to tape the paper down to a non-porous board to allow for drying. 

Step 4: 

Take a spatula and coat the picture with the gel in one smooth, even and not too thick coating. Try to minimize air bubbles as these will stay. Do another pass or two to smooth it out if necessary.

Step 5: 

Once dry the gel should now appear see-thru unlike the above. The milky look means it still isn't dry. Drying will depend on humidity in the air but be prepared to wait several hours. Repeat and coat the picture with another application of the gel. This helps with Step 6.

Step 6:

Once the 2nd coat is dry remove the tape (it helps if you score the paper or even just cut the picture away as close to your tape as possible). Wet the picture and your sponge. Start rubbing the back of the picture in a circular motion to remove the paper. Don't rub too hard or have any debris under the picture or folds as this will remove the pigment. Unless you want that look! Wash the transfer when you've got the paper off just to clean it up.

Step 7: 

Now hang to dry. Because you left a little bit of extra space around the picture you don't have to worry too much about your hanging method leaving any indentation.

Step 8: 

When dry you can apply your transfer in any way you like. If you're applying it to a panel then any type of binder medium will work to adhere it.

Enjoy your new photo transfer!

Coming soon - Tutorial!

Here's an image I'm working on for a tutorial. Things are drying, pictures are being taken but soon there will be a post for a how-to for photo transfers.

More from my night out

Here are more pics from the night shoot.

Painting with Light

After a couple of hints from European Chic, I'm back posting again. Been busy finishing classes and recovering from some health inconvenience (how I like to see it). These pictures are from my last photo lighting class and here I'm painting with light. Or rather others are and I'm taking the pictures. 

These are taken at the Distillery District in Toronto. It's a former whiskey distillery that was abandoned for years and used at times for filming but has been re-done as a centre for arts, nice design shops and restaurants.

Changing paint with Photoshop

Last day of my class tomorrow (Photo transfers and painting) and I'm stuck with my painting. But instead of going at it with paint again (it's been changed twice) I thought I would use Photoshop to see if lightening the picture was just the thing it needed and I think it is. Stayed tuned for the end result.

Before - the darker version

With Photoshop - lighter

Photo transfers

Things got a bit busy with preparing for my show for Contact and starting new classes so it's been a while. But here's some work I've been doing to prove I was doing something while away from here.

Quiet Through Tunnel

I'm taking a course in photo transfers and painting. The primary way being used to transfer an image onto a substrate is with tar gel. It's actually pretty simple and you just use the cheapest paper too (makes a change). Above is my first effort with a photo of a sign that I took in San Francisco applied to a painted panel and then painted around. I tried using leveling gel to make the edges of the photo transfer less obvious. It created an almost resin-like coating. This was not my goal. It didn't really do its leveling magic but I'm happy with the results.

Now onto project #2 and more San Francisco images. This is a bigger panel (the other one was 8 x 10 and this one is 20 x 20). Below are all of the tar gel images with paper rubbed off waiting to be applied to the gesso panel. They're quite shiny so the shininess of the leveling gel at least ties everything together but then loads of varnish would too.

One you've seen before

North Beach hotel

California 

tram

Here we have the panel waiting for painting. This time I applied the images first rather than painting first. I'm going to try to build around the edges of the transfers so they looked more like they are part of the panel rather than applied. We'll see.

now pasted onto panel

New things

This is one of the images I'm working on for a new course at the Toronto School of Art. You've probably seen this image before in a different guise (see the blog where it was put with a building from Paris).

I'm still working on things for the Contact show, combined with other necessary errands and things around the house. We actually planted flowers. It's so nice to have them back.

Getting there

So I picked up my swag for Contact today and nearly had a heat attack carrying it all home. What I would have done with 75 copies of the catalogue, I don't know. We're allowed to sell them but I don't see a queue forming out my door. Would be easier if I was a gallery owner but I'm not.

New York

Picked up the works I had professionally printed today. They're okay. I was a bit nervous about it.

And I had my first digital images in painting class. Looks promising. So a not bad day overall.

Tomorrow - more matting, printing, possibly ink shopping and general getting ready-ness.

Getting ready

New York

Still ticking off to-do lists for Contact. I ordered my larger prints today. Just hope they come out. I wasn't left feeling overly confident after leaving the printer. I pick up Contact promotional things tomorrow too. Getting there...

Blurb

So my book is in the process of being printed by Blurb. If you fancy have a peak (and maybe ordering a copy) here's the link.

New York

And here's another pic. It's in the book too. Now to get photos printed for the show tomorrow after work.

How could I forget Germany?

Forgot to put any photos of shopfronts from our trip to Germany in 2009 in my blurb book or to consider for the Contact show. How could I?

Almost finished my book for the show. I want to have it there to show other pieces that won't fit in the space and maybe somebody will like to purchase the book (hopefully they will purchase and not take the sample that I leave at Grinder).