Saturday, March 26, 2011

Image Transfer

Today I attended an image transfer workshop for potters. I am not a potter (though I have done pottery) but I was hoping to learn techniques I could use in other mediums and I did! The processes we learned were simple with amazing results. Unfortunately I didn't take photos, but Denise did, click here to see her blog post. Below is a list of what I learned in bullet point form. If you have a basic understanding of screen printing and pottery this will make sense. If you don't it probably won't make any sense at all.

Lesson 1: Monoprint Tissue Transfer
• Mix 50% powdered stain with 50% Frit (Frit 3124 works well)
• Add water until it's the consistency of ink
• Paint ink onto a piece of glass or tile until opaque
• Let dry completely (20-30min)
• Tape tissue onto the glass
• Draw on top of tissue with a dull pencil
• Dried ink transfers onto the back of the tissue where you've drawn
• Remove tissue from glass and place onto clay
• Gently rub on
• Remove tissue, image is now transferred onto the clay and is ready to be glazed and fired.
*Can be done on a curved surface like a mug



Lesson 2: Lino Printing on Clay
• Mix 50% powdered stain with 50% Frit
• Add small amount of Glycerin to a paste consistency
• Mix ink on a piece of tile
• Use a small roller to and roll ink onto your lino cut
• Use a flat piece of clay, leather consistency, and lay on top of the lino cut
• Ink will transfer to the clay and it will also have a imprint of the lino cut
* You could also use this technique using store bought rubber stamps
* Lino cuts can only be transferred on flab slabs, but small stamps could be transferred to curved pieces.



Lesson 3: Tissue Transfer
• Mix 50% powdered stain with 50% Frit
• Add small amount of Glycerin to a paste consistency
• Mix ink on a piece of tile
• Ink the stamp then stamp tissue paper
• Rub tissue paper onto clay
*Works well for large curved areas


Lesson 4: Paper Resist
• Use premixed underglaze
• Use laser cut paper or craft stencils
• Lay paper or stencil on clay, then paint glaze over stencil
• Remove stencil
• You can also paint the back of the stencil, place on clay (for example blue) then paint the negative space a different colour (yellow). When you remove the stencil you'll have a 2 colour design with crisp clean edges. Simple and beautiful.
*I loved the texture this created. The yellow glaze was dimensional, but the blue glaze was flat.



Lesson 5: Screen Printing - Curved surface
• Mix 50% powdered stain with 50% Frit
• Add small amount of Glycerin to a paste consistency
• Mix ink on a piece of tile
• Screen print your design onto a piece of tissue
• Lay tissue on clay and rub
*Same process as the rubber stamp. Tissue works well for curved surfaces.
* I was shocked at how crisp the small detailed images were.

Lesson 5: Screen Printing -  Flat surface
• Screen print your design directly on a flat piece of clay


Lesson 6: Plaster Printing
• This process uses slips (basically watered down clay mixed with stains)
• Add a suspension agent to your slip
• Use a plaster bat as a base (you can easily make on just using an old baking pan and plaster).
• Screen print the colouring slip on to the plaster (rinse screen quickly) --top colour layer
• Let dry slightly then paint on different colours for filling in details --middle colour layer
• Hand paint a solid background colour over the whole design --background colour layer
• Let dry until the slip looks matte
• Take a thinly rolled flat slab of clay.
• Apply a generous amount of water to the clay
• Quickly roll the clay on top of the plaster pushing out all the excess water.
• Gently roll with a rolling pin
• Square off edges so that the clay is within the painted area.
• Remove clay
*This was a great way of using a line drawn image and easily being able to fill it in with colour.
*You basically apply the colour layers in reverse
*Colours integrate into clay, but are still very crisp


Lesson 7: Decals and Photocopies (to be used after your item has been fired)
• Use decal specific paper. Water transfer paper for pottery can be found at http://www.beldecal.com
• Use a photocopier or laser printer to put your images on the decal paper
• Cut out your design
• Put in water and the paper layer will separate
• Place on your fired piece
• Dry with a towel or sponge (same as putting on a temp tattoo)
• Doesn't need a top coat
• Need to be re-fired (at a lower temp)
*The laser toner needs to have iron in it, if not, the image will disappear when fired
*Black laser ink will turn into a rusty brown colour

I will quote my friend Denise here, "Thank you Cathy Terepocki for changing my life" Check out Cathy's blog for more photos. http://www.hornofplentynews.blogspot.com/

Thanks Denise for the photos!

13 comments:

  1. holy superwow! This sounds amazing! I can't wait to see it all in person. So much good info and practical stuff in one workshop--I'm so jealous! (In only the best way!)

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  2. Ditto: Super Wow! I found you via http://musingaboutmud.blogspot.com/

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  3. just found you via musingaboutmud.blogspot.com and i can't believe you only have 2 comments so far!! Fantastic to have all the processes in one place in such a concise way, Thank you :^)

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  4. Thank you for the kind comments! I have left this blog unattended for a while, but am back to give it some love. Glad to see others found this post useful. :)

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  5. I need to get back in the studio! Inspirations abound!

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  6. I also come across this image transfer technique using foam.

    http://ceramicartsdaily.org/clay-tools/decorating-tools/from-flat-to-round-screen-printing-glaze-patterns-onto-pottery/

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  7. Thank you Sarah for sharing. I have been needing this creativeness to help give my pottery some "Pop!" I will be working some of these idea later today. Thanks.

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  8. Hi there!

    I was interested in printing my own decals to place on plates and bone china

    I was looking at 8-1/2" x 11" INKJET WATER SLIDE DECAL PAPER 10 PACK however it says it is only good for decorative use

    Can you suggest a product that would be safe to use (ie. not just decorative)?

    I am interested in doing a project similiar to this https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/yvonneellen?ref=l2-shopheader-name - her work is safe to eat and drink from, do you have advice on how I could achieve this from home?

    Thanks,
    Erica

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  9. It would be great, If we could subscribe to your blog. Please add a subscribe-fielt to your blog. Please!
    :-)

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  10. Tissue works well for curved surfaces, I was shocked at how crisp the small detailed images were.

    OKI C831-TS LED Laser Printer

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  11. As primarily a printmaker with limited clay knowledge, what is my next step in firing these? What cone should I fire to? Can I paint the images with glazes after bisque firing? Presumably I wouldn't paint before firing since it might mess with the crispness of the lines, right?
    I'm super excited about trying this out in my classroom! Thanks for sharing!

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  12. Just Fantastic! Such simple and effective process. I love it

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