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!