I thought I'd share some techniques I've been working on in my own art practice. The basics I've sourced from Lynne Perrella's (2004) Artists' Journals & Sketchbooks. She writes: “Create a source file of your favourite photographs, and make a trip to your local copy centre. The possibilities for using photocopied prints on your journal pages are endless, and you'll enjoy inventing new interpretations of longtime favourite images.”
Why not try some of these ideas?
- Try copying your prints onto white as well as coloured papers, use some as stencils and turn others into collaged elements.
- Cut out defining elements in the photocopy, or segments within the stencil to achieve various effects, experiment with offsetting the stencil and using acrylics or other medium to colour.
- Apply the stencil to old letters/magazine pages, apply other medium as appropriate to your image. For example, doilies, buttons, found objects. Use oil pastels to add colour.
- Trim and position artworks upon 'worked' journal pages, starting with gusso and building up the image.
- Add patterns with commercial stencils. I get mine from the Thread Studio.
- Reinterpret your photocopied images in unique and interesting ways. For example, deconstruct the image and reconstruct it with new materials suggestive of the original photograph. A dress may have doilies glued at the hem. A hat made of fabric could be added.
Image transfer techniques for the adventurous artist
You can always embed photocopied images straight into a collage, gluing them down as usual and painting over...but I find if you're going to use black and white images or photocopies to begin with then a great method is transferring using a gel medium. You can also use color images, as long as they aren't too glossy.
Get acrylic gloss medium or gel medium.
Then there are two ways you can go. You can gloss over the front of the image and apply it face down to your canvas. Don't put any gloss on the back of the image, which should be face up. After 16 hours or so, maybe longer if your gloss was particularly thick, wet the back of the image and start rubbing off the paper. The image on the front of the paper will be transfered onto the canvas or board (remember text will be backwards and the images will be flip-flopped)
Or you can gloss the front of the image with several coats and let it dry between each one. Don't stick the image down yet. When the coats are dry, you can wet the back and peel the paper off then stick the acrylic transfer, which will be mostly transparent, depending on your original images' contrast and color, down face up on the canvas.
It's the same process, but if you have words or images you don't want to have reversed, then this is handy. Just be sure not to press down too hard when rubbing the back off the paper and don't use too much water, the acrylic medium can re-wetten and stick to the canvas or whatever your working on.
Another method is to transfer onto contact. Cover the image you want to transfer with contact and burnish the back side. Once completed drop it into a bowl of water for about ½ hr. The paper at the back of the transferred image will easily rub away leaving the transfer on the contact. This is a great way to create gorgeous window transfers.
These methods are by no means fool proof and may take a few tries to get them just right, but it's a great way to transfer images so you can paint on them or around them or use them as contacted backing for other projects
Check out this YouTube video on creating photocopy transfers.
Have fun!!
Sources
Perrella, L. (2004). Artists Journals & Sketchbooks. Quarry Books.
Lynne Perella’s website is GOLD for collage artists and visual diarists – she offers a wide range of workshops. Check out her gorgeous and colourful homepage..
