This
tutorial covers one method and two photo papers and several mediums to transfer
images to polymer clay. I have tested
more than ten different transfer mediums and many transfer papers and have
found the six liquid mediums and the two photo papers below to yield the most
consistent transfers to polymer clay. I
have also chosen these as they each give a slightly different finish.
Kato
Liquid, Translucent Liquid Sculpey and Fimo Decorating Gel are made from
polymer clay. Polymer artists use liquid clays to transfer images as well as
using them with many other polymer clay techniques. The liquid clays work with
both the laser and the Epson Glossy Photo paper for Inkjet printers used in
this tutorial. However, the Strathmore
Glossy Photo Paper works only with the Tranz It! as the transfer medium.
Omni-Gel
is marketed as glue and as a transfer medium especially for paper. Picture This is a liquid transfer medium
marketed especially for transfers to fabrics.
Trans It! by Judikins is a transfer medium that is new to the
market. These last three products work only with inkjet photo papers on
polymer clay whereas the liquid clays work with the laser and the inkjet photo
papers listed below.
Although
many different papers and transfer mediums will work with polymer clay, these
are the most reliable products and the easiest to use. In this tutorial, the transfer
mediums manufacturer’s directions to transfer the images will be ignored.
Polymer
Clay
White or a light colors such as ivory or pastels
Liquid Polymer
Clays as Transfer Mediums
Translucent Liquid Sculpey or TLS
Other Transfer Mediums
Copyright
free images
Photo
Papers
Epson Glossy Photo Paper for Ink Jet Printers*
100
sheets S041271 NOTE added
NOTE added
on
Transfermagic.com
Ink Jet Transfer Paper for Ink Jet and Bubble Jet Printers When using a transfer medium such as
Translucent Liquid Sculpey with this paper, there will be no ink at all left on
the paper when the image is transferred.
In that respect, it gives the most vivid transfer. However, it has a slight rubbery feeling
which may not be desirable. This can be
minimized by using a layer of EnviroTex Lite, Colores resin or another finish
such as Golden Polymer Varnish with UVLS over the image. This is not a photo
paper, but is a transfer paper. See additional info under Photo Papers under
Notes, Tips & Resources below.
Strathmore
Glossy Photo Paper 15 sheets, acid free, water resistant for inkjet printer
gives very brilliant image transfer when using TranzIt! as the transfer
medium. It has a good finish that is
very natural when used on polymer clay.
This paper needs the Tranz It! transfer medium and does not work well or
at all with the liquid polymer clays as a transfer medium using the
instructions in this tutorial. See additional info under Photo Papers under
Notes Tips & Resources below.
Hewlett-Packard HP Color
Laser, Photo Paper, Glossy Product: Q6608A for laser printers
I have tested several laser photo papers and have had
good results with several, but I have found for my printer that this product is
the best for transfers.
Papers that
DO NOT work using this technique
JetPrint Photo Premium Photo Paper High Gloss for
Inkjet Printers Heavyweight
JetPrint Photo Everyday Photo Paper Soft Gloss
Canon Photo Paper Glossy for Inkjet Printers has ‘New’ on the upper right corner
and a little girl holding her artwork above her head.
Kodak Photo Paper has diagonal stripes across the
back each page and the word Kodak Photo Paper.
Premium Epson Glossy Photo Paper has premium on the
package.
Tools
Blade
Bone folder or burnishing tool (back of spoon,
popsicle stick or similar item)
Ceramic Tile or Glass
Scissors
Toaster Oven
Pasta machine
Scissors (optional)
Scrap piece of old T-shirt
Bone Folder or
a burnisher is a smooth tool used to
burnish or rub the transfer to insure it adheres to the clay.
Chosen Images are the copyright free images or images you have
created or that you have selected to copy onto the photo paper and then
transfer to polymer clay.
Transfer mediums are the liquid clays, gels or glues that are used to transfer the image
from the photo paper to the polymer clay.
Transfer papers are photo papers and have images printed on them.
Choosing
Images
It
is important to choose copyright free images, public domain images or images of
your own creation. Public domain images are images that are no longer protected
by copyright and anyone may copy, distribute, display, or perform the work. In
general, any work that was created or published before 1923 is now in the
public domain. Some works created much later than 1923 are also in the public
domain because the formalities required by law at the time were not satisfied.
Any work created by the federal government is also in the public domain. If you
have any doubt as to whether it is available for your use, you should obtain
permission from the holder or owner of the works. Finding a desirable image on
Google does not necessarily mean it is copyright free.
Choosing Clay
Colors for Image Transfers
It
is best to use the lightest color clay for transferring images. If the chosen image contains white, you will
probably want to use white or light colored clay. Any white showing in the image
will reveal the color of the clay as no white ink is printed from the printer.
If you use pink clay, any white areas in the chosen image will be pink once
transferred to the clay. Other colors
will also be altered. If you choose beige or ivory clay, your transfer will
have a warmer color or a vintage appearance. If you wish to transfer a bright
image, beige clay would muddy or tone down the transferred image and it will
not be as bright as if you used white clay. Most images transfer well to white,
ivory, tan, light gray or pastel polymer clays.
Inkjet Printer
When
using the photo paper with the inkjet printer, be sure to use the reverse image
or mirror image selection in order for any text to print properly. Use the best printing selection and you may
choose to use photo paper selection if your inkjet printer has this setting.
Laser Printer
Print
your image in reverse so the text is printed properly. I am able to choose among many papers on my
printer although it does not have photo paper as a selection. I believe it
prints in best mode at all times.
Liquid
Clays
Translucent
Liquid Sculpey, Kato Liquid Polyclay and Fimo Decorating Gel are the liquid
mediums used to transfer the images. One
word of caution with the liquid clays is that the Fimo Decorating Gel may
yellow over time. I have several pieces
using the Fimo Gel that are about three years old and all have a hint of
yellow. The Translucent Liquid Sculpey did
not yellow. The newer formula of Kato
Liquid is too new to know if it will yellow.
The older formula of Kato Liquid Polyclay did not yellow after three
years. Each of these have a slightly different finish and feel to the
transferred image.
Other Transfer Mediums
Omni-Gel
and Picture This and Tranz It! will work in the same manner as the liquid clays
as a transfer medium on the inkjet photo paper used in this tutorial. These
mediums do not work at all using the method described in this tutorial with
laser paper. The transferred image
is very clear and has a silky feel. A
blind test with several clayers was performed and they could not tell the
difference in the feel of these three products.
However, they thought the Tranz It! was the best product for the
transfer medium.
Photo Papers
I
have chosen the photo papers for both the inkjet and the laser printer that
have given consistently good results.
The inkjet paper (Epson Glossy Photo Paper for Ink Jet Printers 50
sheets S041649 or 20 sheets S04114 or 100 sheets S041271) has been used for a
few years now in transfers to polymer clay. (See note under photo papers for
additional information.) Hewlett-Packard HP Color
Laser, Photo Paper, Glossy Product: Q6608A is the photo paper that works the
best with my HP Color LaserJet 3600 laser printer. The final transferred image has a different
“finish” even if the same solid clay, same liquid clay and the same technique
are used. Some other photo papers will work, but I believe these work the best
for clay. Be sure to select one of the papers recommended in this tutorial for
best results. Note added July 20: I
have added two new papers to this tutorial. I am now partial to the Strathmore
Glossy Photo paper when used with TranzIt! I had used it previously with the
liquid clays, but could not get a good transfer. The trick to both the Strathmore photo paper
and the Transfer Magic Ink Jet Transfer Paper is to allow the polymer clay to
cool before removing the paper. This is
not the case when using the original Epson Glossy Photo Paper of the Hewlett
Packard Laser Photo Paper as they should be removed while the clay is still
warm.
Polymer
Clay Brands
I
have tested this transfer technique using Premo, Kato Polyclay, Fimo, Cernit
and Granitex. I mixed liquid clay brands
as a medium with the various solid clay brands. I also used the liquid clay
brand with the coordinating brand of the solid clay in all except Cernit. I used Translucent Liquid Sculpey with
Cernit. In general, the liquid clay that
was manufactured by the same company as the solid clays worked best together.
Terms of Use for this Tutorial
1. You have my permission to print this tutorial
for your own personal use from my web site as long as it is printed with my
copyright information.
2. You have my permission to use this tutorial
in a polymer clay guild demo or NPCG activity.
Please print it in its entirety and give credit. You may make a copy for
each participant.
3. You do
not have my permission to use this tutorial as a hand-out or print this tutorial
for a class for profit. However, you
may refer participants to this site (www.heartofclay.com)
to print their own personal copy. You
may teach this technique using your own special teaching abilities by putting
your own spin on it or making a finished product using this technique. Please give credit.
4. You do not have my permission to sell this
tutorial.
5. You may write your own tutorial on
transferring images to flat polymer clay surfaces, but you must use your own
words and photos and you may not copy mine.
You should give credit should this tutorial be your inspiration.
6. Please email me at jrhea@nc.rr.com if you have questions about
the use of this tutorial.
To view a close-up, click on image.
I
will use one transfer medium, one photo paper and one polymer clay as the
technique is the same regardless of which ones you choose unless otherwise
noted.
Choose
either of the inkjet or laser printer photo papers above, one of the liquid
clays, and a light color of any brand of polymer clay.
If
you wish to use the laser paper, please note that you must use a liquid clay as
your transfer medium. Omni-Gel, Trans
It! and Picture This! will work only with inkjet photo paper images if using
this method.
If
using the Strathmore Photo Paper, TranzIt! will be your best transfer medium.
For
these step-by-step photos, I will use the laser printer paper, Translucent
Liquid Sculpey (TLS), and Kato white clay.
You may use Kato Liquid or Fimo Decorating Gel instead of TLS. Kato clay is whiter than Premo and gives a
brighter image.
Sheet
your polymer clay with a pasta machine in order to have it as consistent and as
smooth as possible.
Press
the sheet of polymer clay onto a tile.
Be sure there are no bubbles under the clay. (Figure 1)
Squeeze
Translucent Liquid Sculpey onto the clay. (Figure 2)
Figure 1
Figure 2
Use
a smooth edged credit card, metal ruler or other stiff and smooth tool to
spread the Translucent Liquid Sculpey over the clay. Be sure to go in all directions. (Figure
3) If there are any rough spots on the
edge of your tool, this may interfere with the image transfer. Kato Liquid is a little thinner and you can
use your finger to spread easily.
If
using TranzIt! as your transfer medium, it is easiest to spread with your
finger as it is sticky. You also must
have your images ready to apply to the TransIt! as it dries very quickly. If it dries before you can apply your image,
it will not grab the colors as well for the transfer.
If
there are any spots that are not covered completely with the TLS, squeeze a
little more TLS and use your fingers to rub the TLS evenly over the clay.
(Figure 4) You do not want the TLS too thick.
It needs to be sticky, but covering the clay. If it is too thick, the image will slip
around and you may end up with a fuzzy transfer.
Figure 3
Figure 4
Choose
the images that you have printed on the photo paper and trim around the
edges. If there is room, allow an extra
1/8-1/4" around all sides. This is not absolutely necessary, but there is
less chance of pulling up a tiny spot on the corner of the transfer. (Figure 5)
Place the images face
down on the polymer clay. I place the
center down first as in Figure 6.
Figure 5
Figure 6
Use
a bone folder to burnish the image.
Begin in the middle and work outwards to each edge. Turn 90 degrees and repeat. Turn and repeat a second time. (Figure 7) You may wish to think of this as
north, south, east and west. Start in
the middle and rub completely across going north. Turn and rub across going south. Then finish by doing east and west. The clay
must touch the image to get a good transfer. When you think you have rubbed
enough, rub again.
Using a blade, cut
around your images about 1/8” from the edge of the paper. Remove the extra clay. (Figure 8)
Burnish again next to edges.
Figure 7
Figure 8
These may sit for up to
two hours. You may see the image begin
to show through the paper. (above in Figure 8 and below in Figure 9) Leaving the clay on the tile, rub the backs again
with a soft cloth or your fingers.
Place the tile with the
clay in the oven and bake for 30 minutes at 275 degrees. If you attempt to remove the clay and bake on
another surface, the image will become fuzzy or skipped areas where the clay
separates from the image.
As soon as removed from
the oven, while still warm gently lift a corner of each image and it will peel
off easily leaving your image. (Figure 10)
NOTE: If you have used either the Strathmore Glossy
Photo Paper or the TransferMagic Ink Jet Transfer Paper, allow them to cool
completely before attempting to remove the paper. If you remove while still warm, the image may
be soft and sticky and you may have a smudged image. They will peel off easily once cooled.
Figure 9 Figure 10
Here are the
transferred images. (Figure 11) The laser printer images on the photo papers
appear to leave some of the ink on the papers, but the images are transferred
well and all ink needed to get a good transfer has been transferred to the
clay. The inkjet printer photo images
will have less ink left on the photo paper, but this does not mean it will be a
better transfer. The TransferMagic
Transfer Paper will transfer all ink to the clay.
As you can see, I have
left a clay border around the images. (Figure 12) I often use leather scissors
to cut close to the image and then use a sanding block (200-400 grit) to sand
and smooth the edges around the image.
If you do not have leather scissors, use an X-acto blade to trim the
edges. Granitex clay cannot be trimmed
with leather scissors as it is a brittle clay and will chip too easily.
Figure 11
Figure 12
Finishes are needed on
the inkjet images. The laser images
appear to be much more durable. A finish
of your choice may be applied. Allowing
the cured polymer clay with images to sit for a day before applying a finish
may be helpful in some cases. I have had
a couple of problems when I tried to apply a finish while the clay was still
warm. The image smudged. But for the most part, I think it is safe to
apply any finish that we normally use with polymer clay.
The cat image was drawn by my oldest son. Blog
To view close-ups about these items, go to my blog.
I teach a class that goes beyond this
tutorial and covers several techniques to alter images before transferring and
after transferring. This includes manipulating
the image so it has a watercolor effect, carving designs in the image, ageing
the image and more. This tutorial is the
basis for the class. The class focuses
on completing a project using the techniques.
If
you are looking for a tutorial for transferring images to spheres, round or
curved surfaces, you may
purchase it here.
Copyright by Jeanne Rhea 3519 Baugh
Street, Raleigh, NC 27604 www.jeannerhea.com 919-850-9278. See terms of use in this tutorial above. This
tutorial is not approved for any child without adult supervision. All information has been tested and presented
in good faith, but no warranty is given and no results guaranteed. Author disclaims any and all liability for
unsatisfactory results.