Graphics transfer onto painted wood

Graphics transfer to wood

Stop the presses! I completed two, that’s the number 2, projects! Completed! Amazing, I know. Don’t know what’s got into me, but it’s a good thing. I like it.

I’ve been feeling creative the past couple of weeks and thought I’d tackle some projects that have been sitting here mocking me. Taunting. Teasing. Making fun. Thinking I’d never change them. Ha! Joke’s on them. I did it. And there are plans to do more.

I wanted to try putting some of The Graphics Fairy graphics on painted wood. This was the first attempt. (Sorry about the poster project board background. I didn’t have an empty wall with good light handy.)

The graphic was printed onto wax paper and rubbed on the piece. Here is what I learned:

• My printer will not take wax paper well. It slips and slides and, well, just does not work. So I cut the wax paper to fit a sheet of paper and attached it at the leading edge – the end that goes in first. Use glue dots or double face tape or, preferably, the re-stick-it glue stick, but I didn’t have one of those.
• Don’t forget to flip the image. Don’t forget to flip the image. DON’T FORGET TO FLIP THE IMAGE!! Arghhh! I always forgot.
• I used a credit card to smooth this graphic onto the wood, but the ink didn’t get down into the slight grooves. Next project I used my fingers. Worked much better.
• Use a high print setting when you print. You want as much ink as possible on the image.
• No matter what, it’s still going to be faded looking.
• Use a couple of glue dots to hold the wax paper in place on the item.

The next project was this magazine rack.

I’d like the graphics to be a little darker, but it is what it is. I might try a different transfer technique next time.

After doing these I thought I’d experiment with transferring to fabric. Oh, before I forget, please be careful running fabric through your printer. Even though I ironed it to freezer paper and had a few that worked just fine, I think it killed my old printer and almost killed the new one. I was in a panic last night. But it all turned out all right. Except for the chewed up piece of fabric/paper.

So. I used the same technique to transfer a picture to fabric, printing on wax paper and rubbing it onto the fabric. This is the result.

Really not a bad effect — if you don’t think too hard and try to figure out what it is. I’ve seen better ways of doing this, but was in the mood to experiment. Now I know.