Inkjet/gel medium transfer examples

Transfers are really fun to do - but you've got to relax and kind of go with the flow - because they are not an exact science. They are really random - no two are ever going to look exactly the same - but that's what I like about them. There are lots of methods but the method we are discussing here is an inkjet print transfered to another surface using gel medium.

Basically you just put down a thin layer of gel medium and lay an inkjet print ink-side down on top of it. Smooth it and burnish it a bit and let it dry. When it's dry you then take your finger - dip it into water and wet the back of the paper and rub. The paper will sort of roll up and come away leaving the ink showing trapped in the gel medium on your surface. You just gently keep at the paper removal with a wet finger until it's all gone. You need to rub gently and with not too much water because if you totally saturate the gel medium underneath you will ruin your image.

The images below come from one large piece I did, but it's cut into two so I could scan it. On the piece with the woman's eyes, the transfer is the backwards arabic text towards the bottom. On the piece with the polyclay ankh, the hieroglyphics going down the right side are a transfer.

I learned all I know about transfers from lots of trial and error and this great tutorial: http://www.calsk8.com/zeitgeist/acrylicgeltransfers.htm