Saturday, 16 August 2008

Acrylic Paint Transfer

Supplies needed: Acrylic dabbers, photocopy of an image, water spritzer bottle, paintbrush, card stock, craft sheet and heat tool (optional)



Take the lid off the dabbers and brush the paint onto the card stock, ensure you get a good coverage


Take your photocopied image ( remember that you will get a reverse of the image, so don't use bold words), flip it over and place it in the acrylic. Lightly press it down making sure it's smooth and not wrinkled


Leave to air dry for at least 15 minutes and then if you wish give it a blast with the heat tool


Only move onto this step when you are sure your paint is completely dry

Take your water filled spritzer bottle, spray the back of the paper no more than two squirts, you don't want it too wet


Next start to rub the paper very gently with your finger


Keep rubbing and extra spritzing if you need too


Eventually you will get rid of all the paper, but it does take a bit of patience as you have to be careful not to wet it too much and rub the image away


You can do exactly the same on a canvas








Apparently the paint in the acrylic dabbers is slightly different to other acrylics as it is more chalky and that's why the transfers work best with these paints. But you can use other mediums. I tried it with Jo Sonia's background paints but didn't get such a good effect
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69 comments:

  1. Ann17 August 2008 at 12:33

    Fabulous effect!! I need to invest in more paint dabbers, as it's mostly tubes of paint I have!! xx

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  2. The Dolphin Inn17 August 2008 at 19:52

    You have received an award, please check out my blog XXX

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  3. Shaz19 August 2008 at 20:26

    brillaint sam..deoes it have to be a photocopy?

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  4. sam21ski20 August 2008 at 11:11

    Doesn't have to be a photocopy Shaz but I have found that these make the best transfers

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  5. Unknown9 March 2010 at 19:58

    This is a really lovely effect x thanks for sharing x

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  6. lilibulle29 May 2010 at 15:44

    thank you so much!!

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  7. Stressed Stepmom2 November 2011 at 18:05

    does it have to be the paint dabbers or will any acrylic paint work?

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  8. Sleepyhead Designs Studio2 November 2011 at 23:11

    I done this with gel medium before over my paint color and it worked pretty good

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  9. Anonymous3 November 2011 at 02:27

    lazer printer ink will transfer too, but not inkjet, its water based and will run...

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  10. dragonflydreamer5 November 2011 at 23:21

    Thanks for the visual tutorial. I look forward to trying this technique in my art journal. Thanks for sharing.

    xo Susi xo

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  11. Anonymous26 November 2011 at 11:20

    Thank you for this great post!

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  12. Beth1 December 2011 at 20:31

    I can't wait to try this! If it's ok with you, I'd like to link back here when I do. Thanks for the inspiration and tutorial!

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  13. Mia15 December 2011 at 01:20

    I am doing this right now! Thank you for the great tutorial!

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  14. Mia15 December 2011 at 01:21

    I am doing this right now. Thank you for the great tutorial!

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  15. Pat20 December 2011 at 21:52

    BRILHANTE !!!! Thank you :)

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  16. Design Vertigo12 January 2012 at 17:15

    Thanks for this cool tip! i cant wait to try it out!!

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  17. Unknown30 January 2012 at 22:47

    that is one amazing trick!!!!thanks for sharing!

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  18. Elly5 February 2012 at 09:49

    Laser prints are excellent to use as well. And I've used Gel medium and it works great. I've never used it with colours though. Just a clear medium. I'll have to give it a try! It looks great!

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  19. Anonymous12 February 2012 at 19:57

    This is so creative! Would this work with a canvas fabric? Would the image transfer to something like a canvas tote bag?

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  20. Debbie13 February 2012 at 13:02

    wow...I will be doing this. Thank you for sharing.
    Debbie

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  21. Debbie13 February 2012 at 13:02

    This is so cool..Thank you for sharing.
    Debbie

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  22. ger7613 February 2012 at 20:35

    Wonderful technique thanx for the share x

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  23. Wsusan14 February 2012 at 15:41

    LOVE to create new things, and Crafts. I must say this one is New to me, Very Nice to know.

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  24. Anonymous14 February 2012 at 19:24

    So cool! Can you do this with ordinary acrylic paints, or is it only he acrylic dabbers?

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  25. Anonymous15 February 2012 at 07:37

    You can also let any paint or medium dry and get a photocopy of a photo, put it face down and rub nail polish remover on the back! works great! need to rub over it for a while and takes a bit of practice but i love it (:

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  26. ElizabethMD Jewelry15 February 2012 at 20:32

    Thats a really great idea :D

    I love it!

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  27. Paper Moon15 February 2012 at 20:42

    i love this.... thanks for sharing this :)

    xx

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  28. Baaaaallllz16 February 2012 at 01:45

    Where can I buy Acrylic Dappers? I have never seen them before... Is it a brand or a specific type of acrylic paint? Also would an image printed off a normal household printer work?

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  29. Cassandra16 February 2012 at 05:47

    Like others here, I have used gel medium with great results. In addition to laser print outs, I have also done it with magazine pages!

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  30. Chelsea16 February 2012 at 06:11

    Neat idea! Thanks for sharing!

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  31. Anonymous16 February 2012 at 06:53

    you can also use acryllic medium, which i imagine would be cheaper. It also works with clear packing tape and chart-pack markers
    make sure the image you have has toner in it; that's what transfers

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  32. Bakeca Incontri Milano16 February 2012 at 16:59

    Awesome! Great job...love your post

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  33. Teena Stewart17 February 2012 at 16:09

    I'm so glad I found this site. Love this technique. Can't wait to try it out.

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  34. Anonymous17 February 2012 at 19:23

    Just an idea or 2...If, as you commented, "Apparently the paint in the acrylic dabbers is slightly different to other acrylics as it is more chalky and that's why the transfers work best with these paints."...then, maybe you could make your acrylic paint more chalky by adding hydrated lime, which is similar in texture to powdered chalk...& it is noted that hydrated lime, available at building centers, is preferred over quick lime, since quick lime will react with the water and heat up...whereas hydrated lime has been soaked in water then dried.
    In addition, another item that might be added to acrylic paint, which is similar to powdered chalk texture, is non-sanded tile grout powder...(also available at building centers). According to recipes online for diy chalkboard paint, you just add non-sanded grout to the paint & it makes the paint smooth & thick, while giving the painted surface some tooth so that chalk will grab or hold onto the painted surface. A recipe for home-made or do-it-yourself (diy)chalk-board paint can be easily found by doing a search online.
    I read that the paint in the dabbers is non-acidic, so possibly the hydrated lime or the non-sanded grout might work, if one is concerned about acid...,since as far as I was able to discern from a quick online search, they are not acidic....however, please, make sure & do your own test... I haven't tried this yet...just some ideas... :)

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  35. c.w.frosting21 February 2012 at 00:20

    Great technique, thanks for sharing. Your site is a great resource!

    -caroline @ c.w.frosting

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  36. flyingbeader21 February 2012 at 11:35

    I'm new to your blog & love this technique. Hummm...wondering if it would also work on fabric ironed onto a stiff Pellon?

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  37. Anonymous23 February 2012 at 03:25

    It seems simple enough to mirror the image when printing so that you get a true image after transfer (including printing).

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  38. Anonymous23 February 2012 at 16:16

    I learned this by rubbing the back of the paper with a cotton ball with thinner, works instantly without drying or hard rubbing

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  39. Chelsey27 February 2012 at 10:10

    Great idea!

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  40. Unknown2 March 2012 at 22:15

    Adorable! Thanks for sharing!

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  41. Anonymous4 March 2012 at 22:25

    Can I do this on a shirt??

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  42. Anonymous15 March 2012 at 05:22

    Great tutorial-very easy to understand-thank you!

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  43. Anonymous21 March 2012 at 17:15

    wow thanks Added to pinterest. thanks for all your wonderful information. Rose

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  44. Winnie4 April 2012 at 18:49

    Love it...Have you had the opportunity to take a course with Claudine Hellmuth of Ranger? She does a lot of transfer techniques that are cool.....Love those dabbers!!1

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  45. Anonymous8 April 2012 at 00:22

    This is super cool ! Thanks for making the instructions so simple. I can't wait to try it AND check out your other craft ideas.

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  46. Mimi14 April 2012 at 12:22

    Wow! This is amazing. Can't wait to try it!

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  47. Lynn19 April 2012 at 02:31

    I used a flat wall paint (sample can of Behr) and also one corner with a laser printer copy and one corner with my Epson Inkjet printer copy
    and they both turned out great... very happy with the results... the inkjet did not run or smear... so I am thinking as long as you are not using a gloss paint it should work just fine...

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  48. Anonymous23 May 2012 at 18:17

    Thank you, thank you, thank you, I'm doing a painting which is all words and was dreading the thought of free handing them, this will help me lots and don't worry I'll remember to mirror the image before I do it.
    Thanks again.

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  49. Gin29 June 2012 at 18:58

    this is awesome! my daughter is gonna love this. thanks for the post. :)

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  50. Ashley11 July 2012 at 04:40

    Would this same thing work with mod podge a glossy 4x6??

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous21 October 2014 at 22:18

      Yes, I did it with modpodge, it came out great!

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  51. Teresa aka Tess22 July 2012 at 23:45

    I love your site. I found you on Pinterest and am glad I did. I am now a subscriber to your blog. I have everything to try this except I have an inkjet printer soooo. I guess I'll have to head to my local office supply store with some photos in hand for copies.

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  52. Angie - Bumble Bee's Craft Den9 September 2012 at 19:39

    Excellent idea - thanks for sharing x

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  53. Hillary13 November 2012 at 13:30

    Can't believe how easy that looks! Totally giving it a shot!

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  54. Camila Santiago28 November 2012 at 21:51

    Could anyone tell me if this works on wood? I have a mobile and would like to reform it using this technique. Thank you very much!

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  55. Silver Memories10 December 2012 at 22:27

    This is a lovely blog - so much creative info! Thanks!

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  56. Thomas A. Marino6 February 2013 at 00:33

    wonderful tutorial keep them coming

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  57. paperbeau2 March 2013 at 07:56

    I LOVE this idea - thank you so much!

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  58. Unknown31 March 2013 at 13:41

    So creative

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  59. Unknown31 March 2013 at 13:41

    So creative

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  60. Rita27 August 2013 at 12:49

    Two questions: Does this work with acrylic ink, instead of acrylic dabbers and does the image have to be printed in a laser printer or can it be printed in a regular one?

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  61. Rita27 August 2013 at 12:54

    Hi. Two question: does this work with regular acrylic ink? And can the image be printed in a regular printer?
    Thank you

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  62. Anonymous13 September 2013 at 09:08

    Great creation

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  63. Aivievy11 November 2013 at 12:03

    Hello, It's really a fun thing to do! But what kind of paper do you use? A real photo or do you use copypaper...?
    Thx

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  64. sam21ski11 November 2013 at 12:18

    You need to use a copy of a photo from an ink jet printer or a photocopier as I doubt the ink will transfer from an original or laser print.

    Sam xx

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  65. Angie - Bumble Bee's Craft Den15 February 2014 at 12:30

    Very nice and easy to follow tutorial. Thanks!

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  66. Barbiedi6 November 2014 at 19:50

    thanks for sharing this fab idea x

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  67. Unknown25 December 2015 at 20:33

    Do you use photo paper or plain, basic copy paper?

    Thanks.

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  68. dchall81 April 2017 at 23:36

    I did a transfer like this several years ago (about the time this was published). I used a high quality laser print on ordinary copy paper. The paint I used was a flat wall paint from Home Depot. I put the paint on a t-shirt, placed the image face down into the wet paint, rolled it down with a rolling pin to make good contact between the paint and the image, then let it dry. The paper came off the image just as pictured in the tutorial above with a little water and my finger.

    My understanding is this technique works on any substrate that acrylic paint will stick to, so it should work with fabric, wood, glass, metal, ceramic, or just about anything that isn't waxy or oily.

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