The Horror
I love doing transfers in my artwork. I have taken to Purell Transfers like I took to boys when I was 14. Fast and Furious. To put it Mildly. teehee. Well, my beloved Apollo Transparencies 7031s for HP inkjet printers are NO MORE. I had a panic attack when I tried to reorder them last week. They are discontinued. I can't believe it. My entire style revolves around these transfers. My PhrenMen, my ShellSeekers, BoneHeads and ScareyClowns. WTF???? I put on my big girl panties and ordered the Apollo 7039. They'll work, right? WRONG. I spent 40 bucks and I am Bereft. The new packaging says for Canon, Epson, Lexmark. No mention of my humble HP. The purell lifted a very small amount of ink. The transfer is very light, almost all of the ink remained on the trans. I tried different amounts of Purell. Over and Over and Over. I swore, I made bargains with The Universe, all to NO AVAIL. I then tried Goldens Soft Gel Medium. I don't like transfers using this because, well , they are Glossy. They lay on top of the paper. With my old technique the paper sucked in the ink and BECAME ONE with the substrate. The image didn't lay on top like a foreign body. Ok, I'm getting dramatic now. teehee. Here are the BAD transfers, make sure the children are OUT of the room first: 
Look at the time and materials I wasted. But I could not make myself give up. I even sanded some of the paper first, because some of it was scrapbook paper and may have some kind of evil plasticy coating on it. Here are the so-so transfers:
The transferred image ends up with brushstrokes from applying the gel with well, a brush. Sponge and fingers still left streaks. And gloss. Ok, I know I can spray a matte sealer on top and that should eliminate the gloss. But, well, WHY??? The 7031s's were PERFECT. Anyone else having this issue or know of a source for the 7031s's??? I am going to consult with my inkjet transfer Yahoo group and see if anyone has The Answer. xoSusan
The transferred image ends up with brushstrokes from applying the gel with well, a brush. Sponge and fingers still left streaks. And gloss. Ok, I know I can spray a matte sealer on top and that should eliminate the gloss. But, well, WHY??? The 7031s's were PERFECT. Anyone else having this issue or know of a source for the 7031s's??? I am going to consult with my inkjet transfer Yahoo group and see if anyone has The Answer. xoSusan
Sorry about your Appollo being unavailable now. So annoying....it's like having a favourite lipstick colour that you've worn for years being discontinued. Why do they do that? Some of the transfers look pretty good though. Hope you find the answer.
ReplyDeleteoh no! i use the 7039s with my epson & they are good. first i have to say that the BAD transfers aren't really all that bad, but my go to transfer thing is elmer's caulk. which does sit on top and not sink in, and this is wit the epson & not the hp, but may still be worth a try ( i have zero luck with gel medium). alcohol transfers are usually pretty clean and become one with the paper. i hear sheer heaven rocks, but haven;t tried it. will take the 7039s off your hands so you're not out $$ tho if you'd like
ReplyDeleteBrace yourself, slap coming . . . are you nuts? These are magnificent! Okay, they may not be what you're used to achieving but a gazillion times better than any transfer process I have ever tried. I have tried a few and failed miserably every time so now I am afraid of them altogether. These, if nothing else, would make amazing backgrounds! Amazing I tell you! Snap out of it woman! (I say that a little sheepishly cuz I know you could kick my but, especially when you're frustrated, but I should get credit for trying to say it) I think they're lovely and wonderful. I do hope you find something that works to fill your transfer void and habit though!
ReplyDeleteOk, so I agree with Tumble Fish! Your transfers are just wonderful and I love it that they are not so in your face perfect!
ReplyDeleteSo.... draw in the part that is not copied and paint...I say it is an opportunity for embellishment!!! yay!
also did you know you can get golden MATTE gel?? and Omni Gel is just fabulous for making transfers of all kinds!!! great work!!