Sunday, April 18, 2010

Elmer's Caulk Transfer Play

As you are well aware by my previous post,teehee, I am having a grand time playing with inkjet transfers using Elmer's Caulk and Apollo 7039 transparencies. Just as a reminder, I use an Epson C88 with Durabrite inks. I am working on cardboard that has been gesso'd and painted with various sprays and acrylics. I am still enamoured of All Things Medieval since attending Lynne Perrella's Medieval Manuscript Workshop, which is evident in my "practice book."

I am just overjoyed at the ease in which transfers happen using the above recipe. I will be grateful to Marianne FOREVER!!! teehee. I am having so much fun, because the success rate is so high, and even when it isn't exactly what I was going for, I can make it work. So here is my FIRST Elmer's Caulk transfer:

Got my supplies together....
Laid down some Elmer's Caulk, set tranparency down, burnished with bone folder, and lifted TOO SOON. Marianne's directions said WAIT several moments for the caulk to set. Could I wait? NO. Therefore this blob, which will be attended too, have no fear. But the bits that did transfer gave me HOPE!!! The bits were, good, good I tell ya, clear, detailed with tons of promise!!! So I calmed myself down, and tried again.

oh JOY oh Rapture!! look at that!!! Almost Perfect!! I left my camera at TMG's house so these pics are taken with my iphone that, alas, has no flash, no zoom or macro feature. Apologies. Anyway, after the above success it was a free for all :
I like a smoother burnishing hand that a rag affords, rather than the bone folder.
Look at that clean transfer!! Then I started playing with other pages:


Now before I did the Caulk Transfer's on this page, I tried to use a Chartpak Blender Pen to do a transfer of the castle onto this page:



Saturate small area with pen and burnish, burnish, burnish. Well ventilated area please.
Lift, and Nothing Transferred! Well, the paint did attach to the copy....
So the hell with it, I cut it out and attached it with Golden's Self Leveling Gel. I'm sure there are successful ways to use this technique, but I just don't see the point. Can someone enlighten me?? Well, I like a transfer sometimes that doesn't have the raised and glossy or satin area of caulk or gel medium surrounding it. I can see a definite need for that. In that case I would probably use an alcohol spray or Purell transfer to UNPAINTED paper. For example if I wanted to transfer an image on top of some vintage writing or paper, and I wanted a surface without texture. Ok, I just did that answering my own question thing. Anybody else ever used the Chartpak pen and if so, in what capacity? I would love to hear other Artists input on that.


So, moving along, Here is a page 80% completed, I think I may add some more writing in the upper left corner, cutting thru the heart, maybe:


It's probably not politically correct to say you LOVE your own work, teehee, but I LOVE this!!! Not bad for playing and practicing. The lyrics to the strip of music are:

"When three long years had passed away, A Knight shall wed with me."
"O thou shalt have a milk-white steed, If thou shall wed with me."
"O thou shalt have a golden crwon, If thou shall wed with me."

Holy High Expectations, Batman!!! anyhoo, there are 2 caulk transfers, the woman and the tassels, stamping, embossing, a torn piece of vellum paper printed with gold sheet music, which I then did the heart caulk transfer on top of. The arrow thru the ring is a transparency piece I glued on with DG3 because I didn't want to take a chance and mess up her features by doing a caulk transfer. I have found with playing that you can LAYER the transfers on top of each other!!! YAHOO, more on that later. I sprayed all with an acrylic sealer. I like how the sealer dulled down the arrow over the face. It was way too reflective before spraying.

That is all for now, I have lots more I could share, but I am itching to create with my new found knowledge and I have been on this computer for hours. Thanks again, Marianne. And thanks to all who visit and leave inspiring and kind comments!! xoSusan

9 comments:

  1. All righty now, caulk that up as a success!teehee. I think you've got it, I do. Where do you get the transferes? I want to try this now, it looks alot eaiser.
    Hey when is Art and Soul?

    beth

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  2. these look great! yay! let me know if you need more! :)

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  3. Love the process on this!
    I have never tried the chartpak pen transfer.....I guess I ahve too much Golden gel medium to think that far outside the box!!!
    I think the end product with the use of medium is great as it grounds the piece, still plenty of transparency in it.

    XXOO!!
    Anne

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  4. Whoa! (a direct quote from Mr. Keanu Reeves, aka Neo)

    Fist - I neeeeed to find a successful way to do transfers. And I've been looking high and low locally for years for Elmer's Caulk (internet here I come!).

    Second - I have used the Chartpak pen with zero results. I've heard a million reasons and excuses but I don't have that much time every time I want to do a transfer to try to get it right. Threw it away.

    Third - your art is so gorgeous. I'm jealous and envious and inspired and intimidated all at the same time! I need more of the creative who gives a **** attitude - I need to be willing to throw it away if it doesn't work! And I need to be willing for it not to work - ha!

    Fourth - I have learned so much from your blog and become so much more willing to 'play' in my creativity. Keep up the great blog sharing.

    Kathy

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  5. if you can't find elmer's caulk try a siliconized acrylic caulk- i had some success (once) with the ace store brand, but haven't experimented with it much since. and ace hardeware is where i buy mine. i haven't tried chartpak b/c every technique i've seen with it involves using laser copies & i'm too lazy to go to kinko's. then there's the whole question of the newer copiers not using as much toner, which causes problems too....have fun playing!

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  6. I love this..OK now I am wanting to try this.
    The transfer looks wonderful.
    Thanks for the post and the wonderful art.

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  7. how exciting to have successful transparencies!! been there too! they are stunning. thank you so much for your great comment on my blog! xo wanda

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  8. Hi, I came over at Anne's suggestion (El Milagro Studio) and I have been trying to look at your art but I keep getting distracted by the hunks on the left (pant pant) I suggest you remove them if you want people to look at your work;-) Okay, I will give it another try, for the sake of art. Your work is definitely worth taking a second look at.

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  9. Hi there Soul Sister :)
    I am loving your art here - ooh so divine!!
    Did you just smear on the pastey stuff and then use an inkjet print burnished? Sounds easy and messy too, but you know I love mess.
    The colours you have used are beautiful combinations. I LOVE it too, and you can proudly say you LOVE it :)
    Lots of Love in this comment - and Lots of Love being sent to you. xo

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