http://www.painters-online.co.uk artistDecember 2019 59
PRACTICAL
mass-produced printed ephemera,
which infl uenced my own early
illustration work.
Back then we used lighter fuel as an
adhesive but there were health and
safety implications and it is no longer
used. However, when I discovered
that Royal Talens had created a new,
modern and easy-to-use image transfer
medium I just had to try it. Amsterdam
Photo Transfer Gel is hassle-free,
safe and reliable – images transfer
very easily to all sorts of supports. I
predominantly use paper but non-
greasy primed canvas surfaces would
work just as well. The good old days are
back!How it works
Amsterdam Photo Transfer Gel works
only with black-and-white laser prints
and photocopies – it will not work with
coloured prints. The fi rst step is to
upload your photo image onto your
computer and open it in a photo-editing
program such as Adobe Photoshop,
convert to black and white and print it
out – I fi nd standard photocopier paper
(A4 white, 120gsm) works best but you
can work bigger.
Prepare the paper by applying
Amsterdam Photo Transfer Gel to the
print side, then place print-side down
onto your support. It is worth smoothing
out the print with a roller to remove any
air pockets – the entire print needs to
have contact with the support to make it
work effectively. Leave to dry for at least
24 hours; when completely dry remove
the paper by carefully rubbing the
back of the print with a sponge, moist
cloth or similar and luke-warm water, so
only the black print remains. Use your
fi ngers to remove any fi nal residue of
unwanted paper where necessary.t On site I took surface rubbings using a Conté and 4B Lyra graphite stick
and Canson Mi-Teintes 170gsm pastel paper (cream) to obtain dif erent marks
and textures of both the exterior and interior elements (including some old
wallpaper found inside the building) of the old ruins. These, combined with
on-site drawings, colour sketches and photographs, were analysed back in the
studio before I began to create my paintingt Autumn Early Mists, Lower Slaithwaite,
Kirklees, mixed media on Canson Heritage Not
140lb (300gsm), 22 3 30in (56 3 76cm).
I particularly like the reverse side of this
paper. It is slightly smoother but has that
all-important tooth. Because the paper is
exceptionally strong, multiple layers are
possible and colours remain bright and
fresh. I applied foundation washes of acrylic
inks, premixed and diluted, using large
brushes. Once totally dry, layers of transfer
prints were used; each print required a full
24 hours to adhere correctly to the surface
before additional media were added. The
strong graphic black lines from the multiple
photographic prints combine with many
layers of paint in dif erent media for an
interpretation of the scene that is beyond the
purely representational
u STAGE ONE
Using generous amounts of watercolour and
acrylic inks, I applied a range of initial washes
with large brushes (some 5in wide) to the
surface of the paper and allowed them to
interact. Foundation colours were selected that
represented the colours seen and noted in the
landscape but on a much larger scale
Your print is now ready to be used in
your painting. It can be left as a black
print on the surface or worked into
and over with different media. The
introduction of a graphic black print
over a coloured underpainting adds
a new dimension – you can apply it
several times to build up interesting
visual layers. If any part of the
underpainting has had soft pastel or oil
pastel applied, those areas will resist
the print, which is good to know if you
want a more distressed or random print
effect as part of the fi nished result.Textured surfaces
The use of textured grounds has
different effects. For example, gesso
and pumice in an underpainting creates
a distressed print effect. Rough surfaces
and underneath texture break up the
print. Smoother surfaces give a more
continuous transfer effect.
Interestingly, photo-transfer images
are pretty waterproof when dry so will
therefore resist inks and watercolour.
Special effects can be created with this
knowledge in your work again. Heavy
body acrylics, gouache, oil paint and
oil pastels can be successfully painted
over transferred images to give you
further creative options and exciting
creative directions.DEMONSTRATION Spring Evening, Lower Slaithwaite, Kirklees
TA