Da Vinci inspired Art Journal page

"Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art"

 My inspiration for art journalling often comes from a quotation, a of song lyric, something I have read or even heard on the radio. I carry a little note book around with me in case I hear something that I might be able to use.This page was inspired by  Leonardo Da Vinci. His words and his imagery.
By incorporating a variety of image transfer techniques into the collage I have been able to create a  sense of depth through the use of translucent layers.

 One of the methods I have used  is known as face to face transfer. Here is how to achieve it.

• Choose the image you want to transfer and trim to size. Apply a generous layer of matt medium to the front of the image.Toner and laser prints will make clear crisp transfers. ( Avoid glossy magazines)

• Place the image face down where you wish it to appear on your work. (this technique will give you a reverse image so it is not good for script)

• Burnish gently to remove any bubbles and to remove any surplus medium. Be patient you will need to do this for a good 5 minutes.

 

•  Leave to dry for at least 4 hours. I like to leave mine overnight.

• Once dry spritz the back of the image with some water and start rubbing the paper fibers away.

•  When all sign of paper has been rubbed off you are left with a beautiful translucent image.

 Practice is key to image transfer. Incomplete or faulty images will inevitably happen but may still have a place in your work.

I hope this post has inspired you to go and play, experiment and just have some fun with image transfers.
If you would like to see some more examples of how I use image transfers in my work, please visit my blog 
Thank you for stopping by .
Linda .

   

A Final  word of caution . Please be aware of copyright restrictions particularly if sourcing your imagery from the Internet.

Fall is Here Yay! And so is a bit more Mixed Media Mojo Play!

Happy First Wednesday of Fall!

Hi! It's Kim from TangledBlueRose here with a Fall project to (hopefully!) get your Mojo going and make a project to share with us, we would loooovvvveeee you to share:)

The season just turned so it is official! Hope your weather in your part of the world is starting to show the season change!

This is a small canvas board, 5x7. I did not want a smooth base so I covered it with a generous layer of my homemade texture paste.  The I added some drywall tape pieces, one is a cool pattern with circles and another the standard grid one. I just pushed the things into the paste while it was wet.

Here you can see some of the layers. I stamped the images then embossed them. I like to emboss them, it helps me stay in the lines while coloring :)  I used Distress Paint and Inks to add the colors throughout this project. Have fun using whatever you have on hand! Just play.

The sunflower image is a digital stamp image transfer. I printed it on cheap dollar store photo paper. Then I pressed clear shelf contact paper onto it and smoothed it out with an old gift card. The contact paper is not paper, it is like a thin plastic. Once I made sure all the bubbles were gone, I put the whole thing into a bowl of tap water. Let it soak till the paper backing of the photo can be peeled up. This only takes a few minutes. I know it seems like an eternity but it is worth it. 

Gradually and gently, using your finger or soft rag, rub off the paper. Soon you will have all the paper removed and it will leave just the image on the contact paper. Let it finish drying now. Once dry if there is still some white on it that you don't want, just wet that section and rub it away. Don't worry if you accidentally rub away some of the image. It is perfect! You just made it rustic and distressed! This whole process works with clear packing tape too, it is just narrow. So depending on your image size, pick what works for you or just simply use what you have on-hand.

Ooooo this turned into a mini tut! I did not intend that to happen, but that is how art goes, right? Sometimes you just aren't sure where you are going, but then, boom! you are there!

Thanks for reading and I hope all of us here have given you a bit off inspiration! There is still plenty of time (even one more weekend!) to play with us on September's Challenge: Fall theme and add some paste. 

Show us your Mojo, let's play!

~kim

I have a few more photos of this project at my blog if you would like to visit. Let me know if you have any questions!