Transferring

Sometimes you get on a roll and just can't say STOP already!

So it is with beeswax...

and now I'm on a roll with transfers. If the cats don't look out I'll be transferring them soon. Honestly...this is a really easy technique, (altho not always 100% successful if you get too aggressive with the 'rubbing' part)....so...let me show you what I did last night and explain how easy it is.

Recognize this image? the Les Miz logo...transferred into wax.


Remember...when you do a transfer, images will come out in reverse.....hence the backwards Mona.....

STEP OUTS FOR THE WAX
1. Melt Wax in melting pot in a project pan at highest heat. Once it melts, turn heat down a bit so you never overheat the wax.
2. Brush wax on a porous and sturdy surface, like wood or chipboard. Canvas without a strong wood backing is not a good choice.
3. Use your heat gun to "fuse" the layer of wax. Just go over the surface till you see a shine, then stop. Thats all it takes to fuse.
4. Repeat the previous step  3-4 times and build up  nice layers of wax, each one fused in between.

STEP OUTS FOR THE TRANSFER
1. Use a toner based copy, not an ink jet.
2. After the last fused layer, while the wax is still warmish, lay photocopy face down on wax. use your finger to burnish paper down to wax.
3. Lay a piece of waxed paper over photocopy and burnish image really well. You can use a bone folder or something like it. Nothing will transfer at this stage but you are making sure the image is really "into the wax".
4. Remove waxed paper. Dip your fingers into a little bowl of water and begin wetting the back of the paper. Do this until you start to see the image.
5. Now begin GENTLY rubbing away the paper. Take your time.
6. When you've removed 90% of the paper, but might still have some "fuzzies", use your heat gun to go over the image and watch the fuzzies get sucked up into the wax. Most of them will disappear. However...if you overdo the heat gun you'll start warping the image.

LAST STEPS.
1. After you've heated  (to get rid of the fuzzies) let the surface cool a little bit. It needs to stay warm but not be hot.
2. Now, gently press in a rubber stamp or use a roller stamp...gently is the key. if you press or roll too hard you'll lift off the wax.
3. Brush Perfect Pearls over any area of wax you like. It just sticks and needs nothing else. You can buff it up to a high shine

FINIS (except for your own personal, extra touches of course !)

Comments

[Marie-Aimée]

sorry for my bad bad english
I found your site through search on the melting pot and beeswax
thank you greatly for all these ideas

[Jan Hoefler]

Ok Suze, I gave this a go! 2nd times a charm. MUCH better results. Thanks for the encouragement! When you're not toooooo busy, check my blog:
http://redrubberpaperandink.blogspot.com/

[jenan]

How do you preserve this so the wax doesn't come back off? Do you have to hang or use in a temp controlled setting?

[Michi, Orange County, CA]

Hi Suze!
I'm totally LOVING this tutorial!! It is so COOL!!!! I'm hoping that you might give me permission to share your blog with some of my artist buddies . . . I think they'd really FLIP over this technique!!!!! THANK YOU, either way!!!!!

[Jen crossley]

Suze you are always so inspiring
Jen

[terri Ventura]

WOW, I see you already found a great use for the wings, it all looks great
xo
T.

[Suze Weinberg]

This technique has the best results when you do it on something porous & strong. Beeswax likes wood. It likes chipboard. If the canvas can be stuck to something strong (where it cannot be flexed) it should work as well.
Anytime you use wax on something that bends or has 'give', the wax can (at some point) break off.

[Michelle D in Oregon]

Suze, thank you so much for doing these samples and the explanations. I especially like your explanation of the details like gently stamping and brushing on perfect pearls. That is the real artistic part and it is so often overlooked because we focus on the wax part.

[Jerri Sue]

I am going to give this one a try. thanks for sharing

[Trisha]

Brilliant Suze, can you do this with the sticky back canvas?

[Jenna Kellso]

THIS IS SO AWESOME!