Tag: acrylic

Projects – Transferring Artwork with Acrylic Gel Medium

On By TimelessladyIn ProjectsLeave a comment

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My grandson recently drew this amazing race car for my fridge. I loved his art so much I decided when we had a sleepover we might be able to try a technique I had read about and always wanted to try – transferring drawings to t-shirts or other items using Acrylic Gel Medium.

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We purchased t-shirts and washed them before we started the project to remove any finish on the fabric that might interfere with the transfer. We took the drawings we planned on using to the office supply store and had them color copied and reduced 25% in size.

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Before we began we covered a plastic cutting board with wax paper to put between the front and back of the shirt. This step can’t be skipped, to do so would mean the shirt layers would stick together causing the project to fail. Make sure to place this protection inside the shirt area you will be decorating before you begin.

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Lay the color copy right side up. Dollop a good-sized amount of acrylic gel medium on top and spread it to the edges of the paper with a large paint brush. Keep the coat of gel on the thick side, areas with too thin a layer will tend to pull away from the fabric.  When you are finished clean brushes and any drips immediately. The gel is permanent when dry. I recommend wearing old clothing and working on a protected surface.

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After the color copy is covered with a layer of the gel very carefully turn the copy over onto the shirt. Remember that any lettering or numbers will now be backwards. We were lucky-my grandson had used a number 88 on his car so we had no problem with backwards words or letters. Let the shirt sit and dry overnight in a place where it won’t be disturbed.

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The next morning, if the paper backing feels completely dry, turn the shirt inside out and give the back of the transferred area a bit of hot air from a hair dryer.

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Turn the shirt right side out again and spray the backing with warm water. Let it soak in a few minutes and then begin rubbing away with your finger. I wondered if this part might be difficult, but it came up fairly easily. In spots where we had applied the gel too thin parts of the picture rubbed away. The edges also were a bit raggedy, but compared to the area where the edges were straight, we decided the raggedy edge gave the picture a much more “artistic” appeal and looked more natural.

Small, lint-like pieces of the backing paper stuck to the fabric of the shirt when were finished. I found I needed to once again carefully immerse the shirts in water and rinse away the residue of the backing. This did not disturb the transfer at all. To excess water after the rinsing I rolled the shirt gently in a towel and hung to dry.

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My grandson was very happy with his project and his little brother was very surprised and pleased by the shirt we made for him. I would recommend this for ages 6 and up and only if helped by an adult. Laundering must be done by hand washing. Be prepared for the transparency of the design to whiten up again wet. When it dries again it will be transparent again.

We created two shirts for about 20.00. There is plenty of gel medium left for several more projects.

Painting – Acrylics Equipment

On By TimelessladyIn PaintingLeave a comment

A repost of a good idea for keeping acrylic paint moist. One caution, don’t keep too long or the paint/sponges will mildew.

I have not painted extensively with acrylics, but I have enough experience with them to know that they will dry out and become unusable faster than you can brush them on a craft project or canvas. A good way to counteract this problem is to use a moisture retaining palette. These work great, but as with all art supplies, they can be expensive. The solution: They are very easy to make with inexpensive household and yard sale items.

I found a Tupperware lunch meat tray for twenty-five cents at a yard sale. I bought a packet of large-sized sponges at the supermarket. As soon as I opened them, and while they still retained their slight moistness, I cut them in half lengthwise, and then into smaller pieces and fitted them to the tray. I filled the bottom of the tray with a small amount of water and then cut pieces of tracing paper to size using the lid as a template. Along with tracing paper I have used wax paper. I have read other artists and crafters use freezer paper with good results

At this point I placed the tracing paper on top of the sponges and lightly sprayed it with a coating of water. The tracing paper, or other suitable papers, acts like a wick and keeps the acrylics moist. To give myself even more time to work I also added a touch of acrylic extender to the paint before I began to stroke it onto the canvas.

This technique worked perfectly for me. The paint stayed moist, and when I was finished, I placed the lid on tightly and the next morning the paint was ready to be used once again.

For more information on how to set up your own moisture retaining palette for painting and crafting click here:

Moisture Retaining Palette

Painting – Making Color Charts

On By TimelessladyIn Painting1 Comment

I love the look of bubbles, and I want to paint a portrait of my two older grandsons blowing bubbles in my backyard. Where to begin when painting bubbles is the question. There are so many colors within the translucent and delicate orbs. I decided to isolate the colors in the “PAINT” program on my computer. I pasted the bubble picture onto a new document and, using the eye-dropper tool, experimented with a few of the colors. Oh my! Countless shades and colors make up a bubble. It will be quite a challenge to paint them, but I would like to give it a try. Here are the sample color charts I made up using my paint program.

Here’s a closer look at the color charts.

Wish me luck! I’ll be trying to do this in acrylics. I have painted with watercolor for years, but I’m suddenly tired of the time it takes to complete a good watercolor painting, and I am tired of fiddling around with them, trying to get everything perfect. Acrylics are more forgiving of mistakes—time to stop all my chart-making and planning and actually begin painting a picture. SMILE!