Printmaking Transfer with Acrylic Medium
Printmaking Transfer with Acrylic Medium is one of the easiest ways to transfer your drawing onto linoleum for printmaking. There are several ways in which to transfer your drawing and I have them listed here.
The transfer process for printmaking can be one of the most frustrating and time consuming steps. As I have shared during one of my other transfer blog posts about using graphite, a lot can go wrong during this process which can make you want to quit before you even start.
Please do not quit! Please persevere and follow the steps provided below in order to avoid any unnecessary heartache in the transfer process.
Acrylic Medium Uses
Acrylic medium is usually used for collages or acrylic painting in order to seal a painting or to aid in drying time or viscosity of paint.
It has many uses and one of the uses of Acrylic Medium that I have used for printmaking is to transfer my images, drawings, or even photographs onto a linoleum block.
My favorite type of linoleum is the gray kind with burlap backing. It is inexpensive, and has a surface that will take a transfer with little fuss. It also lasts a very long time.
I recently received someone’s grandmother’s linoleum block they had carved in the 1930s and it is still in fantastic condition.
For this transfer method, you can purchase some acrylic medium from an art store, it can be matte, gel, or glossy. It doesn’t really matter. Or you can use modge podge. (However, I have not used modge podge to transfer glossy photos on photo paper successfully). If you manage it please let me know in the comments how it went! I’d be very interested.
LINOLEUM FOR THIS PROJECT
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Unmounted Easy to Cut Linoleum
What You Will Need
Drawing or Photo Printout (Directions on how to prepare images)
Linoleum
Acrylic medium or Modge Podge
Paintbrush
Something flat like a library card
Paper towels
Water
Directions
- Use the brush to coat a generous amount of acrylic medium or modge podge to the surface of the linoleum
2. Place your drawing image side down onto the linoleum
3. Smooth out the back of the paper with your hands and then use the flat library card object the best you can to get the air bubbles out.
4. Let dry overnight for at least 12 hours.
5. When completely dry use a slightly moistened paper towel to gently but firmly rub the back of the paper.
6.The paper will start to dissolve and remove itself from the linoleum.
7. What should be left is the reverse image glued down onto the linoleum.
8. The image will be sealed onto the linoleum and ready for you to start carving.
That’s It! Good luck with your carving and printing.
Let me Know how Yours turns out.
I would love to see how any of your projects turn out. Please send me images of your finished prints or comment below with any questions.
In the following weeks I will be writing about how to transfer with nail polish remover so please subscribe to my newsletter so you can stay on top of new and upcoming blog posts.
More Transfer Methods
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