Hi, does anyone know how to transfer a color image onto glass? I have seen the result at art shows, but I'm not sure how the artist did it. Did they use inkjet printouts and turpentine or some other chemical to transfer the image onto the glass? Did they use an actual photograph? Is there a way to do this without a darkroom?

I know how to transfer an image to fabric, but I don't know how to get it onto glass or plastic.

Can anyone please suggest something? I would be very grateful! This is very important to me.

Thanks!!!!

And how do you get a image onto fabric??

Coleenie

Here in toronto there is a place that will do it for you or teach you how to. Maybe you could email them and find out some info.
ontario arts council
www.arts.on.ca

fusion-what are you making?

*lindsey

You can transfer color images onto glass with Polaroid transfers. You need either a slide printer or one of those old-school Polaroid Land Cameras that uses the peel-apart film.

1. If you have a slide printer: take slide pictures of whatever image you want transferred. Print the picture with the slide printer. Go to step 3.

2. If you have the camera, take pictures of the image you want. Let the picture develop and then peel apart, as per film instructions

3. Take your nice, developed, DRY Polaroid. Get yourself a shallow tray (not metal! I use plastic photo developing trays). Make sure the glass can fit into the tray. Fill it with about an inch or so of boiling water and slide the polaroid in. Let it sit for about a minute. Then, CAREFULLY (don't burn your fingers!) snag one corner of the photo - the photo emulsion, which carries the image, should peel off, and you can slide it onto the glass

4. While the emulsion is still wet, you can play around with it - swirl it, twist it on the glass. Whatever you want. Let the thing dry and you're set.

TIPS: you may wanna practice a bit. Take several copies of the same picture/make several slide images. If you're not careful, the emulsion can rip very easily. It's very trial-and-error...I started in high school, and 5 years later I still need several backup copies. I used the glass-trnasfer method for an art project, but the images also transfer beautifully onto vellum and fancy watercolor paper. There's also the whole scalding-you-fingers thing - it's basically inevitable. I keep a bowl of cold water next to me to dip my burning fingers into.
This technique may work for fabric as well (as long as you don't plan on washing said fabric). Be sure to use an embroidery hoop to keep the fabric stiff.

Hope this helps...
.skaad.

ps - I like the Polaroid DayLab slide printer the best. Vivitar also has an OK one.