Let's try to transfer the photo to the tree? This type of creativity has been known for quite a long time, and there are plenty of master classes showing how it is done. I also decided to try my hand at this process, and today I invite you to see how I did it (I still hide my faces under the “veil” 😉).
I will show 2 options for translating the picture (why two? More on that below ...) and talk about the mistakes made during their execution. And at the end of the master class, we will compare the results.
How to quickly transfer a photo to a tree
So, in order to transfer a photo to a tree, we need:
- suitable base (I have these pieces of board)
- grinder or sandpaper
- soft brush
- rubber roller
- depending on the option chosen - PVA glue or acrylic varnish
First you need to prepare a wooden base. The surface of the board must be clean and even. That is why we need a grinder. The role of the latter is played by an electric drill and a special emery nozzle. After sanding the board and smoothing the corners, we will get a suitable form for transferring the photo with our own hands.
Keep in mind that the wood surface has its own texture that will show through your photo. Be prepared for this.
Now let's prepare a photo. The selected picture must be printed, and always on a laser printer, and always in a mirror image. In size, my photo is slightly smaller than the board, I deliberately left small margins so that the texture of the wood was more noticeable.
We transfer the photo to a wooden surface using PVA
In the first version, I used PVA glue to transfer the photo to the tree. And not clerical, but construction. I do not know if they differ in composition, but it seems to me that with the help of glue bought in a building supermarket, the picture is imprinted better, and the paper is removed more easily.
We cover only the front side of the photo with undiluted glue, i.e. the one we are going to translate.
We put the photo on the board and press it well. It is better not to move the picture (the paper may tear or wrinkle). We leave to dry.
My photo on the board dried up for a day. And as soon as it dried, I immediately noticed an error ... See?
Yes, these are either areas not smeared with glue, or poorly pressed with a roller. Well, there is nothing to do, we continue ... We remove the paper, and for this we use a spray gun.
Do not wet the paper too much, just lightly sprinkle the surface. We only need to wet the top layer in order for the transfer of the photo to the wood to be successful. Let the paper get wet a little (2-3 minutes) and begin to roll it off the surface with your fingers.
Attention! Never use force to remove as much of the paper layer as possible at one time. The picture will come along with the paper.
Look at the photo - all the mistakes made are clearly visible. Lack of glue in the first step and excessive pressure when rolling the paper resulted in holes in the translated photo.
Well, let's start all over again...
Transferring a photo to a board with varnish
Having polished the board again, we proceed to the second version of the transfer of the picture to the tree, in which we will try to take into account all the mistakes made.
In this method, I used a colorless acrylic gloss varnish to transfer the photo. Lacquer is often used to fix the image on the base, and we also used it in the craft to preserve the appearance of the product. First of all, I pasted over the inside of the print with a photo with adhesive tape, cutting it off along the edge of the picture.
We glue the photo on the board and again with a roller, very carefully smooth the picture. All air bubbles must be expelled. Let it dry like this. With natural drying, it takes two days.
And now we take the edge of the adhesive tape and tear off the top layer of paper.
Then we repeat all the procedures that we did in the first version - we moisten with water from a spray bottle and wait until the paper is saturated with moisture.
And now, lightly and gently, we begin to roll paper balls from the surface of the picture. Once again I remind you - you can’t make an effort! If you feel that the paper has already dried under your fingers, you can still sprinkle with water. But! With an excess of the latter, it can saturate the top layer of the board along with the print of the photo, and then the drawing will be erased.
Taught by previous bad experience, I stretched the paper rolling into 3 stages. That is, when my fingers began to slide over the paper surface without rolling it, I stopped the process of transferring the photo to the tree and put the board to dry. After the surface was completely dry, I repeated all the steps.
At the last stage, I had to remove a few paper remnants from the base. And voila! The picture was transferred to the board without any defects at all!
Now, in order to smooth the border between the photo and the wooden surface, I went over the outline of the picture with fine sandpaper. Yes, the photo on the board will look a little faded, but that's okay.
And now we cover the entire surface of the board with the same acrylic varnish. Do not forget that the brush must be drawn along the fibers. I applied three coats of polish.
Conclusions and comparison of options for translating a picture into a tree
So, what conclusions can be drawn when transferring a photo to a tree with different options? I'll give my opinion here based on my experience.
- when printing a photo, you need to slightly increase the contrast (then the picture will turn out brighter)
- to transfer pictures to wood, it is better to use acrylic varnish
- varnish must be applied to both surfaces
- when drying the product, you must wait until the photo is completely dry
- roll paper ONLY with light finger movements, without pressure
- it is better to break the process into several stages with intermediate drying
Here, under these conditions, the result will surely be successful. Here, of course, there remains a large field for activity and a flight of fancy in terms of the decor of the resulting image. You can think of something to frame a picture or even a frame around a photo, make some kind of background, come up with fasteners. Here, for example, you can see how we did it, maybe some idea will come to mind ... 😉
You can transfer a photo to a tree using the method described above and get an interesting picture. It is quite suitable as a present for any occasion or just as a small gift surprise for friends.
PS. I have an addition to the article here, with a refutation... 😉 I decided to test the theory that only those printed on a laser printer can be transferred to wood. And here's what happened...
How to translate an image printed on an inkjet printer
Prepared the board as described above. Printed a photo on glossy photo paper for the jet.
All stages of the transfer are similar to the previous method. The only thing is that I cropped the photo along the border of the board.
After everything dries well (I also used a hair dryer to speed up the process), we begin to separate the paper from the surface of the tree. And - oh, a miracle! The photo paper came off very easily, but the image itself remained on the board! Didn't even have to wet it with water.
It only remains to correct a little - carefully using a sharp knife, pry off the remaining pieces of paper and separate them from the image itself. All!
So - experiment, and always check in practice all available methods. Good luck!
I was translating an image printed on a conventional laser printer. In the future, I'm thinking of looking for an inkjet printer for printing color images. Don't forget to flip the image horizontally. Well, I also made a small tonal correction in the bright side.
The surface onto which the image is to be transferred must be smooth. I used 120 grit sandpaper.
The main element of the technological process is the gel medium. When I found a needlework shop in my city and asked the seller to give me a medium gel, he asked me a question that baffled me: "What do you like?". "Well, it's just written on the Internet - gel medium. Let me translate the pictures." Then it was the seller's turn to be surprised. It turned out that the translation of pictures is just a side effect that the seller had not heard of before, but in general the gel is used for various effects "under glass" and "with rhinestones". From the whole set of gels, I chose a transparent glossy acrylic medium. It turned out he was not mistaken. The gel itself is similar to sour cream. And consistency, and color, and the same opaque.
We glue the sheet with the image and drive out the bubbles with a roller.
The idea of the method is that the top layer of paper carrying the image is pasted into a medium (liquid glass). After complete solidification (we left the blanks to dry overnight), you only need to remove the layer of paper. To do this, the paper is soaked and rolled with your fingers. I used the rough side of the dishwashing sponge. Here it is necessary not to overdo it and not damage the image itself. But this is not a particular problem, the image is quite stable.
We have done many paper removal experiments. The sponge showed itself from the best side. But when the paper was rolled up with fingers, a small paper pile remained, which rose when the varnish was applied.
After removing the paper, only the printer's ink remains, glued into the liquid glass. At the same time, after drying, the gel became transparent and the structure of the tree is clearly visible.
I must say that the technology is quite effective. The whole process takes two evenings. The image is translated clearly, not blurry. One jar of gel with a volume of 125 ml and a cost of 480 rubles was enough for 9 sheets of A4. The only inconvenience is that the image may be damaged when the paper is removed.
It remains only to cut off the excess.
Now, owning the technology, you can think about its application. For example, jewelry boxes or original labeling of products.
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In the variety of materials used for decoration, wood occupies a special place. This material is notable for its unique texture, environmental friendliness and natural origin. Wood itself, especially when varnished or otherwise decorated, is very beautiful. However, at the same time, it often becomes the basis for placing certain images. Moreover, the latter can be transferred independently. And there are several ways to do this.
Unlike paper and canvas, a painting on a tree is something new and interesting in our design. Therefore, such paintings will attract attention, and those people who want to make an interior that can surprise can consider this particular option.
In addition, you can decorate the wood that is used directly in the decoration, making the interior familiar to many look completely new. In addition, in this way you can decorate a variety of wooden products, from caskets to furniture.
Finally, transferring an image onto a wooden surface can be a hobby for children and adults, and for some, a way to earn money. After all, handmade items are actively purchased today.
What needs to be done with the drawing and the tree before transferring
- Transferring an image to a wood surface, as well as to any other, is in some cases impossible without the effect of mirroring. In the case of an image, this is not so important, however, it is better to initially make letters and numbers mirrored, so that after transfer they take the correct form;
- Any drawing is best transferred in high resolution. In the process, blurring may appear, and if the image resolution was initially low, this can greatly degrade the quality of the final result;
- The quality of the transfer directly depends on how clean and even the surface will be. Any pollution is unacceptable, as are irregularities. In the latter case, you can use sandpaper;
- The color of the tree can also play a role in the transfer. It is best to use as light options as possible.
Sublimation paper transfer
A special type of paper that, when heated, can seize with a surface, while wood is a similar surface. Anything can be printed on such paper, and the process of transferring an image with it is as simple as possible.
Ironing paper
It is often used if it is necessary to transfer images to a tree for subsequent tracing with a special soldering iron and thus creating a pattern. Someone draws by hand, but someone prefers this method. However, the method is also suitable for creating final products, but because of its cheapness and simplicity, it is very accessible and popular.
To transfer, you need to print the desired image on a sheet of paper. The sheet itself is laid on a perfectly cleaned and even surface of the tree. In this case, the paper is wetted with a small amount of acetone, which will make the process of transferring the pigment from it to the wood when heated better.
Important! When working with acetone, all precautions should be taken. Remember that the material has a strong odor and actively evaporates. It is best to work in a ventilated area, and you should protect your respiratory organs with a respirator or at least a mask. It is also important to have a fire extinguisher handy and avoid static electricity.
Having stretched the paper soaked in acetone to the desired size, we begin to iron it with a hot iron, and after a while the image will be transferred.
Translation using decoupage film
Decoupage is becoming a very popular hobby, so many people know how to handle a film from it. After printing the desired image on it, also prepare white acrylic paint.
It is necessary to perfectly clean the wood, as well as give it a smooth surface. Next, we apply a pre-slightly thinned paint in two layers. Moreover, the application directions must be perpendicular to each other.
The paint must be allowed to dry. Once this has happened, dampened decoupage paper (about 30 seconds soak in room temperature water) is placed on the surface, removing the base and rubbing with a sponge to ensure a snug fit. After waiting for drying, you can treat the surface with varnish.
Translation using PVA or gel medium
Regardless of the material chosen, the process is about the same. However, in the case of the gel, the application takes place directly on the board, well, the glue is applied to the photograph. The photo itself can be a simple printout on plain paper. If it is important for the image, it is necessary to have a mirrored version in the photo, as subsequently the picture will take the correct form. Next, the procedure is as follows:
- The wood must be carefully cleaned and perfectly sanded to create a smooth surface. You can use 120 grit sandpaper;
- Photo processing with wood glue or gel. In the case of the latter, it is necessary to do everything as carefully as possible, without missing the slightest fragment;
- The sheet must be glued to the lubricated surface, and then walked over it with a roller for a better fit, the absence of wrinkles and air bubbles. The stage is extremely important, since it depends on how well the drawing will be translated;
- Leave the product overnight, after which, as soon as the gel is completely dry, wet the sheet and remove it with a sponge for washing dishes. The image is translated quite reliably, and it is not so easy to erase it. However, it is better not to be too zealous. At the same time, in the case of PVA glue, it will be more difficult to erase the paper layer;
- After all the paper has been removed, make sure that there are no traces of paper left on the surface, as they may interfere with the next step - varnishing. You can use waterproof or clear acrylic lacquer.
It’s nice to turn ordinary things “like everyone else”, with a little effort, into your own, cozy, personalized. A good way is to decorate them with an original pattern. And even if you consistently skipped art lessons at school, and you draw a little worse than a fifth grader, it doesn’t matter. This simple method will allow at least all the textiles and wooden surfaces in the house to be decorated with funny drawings. And please your friends with original gifts.
The authors of a resource popular among designers shutterstock offer to try a simple home printing technology. It is available to every owner. laser printer. Or someone who is not too lazy to go to the nearest copy center and print the desired drawing. This method will allow you to easily transfer the image to a fabric or wooden surface.
You will need:
Acetone (or a nail polish remover based on it);
Cotton pads;
Plastic card;
Scotch;
Ruler;
T-shirt/fabric/wooden surface on which the pattern will be transferred;
desired image.
Step 1: print the picture on laser printer in a mirror version. An inkjet printer is a bad helper in this matter, because. does not guarantee even distribution of ink, which will be displayed on the final result. The darker the original image, the better.
Step 2: put down the sheet face down on a fabric or wood surface. It is advisable to fix it on one side with tape so that the picture does not “leave”. Soak a cotton pad or brush in acetone and carefully wipe the back of the pattern so that the paper becomes wet.
Step 3: take a plastic card and use it like a scraper to go all over the back of the picture. It's like you're rubbing it. First from bottom to top, then from top to bottom, repeat several times. Press the "scraper" lightly so as not to tear the print. The main rule is that all this time the paper with the image should be wet with acetone. This will help the pattern to adhere to the fabric or wood.
Step 4: gently pull the edge of the sheet with the image and evaluate how the “printing” process goes. When the drawing is completely transferred, remove the paper.
With a minimum amount of material and time spent, you can make a memorable gift or decoration in retro style for your interior with your own hands. The tree will give the shot a special inner glow, and you will also get beautiful matte shades on the transferred frame. This is a step-by-step illustrated master class on creating real works of art with your own hands.
You learn:
- Choose color images to transfer to the tree;
- Work with a gel medium (gel medium transfer - transfer gel, gel for transferring images; freely sold in Runet);
- Transfer any image to the surface;
- Competently complete the work of transferring the image to the surface.
1. Choose the right source materials.
The wooden base can be of any shape, but its surface must be perfectly smooth so that the image lies evenly and without breaks in every sense. It is also preferable to use a light wood, because it is it that gives the very “inner glow”. A light base is especially important for portraits so that the skin tone does not change for the worse.
As for the photograph, it must be a printout on a laser printer and from the very beginning of a size equal to the size of the wooden base for transfer. Therefore, after printing, it is good to cut off excess white paper from the frame, so that it would be more convenient to work with it later. The picture should be high-contrast as a standard (you can process the image in a graphics editor on a PC, if this is not the case). But a great retro effect is given on the tree and the pictures are almost out of focus and with very soft shades of colors. See below for examples of suitable shots - from bottom to top and from right to left: contrast shot, but out of focus; the picture is out of focus and with soft shades; contrast shot in perfect focus. The tree will enhance the color rendition in any case.
Any transfer medium can be used, but the best image is obtained by a gel with a matte effect (marked "matt" on the package) and the most dense / thick consistency (marked "heavy" on the package).
Also to you come in handy:
- an unnecessary plastic roller,
- (or) a wide wooden stick (bought at a pharmacy),
- a pair of medium-sized flat brushes for applying the composition (glue brushes),
- non-rigid sponge or sponge for dishes (new),
- water in a small bowl or low glass,
- paper towels/napkins/handkerchiefs/toilet paper or thin kitchen towels,
- a small amount of oil (any liquid from the kitchen).
2. Right before you start, wipe your wood base several times with a clean, dry towel to remove any crumbs and dust.
3. Apply the transfer gel on the surface of the wood in a good layer: definitely not thin (a lot of wood should not be visible through the gel), but not very thick (the gel layer should also not look like an impenetrable icing on the cake). Just squeeze out of the tube or put the gel with a spoon from the container on the tree, and then distribute it in a more or less even layer with a brush (or a wooden stick, or a plastic card - whichever is more convenient for you). Do not forget to make sure that the layer on the edges of the wooden base is not thinner than in the middle.
4. While the gel is still damp, place the print side down on the gel. The image can be cropped to a size slightly smaller (or much smaller) than the wooden base, then you end up with a thin or wide wooden frame around the image. Using your fingers gently (in order not to move the picture even a millimeter, hold it with one hand, gently smooth it in all directions with the other), smooth the superimposed photo, slightly pressing it to the surface and removing the air between the photo and the gel on the tree. It is important in no case to press so hard that the gel begins to squeeze out on the sides!
5. Smoothed out with your fingers, take a plastic card (it is more convenient than a stick, because the first edge gives more uniform pressure) and, again holding the picture with one hand, continue smoothing the white surface of the photo with the other side of the card.
6. After that, set your workpiece aside until the gel is COMPLETELY dry overnight. Resist the temptation to pick up the photo and see what happens: you will ruin your work for sure. If you work in the summer, you can also put the workpiece in the sun for a couple of hours (but not on the battery !!) and then check the degree of drying, and this may (!) be enough.
7. After the gel is COMPLETELY dry, take a sponge, moisten its edge a little in water (do not saturate it with water, just moisten it) and start applying water directly to the back white surface of the photo on the tree. Do this carefully in several passes (wetting the sponge several times), first blotting the picture with a sponge, and then, when there is already a lot of water on the paper, continuing to move in neat circular motions. That is why - so that the material does not immediately begin to be erased by pellets from water - it is necessary to print the picture initially on special paper for photographs, and not on ordinary office paper. Make sure to use the soft part of the sponge and not the hard part of the sponge. In the process, when squeezing the sponge, a whitish liquid will flow into the glass, and this is normal. The paper should be completely wet everywhere from the center to the edges without gaps.
8. Further, still continuing to moisten the sponge from time to time, begin to wipe the wet paper from the image with pellets. Make sure you work not only in one central area, but equally on the edges so that the paper does not rub off in one place, because you may start to delete your transferred image. Do not be especially afraid of this, rub with light pressure, and the paper will come off quickly, the main thing is not to rub one place with effort, as if you are rubbing a stain; in particular, do not rub where the paper is no longer there.
The paper should thus come off completely. If some areas do not want to rub off, use your own wet fingers, as they are smoother and they feel pressure and progress better.
Swipe without pressure with a sponge over the picture to remove all the pellets down to small ones, and then without pressing with wet fingers on the same surface to make sure by texture that there is no more paper left, even a thin layer.
Wipe the image with a clean, thin towel to remove paper dust and moisture.
At the end of this stage, moisten your fingers again and walk several times again, but almost completely without pressure, over the image, because the paper hairs probably still remain: while the paper is wet, it is not visible, but when it dries, it will become very noticeable if left on the image.
9. Dry the picture on the tree again with a thin towel. Set aside the tree with the image until completely dry from moisture.
10. As you can see in the picture below, even if you rub very carefully, after drying, some paper fibers still "appear" in the image. You can use the water again and then dry the picture again. But here's another, more efficient completion technique.
With one finger, pick up literally a couple of drops of oil and gently apply it to the picture in a circular motion. And as you work, you will see how these villi simply disappear. You have achieved the result you need - take a thin towel (paper or fabric) and start wiping the oil from the picture with the tip.
11. If during work, nevertheless, a small amount of gel has gone beyond the edges of the image on a wooden base, just gently pick up the frozen lumps of gel with your fingers.
12. By and large, the work is finished. But now you can decorate the frame, for example, using a special ornamental adhesive tape with a pattern - washi-tape (freely sold in Runet). Here the frame is presented as an abstraction, repeating and shading the colors of the image. It is also convenient to glue the side edges of the wooden base with it. You can also use acrylic paint instead of ribbons. It is also worth painting the back of the tree with one color.
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