Technique Re-Visit #2: Tattoos & Other Decorations for Image Transfers

A few posts ago, I shared several photos of pieces made from color image transfers.  The technique is not difficult, and there are several small tutorials and directions online. After some experimenting, I found a method that works for me, and had a lot of fun making several pieces of jewelry.  Some of the images were basically "stand-alone." However, some of my color images were more like backgrounds, so I had to try a couple of ways to embellish them.

So far, I've only done 3 simple "decorating" techniques.  The first decoration I decided to try was to use non-permanent tattoos.  I found some fauna-looking small gold colored tattoos, and placed them on image transfer pieces.  Because the tattoo process requires water, the pieces had to be baked first to avoid damaging the transfer image.  I really like these pieces and the sparkle the tattoos provide.  A Magic Gloss finish added depth and shine.






This third photo (below) shows a set with a steel-blue damask-type image transfer.  Before baking, I used a small stencil and blue Pearl-x powders, and created a simple design on top.  After adding a Magic Gloss finish, the powder design looks as though it is floating above the surface, making a nice 3-D effect.  The photo does not show the amount of shine the powder has.  It's a very nice contrast against the matte transfer background.



For the third decoration, I tried using rubber stamps and stamping ink. The stamps were applied after baking since pressing the stamp into the wet clay would have distorted images.  I tried using colors that complimented the background image.  However, I think these would have looked better using black ink.  The contrast would be greater, and the images would stand out more.  On the green piece, especially, the black shading on the transferred image interferes with the stamped tree image. Next time, I'll give black a try.