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Here are 2 images: 1) a Black and white inkjet printed image – 2) the same image transfered onto fabric
The image transfer was a project made during the Cool Mummy Art Workshop and has been used by the talented 10 year old girls to create a fantastic mixed media project on a framed canvas.
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Image transfer on fabric is like magic!
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You can achieve so many different results depending on the ration of soap to turpentine you use. This tutorial gives you an image transfer that is quite vintage looking and simply gorgeous.
During one of the Cool Mummy Art Workshops, the children and I experimented with different ways to image transfer and print on fabric. We followed suggested methods found online and in books.
We used Gesso, Acrylic paint and heat, Image transfer medium, transfer paper, and home-made potions…We decided, unanimously of course 
, that the home-made potion is by far the coolest and cheapest method to transfer an inkjet image onto fabric.
Before I start with the tutorial, let me make it easier for you to buy the material you need for your image transfer on fabric. You would need to buy either Turpentine Substitute or White Spirit, both of which are distillate of oil and are used for hundreds of applications. Turpentine is more expensive but would be my recommended choice. the difference between the 2 is much like the “difference between 2 and 4 star petrol”, meaning they both do the job.
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Please make sure you do this tutorial in a well ventilated area (preferably outdoors) and use protective gloves.
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You will need:
- Soap (preferably non-perfumed)
- cheese grater
- Turpentine substitute (or white spirit)
- Hot water
- Metal spoon or burnishing tool (like a brayer brush)
- Large brush (a cheap one from a DYI store)
- an inkjet print of the image you want to transfer
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Step 1
Grate 2 heaped tablespoons of soap. You can use any soap you wish but I found that non-perfumed soap works best. Place into a non-plastic bowl and add 11 tablespoons (or 55 ml) of hot water into the bowl. Stir with a large brush until the soap and water are well diluted.
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Step 2
Now go ahead and add 2 tablespoons (or 10 ml) or Turpentine to the mixture and keep on stirring with the brush until you get a paste that is similar in consistency to peanut butter.
Step 3
Make sure the image you are printing onto the fabric is a relatively fresh inkjet printout and not a laser jet one, meaning you have printed it on your home printer a maximum of one hour before you started your fabric image transfer. The older the printout, the more faint the transfer will be.
Now, gently but firmly, brush an even and thick later of your mixture onto the right side of your image (the front) and keep brushing it over and over again for at least a minute and until the paper is slightly soggy.
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Step 4
Wait a few minutes but do not let the paper dry out. Now go ahead and place your image face down onto the fabric you want to print on and gently brush another layer of your mixture on the back of the paper (the image printout).
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Step 5
With a burnishing tool (like a brayer brush) or a large metal spoon, start pressing the back of the paper firmly but gently. If you are using a metal spoon, use circular motions that cover the entire surface of the image you are printing. make sure the paper does not tear (which is hard to do because it is quite soggy by now)…Just work slowly and carefully.
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Step 6
Lift the edge of the paper and check that the image has transferred. If you are not happy with the results, keep on burnishing with the metal spoon until the image has transfered.
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Peel back and enjoy the fabulous results!
The girls wanted their image transfer to have a sepia old vintage look. To achieve this, we used a black & white printed image of themselves and transfered it onto an unbleached canvas fabric. I think they did a fantastic job and their mixed media canvas project is really creative!
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Here are other image transfers on an unbleached cotton canvas tote bag. the bags were then decorated with hand-stamped images and stencils with fabric paints. Have a look at the steps the children followed and their lovely bags!
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