'The Piano' 8x12" art journal page © Klair Scattergood

These pages were created using magazine transfers. I use good quality glossy magazine paper that separates easily into two sheets (my preference is for something like Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar) which I find gives a better transfer.

My Transfer Method

Step 1 – put down a thick, even layer of Golden soft gel medium (I was using 300gsm/140lb watercolour paper.)

Step 2 – lay the magazine on top

Step 3 – burnish the back with a damp cloth. The glossy page will start to look a bit like fine crackle medium when it’s full saturated

Step 4 – wait about 30 seconds

Step 5 – start peeling off the paper

I created both images the same way, but with the one on the left I added layers of transparent acrylic paint over the top and with the one on the right I added the paint underneath. For the right hand side image I left it a bit longer in step 4 and burnished once more before peeling off the paper. It could have done with a little longer, because it didn’t stick to the paint as well as expected.

There is no one transfer method that always works for everyone. Transfers depend on many things including the surface you transfer to, the paper you transfer from, the amount and quality of water you use (hard water and soft water yield different results), the type of gel medium you use – even how old your gel medium is can affect the transfer!

The moral of the story is, don’t be discouraged if you can’t get transfers to work for you. Just keep trying with different combinations until you find one that works for you.