Featured Artist: Theresa "Nacho" Montiel
Get to know DIY Riot's Featured Artist, Theresa "Nacho" Montiel. A professional graphic designer, retired roller derby blocking super star (aka 'Nacho Girlfriend'), avid crafter and all around kick ass female extraordinaire, Theresa has kindly offered to share her creative genius with the world and give us a step-by-step tutorial on Xylene Transfers!
Let's get started...
"Xylene Transfers Tutorial"
By: Theresa "Nacho" Montiel
Perhaps you have seen/heard of xylene transfers before...
You know the ones, where you mirror a piece of art or text via a copy machine...use a Chartpack Blender Marker (p-0)...then rub until your hands are numb -- and then -- viola! Cool stamp like transfer of your intended art!
No....???
Well, here is a cool link to show you how that works -- its very quick.
Feel free to check it out...I will be here when you get back.
Feel free to check it out...I will be here when you get back.
Welcome back!
Now that tutorial was honest, quick and painless...and it's great if you want to transfer your graphic to just paper.
But what if you are looking for something more mixed media based...or you wanted to transfer to a working canvas?
This is where the beauty of ABSORBENT GROUND from Golden and XYLENE (markers or ink) can come into play.
First what are these products?
Well, Absorbent Ground is an acrylic medium (think acrylic paint) that when applied and dries, turns into a highly absorbent, very porous, paper "acting" surface. So when applied over gessoed canvas or board, it allows for watercolor and staining techniques to be applied as it would as if you were painting on watercolor paper.
And what the heck is Xylene?
Xylene is actually the vehicle...or the "ink" that carry the colors that art markers are made of. You know the funny smell that gets you kinda fuzzy after drawing with markers for a while?
That's Xylene.
So Chart-Pack makes a "color-less blender marker" called P-0 (letter P dash number zero). Marker artist use them to -- you guessed it -- to blend their colors as they illustrate and create...but for our use today we are going to use Xylene for its TRANSFERRING qualities.
Since gesso is an acrylic primer -- and plastic when dry, canvases and prepared boards are not, traditionally, good xyline transfer surfaces.
But with Golden's Absorbent ground it changes that.
Absorbent Ground is feels a lot like gesso...its white and has a similar viscosity.
So it being similar to gesso, you can manipulate it similarly.
Meaning you can build up textures with absorbent ground...or even tint it.
For Xylene Transfers I think it is better to have a sooth texture...so you will need the items listed below
Items Needed:
- A canvas or board -- size of your choice
- Golden Absorbent Ground
- A soft bristle gesso brush for smooth application of the absorbent ground
- Xylene can for larger projects
- Chartpack P-O Blender Markers (Xylne Marker) for smaller jobs.
- Acrylic Paint color of your choice (if you want to tint the background)
- A burnishing tool -- a spoon, a bone folder, or the P-0 marker itself can be used as a burnishing tool
- Copy your desired image or text in reverse (or mirrored)
- Masking or painters tape helps...but not necessary
- Watercolor brush -- either wash or round depending on the area you would like to transfer
Step One:
Tint your Absorbent Ground with the color of choice and then paint your canvas or board with your concoction of your desired color.
You can cover the canvas fully or simply paint where you know you want to transfer your image, then let it fully dry.
Step Two:
Once dry, set your mirrored copy of your desired transfer, ink side down, on the canvas. And depending on the area you would like to transfer 8x10 and smaller are good for markers, and anything larger I would use the Xylene in a can.
(If you can or want to, I would recommend purchasing one of each and doing a few experiments, to see which process you like better. Each have a slightly different result.)
For mine, I like the pressure and stamp result of the P-0 marker....plus I have a box lying around from my last project concerning.
So seeing where the letter forms and design elements are from the back of the paper, I only draw on the area that I want to transfer and use my pen pressure to burnish the ink from the copier paper onto my canvas and distribute the xylene ink on the area.
You can see this happen as the paper gets wetter and wetter from the marker distributing the xylene (or colorless ink)...but you can also check your status by taping down an edge in place, so your original copy stays in line and lift the copier paper to see your process.
If you want more of a transfer of your image, you can burnish the design with a spoon or a bone folder.
Check out the finished result.
I decoupaged a photo over the transfer too...
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If you'd like to contact Theresa or see more of her work, please visit:
http://nachomommasdesigns.com
http://nachomommasdesigns.com
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