Metal Transfers

I found this tutorial on the blog: http://huckabyshappilyeverafter.blogspot.co.nz Photos on Metal How cool would it be to have photos on metal!!! I honestly thought it wasn’t going to work since it’s not really porous but I thought, “What the heck…I’ll give it a try.” I was just trying to find another reason to use it to justify buying the Gel Medium so I wanted to see if this would work...and it did! The metal shingle was only 33 cents. Yup, I’ll repeat it…only 33₵!!! Now you can do this on anything metal, like a paint can or a metal plate. Here’s my break down on how I made the very first Photo on Metal. Enjoy! What you’ll need: Gel Medium (bought from craft store in the acrylic paint section) Foam brush Photos printed from laser printer like Xerox machine (inkjet won’t work) I printed my colored ones at Kinkos. Use regular paper, not photo paper! Metal Shingle from Home Depot (sold in the roofing aisle) Did I mention it’s only 33 cents! 1. First you’ll want to mirror your photos on your computer since it’ll transfer in reverse (especially if it’ll have words on them.) Be sure NOT to use photo paper…just use regular cheap copier paper when printing. I just saved my pictures on a flash drive, took them to a copy center like Kinkos/Staples/Office Depot and they printed them out for me rather inexpensively. I printed two photos to a page to save a couple of cents. 2. Make sure your metal shingle is clean with no oily residue. Cut your photo to fit on one of the sides of the metal shingle. 3. Spread a layer of Gel Medium onto the shingle nice and evenly. Make sure it’s not too thin of a layer but not too thick either. 4. Carefully place the photo paper starting at one end and smoothing it out little by little with your finger to avoid bubbles. Go over the paper with your finger numerous times to make sure it’s on there well but don’t use something to blunt…your finger will just fine. 5. Now the waiting game! Wait 24 hours so that it’ll dry completely. 6. Once it’s dry, dampen the paper, I reused my clean foam brush. You don’t have to drench it but it you’ll notice where it’s getting wet. 7. Start rubbing! In a circular motion, gently rub off the paper using your fingertips. Once you think you’re done, let it dry for a few minutes and check. Repeat the rubbing anywhere where there is any white residue. This might take 3-4 times. 8. You can add some stressed markings by scratching the edges with your finger nail. Start slowly with small scratches along the edges and corners. 9. Now, step back and admire your cool project. You can add Modge Podge to seal it or to make it glossy if you want. ****These shingles are perfect…they prop up all by themselves. I was even thinking one can use them as place cards. This is a picture of my sister’s cute feline that I got from her facebook and I thought it would be a great gift for her as part of her birthday. They do sell rolls of metal sheets at Home Depot that I think I’m going to get now that I know it works so I can make my Christmas cards…thought it would be cute to send those out! I wish there was a way to share how everyone’s turns out on my blog. Have fun!