Technique
Transfer of images or patterns onto fabric through heat.
Materials
- Polyester satin
- Plywood
- Transfer paper (The Magic Touch: TTC 3.1 and CPM 6.2)
- Fabric crayon
- Transfer ink
- Flat objects (e.g. thread, feather, leaf)
- Baking paper
Machines
- Iron
- Heat press machine
Direct transfer printing
- Draw and/or paint the desired design with fabric crayon and transfer ink on a sheet of paper
- Place the paper facing down onto polyester satin
- Sandwich the paper and fabric in between two sheets of baking paper
- Place a hot iron on top of the layers for 30-60 seconds
Results
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- fabric crayon // tried to transfer from the same paper twice, the second is more faded
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- transfer ink // painted on a leaf and pressed on paper
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- fabric crayon // tried a more illustrative style
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- transfer ink // painted the outer edge of leaves
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- transfer ink // the colours come out brighter than i expected!
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- mixed
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- transfer ink
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- transfer ink
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- transfer ink
Indirect transfer printing
- Draw and/or paint a solid block on a sheet of paper
- Place flat objects onto the paper before placing them both onto polyester satin
- Sandwich the paper, object and fabric in between two sheets of baking paper
- Place a hot iron on top of the layers for 30-60 seconds
Results
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- fabric crayon and yarn
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- transfer ink and yarn
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- transfer ink and yarn // the colours also came out a lot more vivid!
Digital transfer printing
- Print the desired design onto the transfer paper (TTC 3.1 or CPM 6.2, depending on the type of surface to transfer onto)
- Place the transfer paper facing down onto polyester satin or plywood
- (satin) Sandwich the paper and fabric in between two sheets of baking paper
(plywood) Sandwich the paper and wood in between baking paper on the bottom and squishy foam on the top – the plywood may be warped i.e. not completely flat, thus the foam helps to push down the transfer paper to ensure all parts of the image is transferred - Place the layers into the heat press machine and press
Results
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- fabric
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- fabric
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- plywood // the sheet is slightly warped so the middle portion did not transfer completely
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- heat pressed a little too long so bits of the transfer paper got stuck
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- middle part of the plywood was not completely in contact with the transfer paper
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- one of the prints that transferred nicely!
Reflection
This technique requires a lot of trial and error, but I like how the transfer ink prints give pleasant surprises – especially how the colours are more vivid after heat transferred. The details after transferred are more diluted though.
As for the digital prints, I used several of my illustration works and it was a joy to see them in different mediums!
Things to improve on:
- (transfer ink) Use less diluted mixture of ink to create more vivid colours
- (indirect transfer) Less thick objects – such as thread or feather – might give more interesting results
- (digital fabric transfer) Be more mindful during the peeling process because it stretches the fabric in a particular direction – as seen on photos on fabric, the shapes are skewed
- (digital wood transfer) Check for the flatness of the plywood and sand the surface lightly
- (digital wood transfer) Use a sponge or squishy foam in between the transfer paper and baking paper to ensure coverage of the print on all surface area of the wood