SUPPLIES:
- 1 sheet of cartridge (copy) paper
- Tissue paper. Any will do but the best is the kind you buy at an art supply store.
- Photos on your computer
- Laser printer
PROCESS:
- Make a Carrier Sheet by folding down ½” of the top edge of the copy paper. (this can be used multiple times.)
- Cut tissue paper to the same size as copy paper: 8.5 x 11”
- Slip the leading edge of a sheet of tissue under the fold of the copy paper.
- Put it into your computer so the tissue I on the same side as the print heads of your printer.
- Pull up a photo on your computer, either from your own photos or a copyright-free image and print it with black ink. (I suppose this works with colored laser inks but I haven’t tried it.) Instead of using the folded edge of the carrier sheet you can tape or glue the tissue paper to a sheet of copy paper, using low-tack double-stick tape or a glue stick.
TROUBLESHOOTING:
- If the tissue wrinkles or jams as it goes through the printer, work it out and try again, perhaps using a glue stick to glue the edges of the tissue in place.
- The resulting printed tissue can be used in many ways in your painting. Make lots of copies of printed tissue and experiment.
- Always apply glue to the receiving surface, not to the tissue. I use acrylic medium of some sort, brushed or scraped onto the substrate. I avoid wrinkles by lightly misting the tissue paper before laying it in place. This relaxes the fibers in the tissue before it hits the glue. Use a rubber scraper to gently work out any air bubbles. Brush more medium onto the surface to seal it down. The tissue will mostly disappear into the paint leaving a sharp image.
