{Tutorial} Transferring Images to Wood

You will need:

• Wood cut to size (Lighter woods look better)
• Black acrylic craft paint
• A couple of sponges
• Liquitex matte gel medium
• Finishing Spray (I used Krylon matte finish finishing spray)
• Rolling pin or foam paint roller (foam paint rollers work better)
• Elmer's Glue
• Labels (I used shipping labels that I purchased from Walmart. Any label will work – you just need the label backing.

Tutorial

Step 1:

Peel off the labels from the backing and discard the labels. You only need the backing.

Step 2:

Spray the front of the backing (where the labels used to be) with the Krylon finishing spray. Let dry completely.

Step 3:

Use a sponge to apply a thin layer of Elmers glue to the backing. Make sure to cover the entire thing. Let dry completely.

Step 4:

Print out your photo onto the backing where the glue is. Make sure the glue is completely dry before printing. Be careful not to smudge the ink when it comes out. Also, if you’re doing anything that has lettering on it, make sure to print out a mirror image, so that when you do the transfer your letters aren’t backwards.

Step 5:

Use another sponge to apply a thin layer of Liquitex to your wood. While the Liquitex is still wet, press your photo onto the wood with the image facing down. Use a foam roller or rolling-pin to get out any bubbles. Try to get the image to lay as flat as possible to avoid bubbles in your finish. Let dry for 30 minutes to an hour.

Step 6:

Check to make sure the Liquitex is completely dry by slowly peeling back one corner of the image. The image shouldn’t stick to the label backing anymore and should be fairly easy to peel off. If you’re having a hard time, let it dry for another 15 minutes or so. If not peel the entire backing off slowly.

Step 7:

Spray another coat of finishing spray to the photo and let dry.

Step 8: (optional)

Some people like to leave the unfinished wood look around the edges. I wanted a more finished look for this photo, so I used black paint around the edges to create a faux aged finish. Do this by dipping your sponge in your black acrylic paint and applying it thinly around the edges. Then wipe off any excess paint on your sponge and go back and dab the edges around the photo with the sponge. This creates a darker edge and covers any imperfections in the photo from peeling the label backing off. It makes it look somewhat worn and aged which I like!

http://whitecottageboutique.com/tutorial-transferring-images-to-wood/