My
name is Angie Hall Haviland. I'm 25 years old....Giggle...ok,
ok 34 years old. I was born and raised in Port
Neches, Texas (that's near Beaumont and Houston, on the Gulf
Coast). I have a wonderful and supportive husband (who just
happens to be a USPS Letter Carrier---Yep, Mailman.), and
three beautiful Children.
I have a degree as a Medical Secretary...but
chose to be a FULL time stay at home Mom instead. I have
always loved to make ART and a few years ago I was totally
taken in by Mixed Media ART. Now every spare moment
I get between Family and Housework. I do what makes my heart
sing...I make ART!!
Choose your
image
I LOVEEEEEE to use images from Top Hat Design Works for my Bamboo
Tiles. But I've found so many work great .... even magazine pictures.
I choose the image I like and lay down a small piece of wax paper.
For this project the supplies I used are... Omni-Gel, collage Image,
wax paper, glue stick, scissors, paint brush, water, paper towel,
brayer, silvered copper tape, Bamboo Tile, bone folder, exacto
knife,awl, wire and beads.
Omni-Gel
Be ready for an addiction. This stuff is SOOOO MUCH FUN!! I love
using it to make gel transfers. I've had wonderful luck with most
images I have tried (the only thing I haven't been able to transfer
is small bits of text). After many requests and questions about
how I make my Bamboo tiles I've put together this tutorial. I've
also used these transfers on paper, fabric, plastic, and metal...they
are WONDERFUL!! I got mine at the office supply store. You can
check it out at www.houstonart.com (under the Mona Lisa Products)
and they sell it here...Mr.
Art
Choose your image
I LOVEEEEEE to use images from Top Hat Design Works for my Bamboo
Tiles. But I've found so many work great .... even magazine pictures.
I choose the image I like and lay down a small piece of wax paper.
Tack down your image
I've found when making transfers with smaller images it is easier
to put a small dab of glue stick on the top and bottom of the image.
This will not alter the results in any way.
Ready to make a Transfer...
I lay out a dab of Omni-gel...a little goes a LONG way. I have found
that a flat thick soft brush works best and gives me the least
amount of brush strokes.
Horizontal coat... Brush a layer of Omni-gel over your image horizontal,
be sure to extend over the edges of the image.
wait to dry... Your image will be cloudy with a slight milky look. Wait
for this to dry. I usually leave it to dry for about 20 minute.
Vertical Coat
When the Horizontal coat is completely dry apply a second coat in
a Vertical direction. Let dry to clear.
Diagonal Coat
Apply a third coat in a diagonal direction. Let dry to clear.
Warm water Prepare a bowl of warm (I use VERY WARM---I guess hot)
tap water.
Trim away wax paper When completely dry to clear trim away wax paper.
Soak Soak your image in the water. The Omni-gel says to soak
for 10-20 minutes. I find with the really warm water it takes about
5-7 minutes. Choice is your....I'm always limited on time and take
a short cut when I can.
Remove soaked paper backing After soaking lay your image face down and gently rub
the paper off the back of the image. Too much rubbing and you'll
rub you ink right off. It does make an interesting altered image
when you accidentally rub off part of a face, etc. though. This
step takes a little patience and practice. After making a few they
are super easy.
keep rubbing... keeping a little water on the image helps to remove the
paper.
In Case of Stubborn of paper... it can be placed back into the water to soak more. When
you are satisfied with the transfer rinse off the paper bits.
Dab dry Dab the transfer front and back with a paper towel (I
like a shop towel for this...doesn't leave lint). Do Not Rub...just
dab.
Lay out to dry... Your image will be milky ...let it sit out to dry to clear.
Once dry you have a completed gel image transfer. These tranfers
are flexible and can be adhered to almost anything...paper, fabric,
glue, plastic, metal, etc.
Ready to adhere Once your transfer is dry and clear you are ready to apply
it to the bamboo tile. Did I mention that Omni-gel is also a FABULOUS
glue.
Face down Lay the image face down ...
Apply "glue" and apply Omni-gel to the back. Have your Bamboo tile
ready to go. I have a few bamboo tiles available in my ETSY shop
www.angiehallhaviland.etsy.com and you can also order them through
Lost Art Creations.
Apply your image.... Lay your "glued" transfer onto the bamboo tile lightly...center
it up and get it where you like it.
Smooth down image I dip my finger in water and smooth the image down to
the bamboo tile. The water helps to glide over the glossy image
and can be dried off.
Brayer down... I use my brayer to work out any air bubbles or glue blobs.
Edges... Sometimes I have an image that extends over the edge.
Sometime I leave it, sometimes I trim it. This is a call for the
ARTist to make on each piece.
Trim excess transfer I use small scissors and just clip off any extra transfer
to clean up the tile.
Edge your tile.... On this one I decided to use silvered copper tape to finish
the edges of the tile. I have also used paint, gold leaf, ribbon,
trim, etc. You can trim it anyway you wish.
All around Apply the tape all the way around slightly overlapping
the edges.
Smooth tape I use an exacto knife to cut the four corners of the tape
and a bone folder to smooth the tape on the edges.
Smoothed and ready
Pierce the holes... if you want your piece to be a charm you will need to
repierce the holes. I use my awl for this.
Wire wrapping... I use wire wrapping to make mine into pendants/charms.
Complete.... I usually add a beaded dangle or charm to finish it
off. I've tried to make this tutorial as easy as possible (because
these are pretty simple and lots of FUN). If you have any questions
please email me:
My
name is Angie Hall Haviland. I'm 25 years old....Giggle...ok,
ok 34 years old. I was born and raised in Port
Neches, Texas (that's near Beaumont and Houston, on the Gulf
Coast). I have a wonderful and supportive husband (who just
happens to be a USPS Letter Carrier---Yep, Mailman.), and
three beautiful Children. 
