Foolproof Inkjet Transfers to Polymer Clay

[@Angelbrat1]

Thanks so much for this video! I bought the paper you use and tried it today. It worked fantastic!! After I removed the paper from the clay the images were there and very clear. The paper came right off and there were no fibers left on the clay at all. I was expecting to have to work at getting them off but they all came off with the paper. I must have been lucky!

[@stephloboe1276]

Thanks for this great video! I am wondering if this will work with homemade polymer clay or will the image shrink? Newbie, thanks for your patience!

[@kathywithac]

Excellent tutorial. Thank you so much. I can't wait to look up your work. You seem to know what you are doing and are very effective at teaching it.

[@WillowbirdStudio]

Thanks Kathy! I hope you have fun trying out this technique. I have really been enjoying it.

[@sparklebeanjewelry8535]

I wanted to thank you for all of your help and to say that I am well on my way to making foolproof transfers!

[@WillowbirdStudio]

Excellent! I'm glad it is working out for you.

[@yvonnewalsh4717]

Thanks so much for the tutorial on transfer to Polymer... its the best one I've seen ... thanks for sharing your talent x

[@WillowbirdStudio]

Thank you, Yvonne. I'm glad you found it helpful. I am hoping to have time to make more videos soon.

[@yvonnewalsh4717]

Willowbird Studio Great. Will look forward to that ;)

[@leeloopug]

Hello. I know this video is a few years old now, but wanted to ask if you seal your pieces with anything when you have finished? I loved your tutorial. thank you.

[@WillowbirdStudio]

leeloopug Hello! No, I don't seal them, but you definitely could. You could paint a thin layer of liquid polymer clay on top and rebake, or there are a number of varnishes that people use on polymer clay.

[@sparklebeanjewelry8535]

I bake all of my pieces in the Ranger melting pot and have since I found this blog where someone else had been doing it and it has worked so far (baking my pieces) usually small but these were small as well. I am not certain, so you are saying then that the picture doesn't have to be freshly printed. I will try once again and let you know. I have another question... I would like to make a tile bracelet using a very long (8") transfer and have each tile be part of the next tile, should I cut the transfer or try and cut the clay after it has all transferred and baked? Sometimes my clay is thin enough to cut, other times it is very hard (like rock hard).

[@sparklebeanjewelry8535]

Here is another question-how long can I have the 1st coat of TLS before I add the 2nd coat.. for instance, can I do 1 coat on all of my images and then do the 2nd coat days later as if I was doing assembly line work?? I would keep them in a sealed container when not using. Thanks for your help. I suffer from Chronic Pain so there are days when I only get part of my project done.

[@WillowbirdStudio]

As long as you bake the first layer of liquid clay, there is no time limit for using these pretreated images. You could do the next step days, weeks or even months later.

[@wozzersmith]

Hi thanks for the tutorial , i have folllowed all steps and whilst i am getting the image trasfered i am loosing all the colour so i end up with a black and white image! i am using canon matt photo paper with liquid fimo do you think i will get a coloured image with kato liquid. or is that not the problem. Many thanks Mel

[@WillowbirdStudio]

I have never run into this issue, so I'm not sure what is causing it. You are using the same brand of photo paper that I use, so it definitely isn't that. The brand of liquid clay should not make a difference, although the baking time could be slightly different. Try baking for a bit longer. You aren't using a laser printer by any chance? This only works with Inkjet, so if you are using a laser printer that would be what is causing this problem.

[@wozzersmith]

no inkjet printer. tried baking longer made no diference :(

[@WillowbirdStudio]

Sorry I didn't see your last message until now! My other suggestion would be to print your image on a friend's inkjet printer that is a different brand than yours. It is possible that some printers have ink that does not transfer as well.

[@anabellecalzada3126]

Hi, thank you for this great tutorial, that's what I've been looking for. I have one question. Do you think that if I use a layer of baked clay instead of raw it will work? I mean, use the baked clay, roll the image by hand with an acrylic roller and then do the next steps as you said, it means that I'll bake it again, will it work?. Thanx!

[@WillowbirdStudio]

Anabelle Calzada When you do these transfers, the image is transferring to the liquid clay, which is then sticking to the raw clay. In theory, you could transfer to baked clay, but I think it would be extremely difficult to make sure that the paper stayed flat enough while baking to stick properly to the baked layer. I think you would likely run into a problem where, once you soaked it in water and removed the paper, the liquid layer would be raised off the baked layer in spots and would rip or tear off. It is possible to do transfers to liquid clay alone though. Just repeat step 1 of the process 3 or 4 times (painting a layer of liquid clay on the paper and then baking it). Then soak the paper and peel it off, and you will be left with a transparent, flexible polymer sheet with the image on it. You could then stick this to previously baked clay with another layer of liquid clay.

[@anabellecalzada3126]

Thank you for the answear. I already did the other technique that you mentioned but I can't get it work with inkjet printed images, only with laser printed, that's why I was so interested in the video method but somehow something went wrong... maybe it's the kind of ink I don't know :/

[@WillowbirdStudio]

I have had success using both HP and Epson inkjet printers. I use Canon matte photo paper, but I don't think the brand matters. Just make sure not to use ultra premium photo paper, as it will absolutely not work for this technique.

[@creationsfrommyheart2445]

If you don't have a pasta machine can you hand roll it?

[@evafontaine88]

Yes, if you put 1 popsicle stick on each side of your clay to make sure it's even, and you hand roll carefully but with enough pressure to allow it to work.

[@sparklebeanjewelry8535]

Oh and so that you have all the facts, I changed 2 things - first it is 2am when I start so instead of waking the whole house, I use my melting post to do all steps and secondly I used white sparkle clay, may have been Fimo, was a harder clay to condition... Thanks so much... Again... GREAT VIDEO, very informative! Shout out to all my Orlando followers!! More NEW Pieces to Come Soon!!

[@WillowbirdStudio]

Are you saying that you didn't use an oven? If so, then the problem is almost certainly that the temperature was not high enough. The type of clay you are transferring onto shouldn't make a difference, as it is the liquid clay that is actually transferring the ink (you can do transfers onto liquid clay without even having a base clay). I am pretty sure that if you try this again with your oven/toaster oven you will have success again. Good luck!

[@kellyw.1779]

So a matte photo paper is the only paper? Does regular copy paper transfer images to the clay? Thanks so much!

[@WillowbirdStudio]

Kelly W. I have heard that you can do transfers with regular copy paper, but it did not work for me at all. Ink sinks into the copy paper, so it is much harder to get it from the paper to the clay; I found that most of the ink came off when I removed the paper. Ink sits on top of the photo paper, so when you paint the liquid clay all of the ink is transferred to it; no ink comes off the transfer when you remove the photo paper. I have had the best results with matte photo paper, but other types might work as well. Just do not use ultra premium paper.

[@kellyw.1779]

Thanks so much! Your work is beautiful!

[@polablues]

Hello, I really appreciate your generous video. I wonder, can you use a laser printer for your technique? Thank you!

[@WillowbirdStudio]

The method described in my video only works with inkjet printers. There are different techniques for use with laser printers, but I have not personally tried them.

[@polablues]

Thanks for responding so quickly. I have consulted with my tech guy and he informs me that my printer is an inkjet. I thought it was a laser! Yikes! So I know I can use your technique now, with no problems. Thank you again for your generous video and input. You're an amazing artist and very kind, as well.

[@hkreations5108]

That turned out very well. Is TLS, translucent liquid sculpey, the same as liquid polymer clay? Still somewhat of a "newbie" to claying.

[@WillowbirdStudio]

+HKreations Yes, liquid Sculpey is liquid polymer clay :-)

[@hkreations5108]

Thanks for the quick reply and enjoy your day

[@marystribling3104]

Very nice tutorial, thank you so much 💓 😊

[@lizroberts6257]

Excellent insrtuctions!!

[@sparklebeanjewelry8535]

Hi there! Great video... I did my first one and it came out perfect!!!!!!!!!... So you ask why am I writing, well first and foremost I loved the video. But here is my issue-Again first one perfect, well I fell asleep & woke approx 6 hours later & tried to do a print off the first page that I printed earlier in the day and A BIG FAIL, another,one Fail & so on. Does the ink have to be nearer the wet stage than completely dry? I really thought I followed all the steps each time, going back to video for each step.Please help....

[@WillowbirdStudio]

I have used images that I printed months ago with great success, so the age of your prints should not be an issue. Did you use the same brand of photo paper each time?

[@sparklebeanjewelry8535]

yes, here is what I would like to do, put the 1st layer of TLS on the prints & then use them as I feel like it maybe weeks or months down the road (saves time waiting for 1st layer to cook.. Do you think that will work?

[@WillowbirdStudio]

Yes, that will definitely work. When I do this technique, I always put the liquid clay on several images at a time and then bake them all at once. Then I use these to actually do transfers whenever I get around to it. Do cut the images apart before you do this though. If you put liquid clay on a whole sheet of small images without cutting them apart, the paper might curl in the oven (that would cause uneven patches and pooling of the liquid clay).

[@dikdebruijn5101]

Just discovered this vid so I hope someone is still reading and can answer my query. These are very simple transfers. Will this method transfer fine detail?

[@WillowbirdStudio]

Dik de Bruijn Sorry I didn’t see your comment sooner. This method does preserve fine detail. You lose a little bit of sharpness, but it is not significant. I transfer copies of drawings done with colored pencil, and you can see the details of the pencil strokes in the finished transfers.

[@WillowbirdStudio]

I think Angie E's idea of using 1000 grit sandpaper to help with fiber removal is excellent. I will have to try that.

[@caramelcoloredk-poplover554]

I don't have a pasta maker can I just roll it?

[@WillowbirdStudio]

Yes you can, but it might be harder to get the paper really stuck down on the white clay. Make sure to roll very firmly. If you are planning to get into polymer clay as a hobby, I highly recommend getting a past machine. It is so much easier to condition clay using one, and many techniques (e.g. Skinner blends) cannot be done without one.

[@caramelcoloredk-poplover554]

+Willowbird Studio ok thanks😊 I'm definitely looking at one I saw a few weeks ago

[@estherramiro1266]

thanks for a great tutorial

[@lilasolnick]

Great tutorial! Thank you!

[@diylo3913]

What if I dont have a pasta machine :O?

[@WillowbirdStudio]

If you don't have a pasta machine, you could do the transfers by rolling your clay by hand with an acrylic roller; however, if you are planning to work with polymer clay, I highly recommend buying a pasta machine. It is the best way to condition your clay, and you need one to do many basic techniques (like Skinner blends).

[@diylo3913]

Thank you~ I'm planning to get one around next month but I needed to do this now. Great video, by the way~

[@vickiwillems3928]

Going to give this a try. TFS!

[@WillowbirdStudio]

Have fun!

[@vickiwillems3928]

It worked! Thank you so much!

[@WillowbirdStudio]

Vicki Willems You're welcome! I'm glad it worked for you.

[@wendybeckett7913]

Hey Vicki! I'd love to see what you created!

[@vickiwillems3928]

Come to an Arbonne event. I'll be wearing them then. They turned out great!

[@hkreations5108]

That turned out very well. Is TLS, translucent liquid sculpey, the same as liquid polymer clay? Still somewhat of a "newbie" to claying.

[@jackmartin4657]

HKreations sculpeyis just a beans of polymer clay, so I'd say they are. (But I don't actually know, that's just a guess)