Hey Guys!! I have been wanting to share this process with you all for so very long. I was so excited when the girls with glasses contacted me with this idea. The video was so fun to shoot. and I really love those girls. This process is near and dear to my heart because I have repeated trial and error until I got a process that works well for me. It even includes a silly tooth brush, pan of water, and some patience.
Get Crafty With The Girls With Glasses from The Girls With Glasses on Vimeo.
I get quite a lot of comments asking how to do this…. And you all seem to have a really hard time with the results. I really hope that this video tutorial helps you understand how to do it. PLUS who doesn’t love The Girls With Glasses? So I hope it’s entertaining too. Check out how cute that little dog is. His name is Famous. And he’s a great model right?
Let me know your thoughts in the comment section. Have you tried this before? if you have and its worked… link the artwork into the comment section. We would love to see how it turned out.
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KeRi - hi ladies:
thanks for the great vid and explanation!!
i tried this a few months ago for a friend’s wedding gift, but i use oil paint so i struggled to figure out the best way to do the gel idea with oil.
here’s my link to the image/canvas i did do. my friend kindly sent me a photo of it on their mantlepiece as well! http://kerimassa.daportfolio.com/gallery/266916#3
the image is one of my friend’s engagement photos, also on paper from a laser printer. what i ended up doing was using an acrylic gesso gel on the bare canvas with my image, in a very similar way you did promise, only stuck it to the canvas with a bunch of gel layers and then let it dry and used water and my fingers (and a toothbrush too!) to scrub off the paper the next day. then once it was dry again, i used my oil paint to paint up to the image.
what i DIDN’t get to do was have the oil colors coming through/from behind the image like you did with your technique – i’m still not sure if i could since it is oil, but now i do know how to do it with acrylic at least, so thank you so much! promise, do you really not see the edges of the clear image once it’s gel’ed down on the canvas then? that would be my only concern.
thanx again promise & G w/ G! you’re all so cute n’ crafty
kirsten manick - LOVE this process!! I can not wait to try it out. Thanks girls
jennifer - i had tried so many products to get those results and just kept getting the wrong ones. now that i have the ingredient, i can finally finish my canvases for our living room (my husband is getting REALLY tired of the one blank wall where i keep promising art will be)!
Thanks so much for sharing, I know it can be hard to share art secrets, but just know you have inspired a lot of us – and now we can take your tools and create art in our own way!
thank you.
Ashley - Love the video! The final product is awesome!
Dana - LOVE this & i can’t wait to try it.
Yana - Thanks for sharing the process. I am definitely going to try this soon!
MarisoL :) - AMAiZiNG WoRKKK!!!! LOvE your work !! and the liTTLe DoG tO !! HaHa!!! Lo AmO !!
Nikki - Wow, this is really Awesome…gonna have to try this out!
Meghan - I’ve been dying to know how you did this! YAY!
I do have a question though. What if you are transferring a photo? Does it need to be in black and white? And do you have it printed on regular paper instead of photo paper? These may be dumb questions, but I’m really wanting to get a big canvas with a big photo on it, and I don’t know how.
Thanks!
promisetangeman - Meghan-
It’s the exact same process, black and white OR color but it has to be on a lazer printer on regular paper… not sure if it will work on photo paper. I have never tried that before. HAVE FUN
Hope - bhaha! y’all are hilarious. LOVE the project! You totally inspired me to do some projects for my studio.
claudia - i am TOO excited about doing this! hehehe, i will definitely post up links when i try this out! eeeeee. (excited much?!)
Annie - You all are fabulous and funny! I wanna hang out! I wear glasses!
Seriously this was awesome, I HAVE to try this one out. And I definitely want to Promify MY hair! LOVELOVELOVE the feathers! 
Lauren - I did a process that was similar to this, but I used transparency paper and put the gel directly on the canvas and just waited a lot of hours! This way seems a bit easier and you probably get more consistent results than I have.
Jennifer - i love this idea!! perfect, just in time for christmas making present time! thanks so much! the directions were well presented and i like the humor as well. i think you all are so great and find your work inspiring! i love would to hang that picture up in my house!
thanks!
Heather - You are SO amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this tutorial! I love your artwork so much! I cannot wait to give this a try!
Kristi @ Visible Voice - Well you probably don’t remember but I showed you my failed attempt awhile back. It’s great to see the process. I had seen the transparency paper method but hadn’t tried it yet…so now I’m happy to see this. Thanks for doing this. Plus I love Brooke! I don’t know her personally but I know some of her in-laws so it’s fun to see her do such a cute little show!
Melynda - I know you said there are no rules for the canvas but I was wondering if you have found any mediums that the transfer either doesn’t work on or gives a different effect with? I like to do mixed media pieces and often times use oils and/or other random things like ribbon, leaves, sticks or whatever I have laying around. Does it work on oils?, fabric? etc.? Knowing me, I’ll probably attempt it either way but I was wondering if you had any expert advice to offer for on that. Also, I typically stretch my canvases then gesso them… do you use gesso or raw canvas? Thanks for the tutorial!!
promisetangeman - Hey Melynda-
You can use this method on fabric and anything you want. But i have not tried this over oil paints. The basic rule for mixing oil and acrylic is usually oil on top of acrylic… but not acrylic on top of oil… but you could always give it a try.
Olivia - I ABSOLUTELY was amazed with this!! I watched the video earlier today and could not stop my mind from wondering about the endless possibilities this gave me! I agree with Jennifer-just perfect timing for Christmas presents.
Thank you soo much for sharing this with us Promise! I absolutely adore your style and what you create. It inspires me to create more.
I did come home today and try a small 4×3 canvas I had to experiment. (I already had the gel medium, paints etc.) I just HAD to see how simple it really was. It was definitely that simple and I can’t wait to do more!
Any time you want to do more instructional videos, don’t hesitate.
Bonnie Orcutt - I love this, and am defintely going to try out the process, especially since I am so inspired by your work and have wondered for so long, “How does she do that?!?”
One question though, where can someone find the gel? Staples, local art supply store, home depot?
I would love my explain/instructional videos!!!
Elizabeth - What about wood? It seems that this would work well on a wood plaque of some kind as well, not just canvas. What do you think?
jessica~ - Oh, this looks like such fun! Thanks for sharing your tips and tricks. I’m more technical and less artistic so I can use all the help I can get!
Renee - Too cute!!!
promisetangeman - hey bonnie!!! you can get the gloss gel at most craft stores.
Evie - Thanks so much for posting this how-to! I was blown away by some similar artwork on your blog before, and always wondered- how in the world did you transfer the image like that? Such an awesome method! Thanks again for sharing- it looks terrific!
Beth - Hi Promise, Thanks so much for this tutorial – I’m so excited to try this!! One question, how long does it take each of the 5 coats to dry? Thanks! Beth
Bonnie Orcutt - One more questions, what would be the printing process for photos? I noticed the photos you transfer are just like the drawing to did, black out-lined photos, but can you do it with a regular color photo? How did you edit it to just be black out-lined?
promisetangeman - Hey Bonnie,
Whenever i transfer any kind of photo I do not make it outlined. I just turn it black and white. I hope that makes sense.
They don’t have to be outlined. they can be colored photos. I have done that too and it comes out AWESOME!!
Erin Kirchhoff - LOVE IT!!! I’m a wedding photographer and high school art teacher! I just watched your hilarious video with one of my high school art classes and we are SO trying this next week! We were slightly obsessed with the pics on the wall behind you! I think we’re going to go with a pop art theme!
Meghan - Thanks for answering my question! I’m really excited about trying this out. =)
Megan Walter - that was such a great video! i learned a ton. now i just have to go buy some of that gel…
Lindsay C - This is so amazing! I love it. The picture is adorable. Thanks for the lovely video
ps. your hair/eyes all look great!
Susanna - Hi Promise!
Quick question; are you taking the photo and printing it onto transfer paper or regular paper?
Great tutorial, btw. Your outfit is really cute.
jen h - Hey Promise
You’ve got my wheels turning for sure! I love your art….layered, blended look…so, what fun it is to see a project explained. So many possibilities for this process you shared. I might try it scanning my kids’ drawings in black and white and put it over a canvas they paint & add texture to for our walls here.
Oh…also, if you have any more art that comes up ‘for a greater cause’ that you do….would love to know how to purchase it (or have some favorite artist that have something going on for sale). I’m on a mission to decorate my office with art for a cause (at least a cluster).
Kathleen Amelia - Wow, that prokect is amazing! I love it! Just bought a house, it would fit perfect in!! Lol.
Pamela Jo Anderson - Thanks Promise for this video!! I always wondered how you did this process. Thanks to you I just finished an awesome gift for my husband for christmas. (A little early, but glad to get it done!)
Love all your work.
Heather - Hi Promise! I just have a quick question. When you add paper to your canvas, what do you use to adhere it?
promisetangeman - heather- the gel medium showed in this video.
Tuesday Love — L & Co Blog - [...] 1. Photo transfer process explained, DIY {Promise Tangleman} [...]
Melissa - So glad you clarified LASER printer. I’m attempting this myself on a project I’m working on and I wasn’t sure if I had the right kind of printed ink. It’s been drying overnight so I’m off to go see how it turned out!!
Chelsea Bee - I LOVE this idea… and everyone is getting homemade Christmas gifts this year! And I’m doing this! Thank you so much for posting this, I am SO excited!
cync00 - Wow..interesting! Cool process I didn’t know about. Very entertaining, you girls are as well….Need to have your own TV channel! <3
Maaike - Hi!
I Like This!
But.. I have an question, i’m from The Netherlands and don’t know where i can buy the liquitex heavy gel medium…
Can you tell me what it seems, so i can find it in The Netherlands (I think Liquitex is an brand product?)
What are the ingredients or where do you normally use this product for?
Thanks!
Kirsten - I do a TON of phototransfer but I do a lot of pics of my grandpa but most of the pictures are taken in the 1940′s or I even have some of my great grandma from 1916 and when i do photo transfer my way it usually takes longer and doesn’t show up as well but i love the way you do it, AWESOME! thanks promise!
P.s. it’s really cool to copy your pictures on Transparency sheets
Katelin Wallace Journigan - Love your blog… just stumbled upon it and your style and creative work is fabulous! Quick question for you. Will this process work on wood or metal? I don’t have access to using liquid light and I am looking for a great way to do photo transfers on wood panels and sheets of metal. If you have any suggestions I’d be thrilled! Thanks! ~ Katelin
promisetangeman - katelin,
I am not sure what Liquid Light is.. but you can DEFINITELY do this process on wood or metal as long as you are using Medium Gel Gloss by Liquitex. Here is the link: http://www.liquitex.com/Products/gelmedglossgel.cfm
dea - Hi. Just saw your clip. Love the paintings in the back too. Is it yours? Can I see them somewhere?
malia - this is great! thanks so much for sharing this awesome technique.
one question…can you use a matte finish liquitex or does it have to be gloss?
Elaina - Totally love this!!!! amazing artwork and creativity…I’ve always been a huge fan of canvas. Great job!!
Kendra - I love doing photo transfers! I use the liquitex Gloss Medium & Varnish instead of the Gel. It only takes a few minutes for each layer to dry with the medium. I have done transfers on old books and on ceramic necklace pendants that I make. The only tip I have is to alternate the direction of the brush strokes between layers (horizontal & vertical). It seems to give it some extra stability. I just came across your blog and I am loving it! Keep up the awesome work!
Maria - Hi Promise! Great tutorial, it gave me a very good idea for my next painting for college and I would like to know, the gel medium is it an acrylic medium??
Once more thanks for the great tutorial, Kisses!
Maria
Sarah - such a cute lil post!
Photo ♥ | Photography by Betty Elaine Photo ♥ | Everything ridiculous under the sun - [...] I just love this! I saw it last fall and wanted to do it. After creating my DIY camera strap maybe I will find time to create this. From Promise Tangeman Blog. [...]
ALT IS GONNA FREAKIN EXPLODE!! | PROMISE TANGEMAN ART & DESIGN - [...] in their step. Oh do I enjoy and admire that extra kick in their step. SO valuable. Check out the video they invited me to be a part of last year. It was my HOW-TO for my favorite phototransfer art [...]
Donna - This video was so fun to watch. All of you gals have such bubbly and fun personalities, I definitely couldn’t leave without watching the whole video – and am I ever so glad I did. I have been trying to find someone to explain clearly and simply to me this very process, and you want to know what? You gals triumphed over all the videos I’ve watched and all the explanations I’ve read. Such a simple process and you’ve explained it so easily. Thank you, thank you, thank you – you gals are wonderful! I’m going to try this out – get all the supplies and get creating! Woohoo!
Impress All Your Friends: Photo Transfers Made Easy « landoflovely - [...] it with some friends and they have all loved it! It is one of my favorite DIYs by far! Enjoy this collaboration from two great blogs: Promise Tangeman + The Girls With Glasses as they show you how to make the [...]
HAIR-HOW-TO GUIDE WITH GIRLS WITH GLASSES | PROMISE TANGEMAN ART & DESIGN - [...] photos. 2 // If you missed the Art Photo Transfer Process I did with them last year check it out HERE. 3 // Oh and leave some love on their blogpost if you get a minute! Tags: hair, hair [...]
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