ITS on Tile part 2

Yesterday's blog introduced using ITS on tile. Above are image from my stepson Chris' and Hailee's wedding. I decide to do these in color because the orange and turquoise color scheme really pops. You can see the imperfections in the images, but that's part of their charm.

Image transfer, especially on tile, is not an exact science. It’s best to make a few extra copies of your images in case they don’t turn out the first time. Your images will not be perfect, but will have variation because of the natural contours of the tile, the saturation of the photo and other variables. That’s the beauty of this kind of image transfer, though. Each tile is unique and a has a special character. If you do need to re-do a tile, just soak it in water (before you put on the sealer) and then use coarse sandpaper to sand off the image.

Depending on your image, you may want to tear the edges so it doesn't have a hard edge. Above is the difference between a straight edge and a torn edge. If your photos are black and white, the light parts of the photo will naturally disappear, creating a soft edge even when the image is cut straight, such as in the image below.

Bubbling
The tile below has a lot of white spots because the paper bubbled. Sometimes, like in this tile, they turn out looking great. In general, though, you want to avoid bubbling because if you get a white spot on someone's face, or an important part of the picture, it's a do-over.

White Film
The white film on the lower part of the image means that all the paper has not been removed yet. It needs to be polished some more with the blue 3M polishing sheet under running water.




Picture Placement
Since tile has natural dips and bumps, sometimes it will interfere with the picture. The bride's face on this tile gets lost in the natural contours. It would be best to start over and turn the picture a quarter turn.


Remember that your own images might require some experimentation. Luckily, if you don't like the first result, it's easy to sand it off and start over. I've had so much fun with this new technique, I've got more coasters than I know what to do with!

New Project! ITS on Tile

Sherri's been working for a while to perfect a method to successfully transfer images onto tile. We finally got great, consistent results after some trial and error. Above you can see black and white images from Sherri's daughter Rachel's wedding, and color images from my daughter Brennyn's wedding. I love this project because they are great handmade gifts that anyone can appreciate. The images don't turn out perfectly, and they have a quality that makes them almost looked painted on. You can turn them into coasters (my favorite use) or put them on small easels for tabletop display.

You will need:

4 x 4” tumbled marble tile

ITS Solution

ITS Paper

Images

Scissors

Paintbrush

3M Wet/Dry 1200-grit blue abrasive sheet

ITS Matte or Gloss Sealer

Felt chair pads or 4 x 4 square of felt

1. Soak the tile in water and scrub it clean to get all the dust off. Let dry.

2. Paint a layer of ITS solution over the tile. Let dry.

3. Size your image so it is slightly smaller than the tile. Remember that the image will appear as a mirror image on the tile. Copy the image onto ITS paper using a commercial copy machine or print it on a laser printer. Use the color setting even if your image is black and white. Cut out the image. If the background of your image is dark, you may want to tear the edges for a softer look.

4. Paint an even layer of ITS solution on the tile. (The layer of ITS should be thin enough to still be transparent, but thick enough so there are no bare spots.) Place the image face down on the tile, being careful to center the image.

5. Press the image on the tile, working from the middle out toward the edges. Smooth the image firmly, pressing out any air bubbles. Turn the tile over on a flat, sturdy surface and press on the back of the tile to help the image make full contact with the tile. If there are still air bubbles, you can use a barely damp sponge to help smooth them out, or prick with a pin or point of a blade and press them flat.

6. Heat set the tile by placing the tile in a pre-heated 325 degreee oven for 30 minutes. After removing from the oven, it is important to let the piece cool thoroughly before the next step.

7. Soak the tile in water for a few minutes. Use your fingers to remove the paper, carefully rolling off layers of paper, working from the center out.

8. When you’ve removed most of the paper, use a 3M Wet/Dry 1200-grit blue abrasive sheet under running water to remove the remaining fiber. The fiber is removed when there is no longer a white film covering the image.

9. Paint a layer of ITS Matte or Gloss Sealer over the image. Wait 30 minutes, then bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes to heat set. Let cool.

10. To make a coaster, stick felt chair pads on the back of the tile, or glue on a square of felt so the tile won’t scratch furniture.

Next blog: Troubleshooting

Tune in to Jewel School

What's better than taking classes from Sherri Haab? When they're free! Sherri will be appearing on Jewelry TV's Jewel School on Thursday, August 11 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. While promoting some exclusive kits on the show, she will demonstrate both metal etching and ITS image transfer. These are examples of the projects she will be teaching you to make.

You will also want to check out the kits that will be sold on the program at a great price. The metal etching kit contains everything you need to etch, along with a bonus of all of the jewelry findings for several pieces of jewelry and a selection of transferable images designed for the copper shapes in the kit.

The ITS kit contains all the materials and findings you need to make a charm bracelet and matching necklace, a full sheet of images ready to transfer and five blank sheets of ITS paper to use for your own personal images.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to see Sherri in action and learn some exciting new skills. BUT WAIT! Of course they will be offering some special deals during the course of the show, so tune in!

Rings & Things Blogs on ITS

Cindy at the Rings & Things blog made this amazing Alice in Wonderland bracelet and teahouse pendant using Sherri's ITS image transfer solution. Besides the great example of an ITS project, her blog has a great how-to (with photos!) on a different method for using ITS solution.


She uses an iron to heat-set the image and has some other tips that will help you have great results with your image transfer projects.

Cindy also shows how she uses ITS to seal inks onto metal, like on this peacock pendant and bee hairpin. She uses alcohol inks on metal, then sets the ink with ITS to make it permanent.

You can also mix ITS with the alcohol ink to create a permanent "paint" that won't wash or rub off. Either method requires heat-setting, which you can do in the oven, following the directions on the ITS package.

New ITS video and Contest

Are you curious about image transfer with Sherri's ITS products? Sherri and her crew have just finished a new video showing the process. Watch it here.

To celebrate the launch of the video, we're having a contest with great prizes from the Sherri Haab Shop. Show us what you've done with ITS. Send your photos to chelle@sherrihaab.com and we'll post them in our ITS album on facebook. Sherri will choose her three favorites, and the artists will receive prizes. All submissions should be received by Saturday, June 25th.

Kiwis (not the fruit)

I see now why people love New Zealand. It was green and tropical and from my perspective, it was like Seattle, where I grew up, mixed with Hawaii. The people were really polite--for example, saying "thank you" to the city bus driver as they got off the bus, and then drivers stopped for pedestrians at the crosswalks even if they weren't trying to step out.

Auckland was my first stop to teach for Anne Marie and Peter Grace from Art Clay NZ. they invited me to teach there, and then to travel to Christchurch for another round of classes. The first stop, right after a 15-hour flight, was to the beach near Anne Marie's home. As we walked along, I was intrigued by of the small seashells, twigs and pods native to New Zealand. I became completely obsessed in my search for potential specimens for electroforming, stopping to stuff my pockets with shells like a five-year-old. The seashell hunt, combined with my jet lag, must have scared Anne Marie a little. Within a day, I would be expected to lead a coherent workshop. My side of the conversation consisted of "Huh?" or "Can you repeat that?" while stopping suddenly to pick up one more shell. Later, I taught her about the wonders of copper electroforming, hoping to validate my persistent scavenger hunt.

I met a group of talented Art Clay instructors and jewelry designers in Tacapuna who attended the first class. The workshops consisted of a full day each of electrical etching, resin clay and image transfer techniques on Art Clay Silver. Everyone found unique ways to implement these mediums into their work.

I thought this piece by Ingrid Schloemers was a nice design. She used ITS to transfer a seashell image.

New Use for ITS

Sherri originally developed ITS for transferring images onto non-porous surfaces like metal. But there is another bonus use for the product that she’s been using to get fantastic results. By mixing ITS with pigment powders, you can create a custom palette of colors that you can use to paint on non-porous surfaces. The example here shows colors applied to a fine metal clay bracelet. So if you have some ITS solution and pigment powders, it’s time to get creative. It’s best to practice on some bottle caps or other metal surface to get used to working with the paint before you start on your jewelry piece.

Steps for applying color to metal using ITS:

1. Mix a very small amount of pigment powder with a drop of ITS with a toothpick on waxed paper. A little goes a long way. Use less powder for a transparent watercolor effect, or add more for opaque color. (Wear a respiratory mask to avoid inhaling pigment powder.)

2. Use a toothpick or small paintbrush to apply the paint to your surface. It dries quickly, so work with small amounts. Colors can be layered or mixed as with any other type of paint. If you make a mistake, act quickly and scrape the paint off. After it is set, you will have to sand it off. (For metal clay pieces you can fire the piece to remove the paint.)

3. If you just want color only in the recessed areas of your surface, as in these examples, paint the entire surface first, then scrape the paint off the raised areas with a toothpick after about 10 minutes, when the paint is almost set.

4. Let the ITS paint dry completely. Set the paint with a heat gun for about one minute. This will not only set the paint, but also bring out the color and clarity of the pigment powder for an enamel-like finish.

Las Vegas Art and Soul

The saying "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" usually applies to untoward behavior best forgotten, but we certainly hope what Sherri experienced for the first time during Art and Soul March 1, 2, and 3rd doesn't stay in Vegas. It was this thing called "relaxation." As Sherri and Rachel Wright left for the show, Sherri's daughters reminded Rachel to assert her right for lunch breaks and sleep (Sherri's been known to forget about these things entirely). Rachel did one better--she introduced Sherri to spa treatments, and much to everyone's surprise, Sherri got hooked. Pampering is now admissible as preparation or recovery from an event. Seaweed wrap, anyone?

The energy level at Art and Soul, however, was high from the start. No matter where Art and Soul is held, the students are enthusiastic and excited about learning new things. Sherri’s first class on making metal clay Pandora-style beads was comprised of a small group of women who giggled and recounted Vegas adventures, but also got a lot of work done. They made stunning silver beads in this class, about which a student said, “You get a lot of bang for your buck.” Sherri’s enthusiasm for this particular class is no doubt part of this energy, because as she says, “I would make these beads all day long if I could.”

Then came two more busy days of classes, etching and silver clay with Faux Bone. Sherri, Rachel, and the students worked hard, and it was satisfying to receive positive feedback from students who said they learned valuable new skills. The artistry level was especially high in the Faux Bone class. Take a look at these finished pieces from the class. Every finished piece was gallery worthy. These are even more amazing up close.

If you want to learn this technique, Sherri will be offering this class at Art and Soul in Hampton, Virginia at the end of April, and then in Philadelphia at the Interweave Beadfest on August 19.

Silhouette Charm Bracelet

This project was featured in Handcrafted Jewelry Magazine. It features brass charms you can use to apply your own images . I chose B&W but you could use color. This would make a perfect gift for the holidays, we have the supplies on our site for the blanks and the image transfer medium. check out Vintaj for the chain and other jewelry findings.

Summer Classes and Art Saves

This week I will be the featured artist on Art Saves by Jenny Doh. You can read a bit about why I love to create and visit a few of my favorite links. She has a great blog with lots of inspiring stories.

This summer has been flying by with lots of travel, classes and just hard work in general. We attended the Bead and Button Show in WI, here we are at the booth (Rachel Haab, Rachel Wright, myself and Michelle Haab-with baby Adeline on the way). We worked so hard, we often missed 2 out of 3 meals and lived on 4-6 hours of sleep all week but had fun meeting people and working together.

One of the classes I taught at the show combined metal clay, fine silver and images transferred to faux bone. It was A LOT to master in one class but I think the end results were stunning. This is a piece made by Erin Prais-Hintz. She transferred images to both sides and then set the piece in the metal clay so that the back is as pretty as the front.

Another hot technique we are teaching this summer is electroforming. I think I have more fun than the students. They bring interesting objects to form into copper to class. This piece was made at Art and Soul in VA by Judy Harris. She finished it with pearls and wore the finished piece as a pin. It is lovely and she also made matching earrings. I am hoping to teach this class again soon. We are really happy with the new electroform controller and the use of graphite paint for this technique. Electroforming and plating is surprisingly easy.

This week I am headed to the PMC conference in Purdue, and then off to Phoenix for Art Unraveled the following week to teach classes using copper clay, resin clay and fine silver clay.