Photo Transfer for Skippy

Photo Transfer Success!

I set out to do a photo transfer to give to my girlfriend in memoriam of her pet that she had to put to sleep. I knew it had to be done well and kept secret until it was finished. This is a continuation of my Woodburning Series.

 

Supplies

Wood to transfer image to - used this - $3 with a coupon!
Wood burning tool - this
Mod Podge to seal the final product -  this
Image to transfer - I used photoshop but any printed image works.

 

Photo creeping on Facebook

Snuck around on Facebook until I found a good pic of the dog :)

 

Photo editing in Photoshop

Took the original image into Photoshop, cutout the shape of the dog that I wanted and went to town with filters. I added an edge detection filter to bring out the outlines, helps with a wooden piece like this and adds a nice look to the hair. Then I did some work with the color levels to make it more monochromatic and saturated.

 

Test the transfer process!

Laying out the test prints

Tests complete!

I did 4 tests to see whether I wanted to use the wood burning method or mod podge method. I decided on wood burning because I wanted to see the wood underneath the image. It also made the image feel more like a part of the wood. I also tested whether I wanted color, black and white or a grayscale image. I went with color since the dark black was not a nice look. I even tested a coat of shellac, man was that NOT the way to go or what?

 

Give it a whirl!

Finished product!

The process was pretty easy, especially with the perfectly flat surface I was working with. 

 

Final Thoughts

The perfectly machined wood from Michael's made a HUGE impact on the speed and quality of the work. I realized that I spent so much time trying to transfer the test images on to a bumpy piece of wood, but I basically transferred all I could transfer in the first few minutes. The flat tip of the wood burning tool doesn't go into the crevices of the wood and it leaves gaps. One could use a different tip if the bumpy wood was desired, it would just take more time and attention. I made the mistake of sanding the wood and I think that caused the lines in the face. :( Oh well, at least it wasn't too bad.

The paper moved midway through! AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! I was impatient and kept lifting the paper to check on the progress. Once I got below the eyes, the paper lifted completely off the wood! Luckily I found some unique spots on the ears that I could line up perfectly. Lesson learned, have patience and keep that paper stuck at all costs! I probably should have started going from the other direction midway through.

I didn't actually intend to use the basswood with bark, but it worked out better than my initial idea! I wanted an oval version of this, but they didn't have anything in the right size. Luckily, I left with the basswood and the bark actually really accentuates the colors in the printout!