Imitating Art

If you’re like me, then you never took an art class, never learned how to draw, paint, collage or decoupage properly. And yet, like me, you probably still crave interesting, original artwork for your dwelling but don’t have 500 bucks to drop on that abstract piece hanging on the wall of your local coffee shop. So, how can you acquire art that costs less than a car insurance deductible but has a premium higher than your local thrift-store-variety knitted plaque? It’s simple, really: you make it yourself. I was inspired to undertake an image transfer project after seeing a friend’s Warhol-like canvas featuring Johnny Depp. Using a personal photograph, I created a unique series of pop-art motifs that looks both vintage and iconic. And, as with Warhol’s pieces, there was no need to hide the imperfections in the work. The result is a modern creation infinitely cooler than the Jackson Pollock-inspired atrocity I painted in the third grade. Materials needed: 1 photo 4 black-and-white photocopies 1 sponge applicator 1 4-oz. bottle of acrylic medium paint (I used Liquitex in a matte finish, but you can use glossy) 1 pre-stretched canvas Tap water 1 spray bottle or sponge Watercolor paints (four colors) and paintbrush Water-based sealant (I bought an 8-oz. bottle of Mod Podge in matte finish) Scissors 1 jar lid Cost: Roughly $30, but you probably already have some items on hand. 1. Take a photograph to your local copier and have it enlarged, darkened and copied into four prints. You can use anything from a magazine photo of your favorite celebrity to a picture of your grandmother. I chose a Polaroid I liked of me with the boyfriend. High-contrast pictures work best, because the darker portions of the image affix to the canvas to create a more striking print. (The average snapshot isn’t very high-contrast, which didn’t create any problems in my project.) You want the blown-up image to fit roughly one-quarter of the canvas. I used a small canvas, so I had the image enlarged to fit an 8x10 piece of paper. 2. Cut photocopies to fit canvas. I left a border around the canvas in case I wanted to frame it. Position the photocopies where desired, and mark the edges with a pencil to remember the exact positioning. 3. Apply acrylic medium paint over first quadrant of canvas, liberally but evenly, with a sponge applicator or paintbrush. 4. Apply liberal coat of medium paint onto image side of first photocopy. 5. Affix photocopy to canvas, image side down. 6. Repeat steps 3, 4 and 5 until all photocopies are affixed. 7. Use jar lid to smooth photos and remove any air bubbles, which will prevent the image from transferring to the canvas. It’s best to smooth outward, beginning from the center of each image. Remember, bubbles in the image will give the canvas a unique texture, which may be desired. 8. Let canvas dry, preferably overnight. If you’re in a hurry, the image will probably be dry enough to work with in a few hours. 9. Wet and scrape. Once paper is dry to the touch, the image will have been transferred to the canvas. Use a spray bottle or sponge to wet the canvas. Scrape gently with fingernail or plastic scraper to remove paper. Scraping too hard can scratch image off completely. A rubbing motion will help remove the remaining paper. I did a series of two or three scrapes to remove paper completely, continually re-wetting the canvas with a sink sprayer. A regular faucet or a pitcher of water poured over the canvas also works. Feel for raised bits of paper—it’s sometimes hard to tell how much paper is left when the canvas is wet. If you’re unsure, you can lightly blow-dry the canvas. As the image fades, you will see any milky white remnants of paper over the image. Once the paper is removed—again, it doesn’t have to be perfect—you’ll see the images transferred to the canvas. 10. Wet canvas again to begin painting. In the Warhol tradition, we chose a different watercolor for each quadrant, and, using a wet brush, applied a thin layer of watercolor paint over each section. 11. Dry canvas overnight. 12. Apply thin coat of water-based sealant over entire canvas, making all strokes in the same direction. Downward strokes look best for a slightly blurred, hazy effect. The water-based sealant gives the image clarity, and this final step makes the image pop. Voilà. You have your very own Warhol. I spent about an hour of actual work on this project, excluding drying time. But if you’ve got a free afternoon, a few glasses of wine and the History Channel make for a nice way to pass the downtime.