Make It Monday - Gel Medium Photo Transfer Magnet

I have just started to discover using Gel Medium to do a photo transfer.  Gel Medium gives a kind of aged look to the photo and allows you to take a photo from a laser printer (inkjet won't work) and transfer it onto a gel film that can be applied to different surfaces.  This is a great technique and the possibilities are endless.  In the next few coming weeks, I will be trying new items to transfer photos onto like canvas. I figured that I would start out slow with a smaller item such as a clear acrylic magnet.  So here is what you will need for this project.

- A photo of your choice printed from a laser printer (inkjet will not work)

Keep in mind that the image will be reversed with the transfer so if you do not want the final photo to look reversed then you will need to print the image reversed already.

- Gel Medium (Glossy or Matte it is your choice)

- Paintbrush

- Clear Acrylic Thin Block

- Container of Water (not shown)

- Magnet Self Adhesive Strip (not shown)

1.  Apply an even coat of the Gel Medium all over your photo.  Be generous.

2.  Let dry at least 12 hours.  It will dry clear.

3.  Once it has dried for at least 12 hours, you need to place it in a container of water for 5 minutes - with the gel side facing down in the water.

4.  After 5 or so minutes, you can start gently rubbing the paper away from the back.  You will begin to see the photo transfer.  This will take a few minutes.

5.  Once all the residue from the paper is gone, you need to let the gel transfer dry for about 5 minutes.  If you see that some white spots are showing again during the drying process, just put a little bit of water on top and rub until it is gone.

6.  Apply a thin coat of the gel medium onto the acrylic block.

7.  Apply the gel transfer onto of the acrylic block and let dry.

8.  Once dry, just add your self adhesive magnet to the back and you will have your gel transfer magnet.

All In All:  This has a great antiqued look to it.  It does take some patience when rubbing all the paper off.  You can even do this onto a large acrylic glass block and you can have it as a decoration or even paperweight.  I am looking forward to see how this process works when I apply it to canvas.