Whether a line drawing, a picture, or even a drawing your child made, image transfers make it possible to translate art into a wearable piece of jewelry. How you use an image transfer is one of those. The possibilities are endless, things! Using a transfer in resin jewelry increases the impact of a transfer as well as protects the image from wear and tear.

There are lots of ways to transfer art and the method you choose will likely be dependent on the medium you’re working in, how the transfer will be adhered and preserved, and the overall look you’re going for.

An image transfer could be done using polymer clay, polymer clay liquid medium, liquid medium gel (from the painting arena), or even a heat transfer you apply to fabric. Susan Lenart Kazmer shares a heat transfer technique in her book Resin Alchemy.

Listen: Jewelry Artist Podcast: Metalsmithing as a Journey with Susan Lenart

Here’s an excerpt from Resin Alchemy demonstrating the technique:

Image Transfer Tutorial Using Heat

I use heat transfer to incorporate images into my resin designs. Techni-Print 4.0 is my top choice because I can use either an ink-jet or a laser printer with it. Also, the negative spaces in my images remain transparent after they are heat-transferred to paper. Rice paper is my top pick of paper because I like its textures and transparency. I’m also able to transfer an image to a fabric that is either a loose weave and/or thing such as gauze; I simply bind it by covering it with a thin sheet of plastic before I press on the transfer using an iron that is on a nonsteam cotton setting.

Copying Original Images

For any visual that you want to photocopy in order to preserve the original, remember that when you transfer the image, it’ll be a mirror image. Handwriting is the most obvious visual that needs to be reversed when it’s copied in order to transfer properly. For digital images, you can print directly from your computer onto transfer paper.

Transferable Media

You can make your own art to embed using heat transfer. The range of possibilities is huge: permanent markers, rubber stamps with permanent ink, any oil based paints, crayons, graphite and colored pencils, even watercolors. The only extra step you need to take when you have a water-based ink or paint is to heat-set the ink by pressing it with an iron on a nonsteam setting.

Susan shared another transfer technique in her workshop at Bead Fest. Use packing tape to transfer an ink-jet image from plain paper. I’ve been successful with this method using a laser printer and love knowing it also works with ink-jet. As with any new technique, test before you delve into a masterpiece. Test your printer to see what its capabilities are and if your printer’s ink is not suitable, try your neighbor or even the public library. You will love the technique even if you have to go a little out of your way.

Image Transfer Using Packing Tape

Related: What To Do If Your Resin Won’t Cure?

You will be so excited when you try this and see how quick and easy this really is. The part that took me the longest was the drawing, and that was a fun Zentangle exercise I did on my tablet—so a great technique start to finish.

Related: How to Make Resin Jewelry in 5 Simple Steps

I can’t wait to see what you do with image transfers. Please share your methods and any tricks or tips you can offer us. Check out more of Susan’s Resin Alchemy for ideas on how to use your transfers as well as scads of other great ideas on using resin and fabricating jewelry.

For instructions on how to make the right-angle weave bracelet shown above, see How to Make a Right-Angle Weave Seed Bead Bracelet with Ice Resin and Image-Transfer Button Clasp.

Yours in creativity,
Tammy Honaman

Originally published 9/2/2016. Updated 11/6/2023.

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