Experimenting with a Photo Transfer Method on Wood

Two things are very important to me lately...

Photo Transfer Method on Wood
And nope they are not antiques!

These are my 2 grandsons... After having 4 daughters of my own it is quite refreshing to have these 2 guys in our lives.

One of them is brand new so I'm working on a keepsake project today of the first time the 2 brothers met each other. The first kiss.

I took a photo of the boys then uploaded it to PicMonkey.


Photo Transfer Method On Wood



Once on PicMonkey I was able to turn the photo to black and white, remove unwanted areas of the photo and add a title. 



I'm using a product called Omni Gel again today that is going to help me transfer this gorgeous image onto wood. 



I printed the enhanced photo in black and white and flipped the image so the words would be in reverse. 




Photo transfer method on wood

I cut a piece of smooth plywood the size I needed and
spread Omni Gel over the surface of the wood.  I've been using Omni Gel a lot lately and I wanted to see it if would work on the raw wood. At this point you could choose to stain or paint the wood but I used raw wood because frankly, this was an experiment. Next time I will paint the plywood first. 

 Next I pressed the image upside down onto the surface of the wood and smooth out all the bubbles with a paint brayer. 

photo transfer method on wood.


I let the paper dry over night. When the paper was completely dry, I wet the surface of the paper with water and began rubbing off the paper until only the image remains on the wood.

Be patient, you don't want to rub too hard. A little bit of the photo may come off but that's ok, it adds to the rustic look of this project.

photo transfer method on wood

Keep rubbing until all the paper has been removed. I use the palm of my hand to get the best results.

photo transfer method on wood

When the paper is off and the wood dries the image will get lighter. I coated the photo with hemp oil to bring the color back and refresh the wood.

Photo transfer method on wood

I added rebar wire to hang the plaque by drilling 2 holes in the top of the board and sticking the wire in the holes with E6000 glue. I use rebar wire to hang all my wooden signs, it is the perfect look and is easy to cut with wire cutters.

The finished product is a beautifully distressed wooden photo of the cutest 2 kids in the world! I might be a little bias.

Before you go please visit the Homeroad Amazon Shop for great ideas for Christmas gifts and craft products. You can follow Homeroad on Pinterest using the icons on the sidebar and sign up for emails so I can send my latest DIY tutorial straight to you!

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Homeroad
Homeroad

I am Susan, the author and creator at Homeroad. I am a wife, mother of 4 daughters, and a grandmother of 5 and counting. I am a retired teacher, a DIY blogger and an artist at heart. .

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