How to Make Photo-Transfer Tiles

This tutorial is my own adaptation of a process I learned from ceramics artist Ilana Cripsi.

The Principal: Oil and Water Don't Mix

The Principal Applied: Pouring water onto a photocopy gets the white parts of the paper wet, while water rolls off the dark areas, because the photocopy toner is oil-based. Oil paints will stick to the toner, but not to the wet paper. By applying oil paint onto a wet photocopy, you can transfer the photocopied image from the paper to any other surface.

Making the Tiles (pages 1-4)

1. Gather materials
• White Sculpey
• Smooth and clean work surface, such as glass
• Rolling pin (You can use a glass bottle. Don't use a rolling pin designated for food preparation.)
• Blade
• Baking sheet (I like to use the same glass surface I rolled the clay onto, since transferring the unbaked tiles is difficult.)
• Oven
2. Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit
3. Knead your clay until it is workable without crumbling.
4. Roll out clay until it is ~1/4" thick.
5. Slice into your desired shapes
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes
7. Trim messy edges with blade before the tiles cool.
   

1. Collect/print your images (Print them as mirror images if you want them normal on the tiles, since the transfer process flips the image.)
2. Make photocopies (images must be printed with oil-based ink, like photocopier toner)
3. Materials
   • Artist's oil paint (only small amount is needed)
   • Brayer (You can use a paint roller as small as you can find, and not too fluffy.)
   • Work area (I recommend taping a garbage bag onto a table, since oil paint is a big mess.)
   • Work surfaces: I like to use plain ceramic tiles sitting in large tupperware lids. This gives me a place to put the photocopied images so I can wet them, while catching run-off water in the lid.
   • Smooth sponges
4. Wet your photocopy with a sponge, then blot off the excess water. You want it just wet enough that it almost looks shiny at an angle.
5. Prep the tile you want your image on with some oil. Any kind of clear oil is fine--cooking oil, massage oil, linseed oil, etc. Load up a rag with a bit of oil and rub it on the tile. Get the tile well coated with oil, then wipe off the excess so the surface is not slick. The oil on the tile will help the oil paint stick better, and will give you a more vibrant color.
6. Squeeze about 1/4"-1/2" glob of paint onto your paint work surface (I like to use glossy ceramic tiles because they are small, flat, and easy to clean later on.) Spread out the oil paint until you can load up an even coat onto your brayer/paint roller.
7. With your loaded brayer, roll over your wet photocopy. It's OK if there are a few blotches--you can rinse and/or blot them away.
8. Remove the excess oil paint. You can rinse off the paint-covered wet photocopy with a squeeze of water, drain the water, then gently blot with a semi-oily sponge (I use a sponge that is already somewhat dirty with oil paint. The oily sponge will better lift off excess oil paint than a clean one.)
9. Let the oiled, blotted, wet photocopy dry a tiny bit before making the transfer. If the paper looks fairly shiny from an angle, then it is too wet. Methods for drying include waiting, setting wet photocopy on top of paper—coffee filters work great, or even blowing on them.
10. Lift your oiled, less-wet-than-it-was photocopy and position it over your oil-prepared tile.
11. Gently lay/drop the paper down on top of your oiled tile. It won't be perfectly centered or well-aligned—that's what makes it so charming!
12. Make sure your print gets well-transferred to the tile. I have a ritual, though it is probably overkill:
• Cover with a clean, absorbent cloth. Press gently to blot excess moisture from the back of the paper.
• Apply pressure over the entire surface by gently rolling your pin over the cloth.
• Follow up with hand pressure to the back of the cloth along all areas of the print.
• Wad up the cloth between your fingers and press down over all the details of the print. Repeat pressing without the cloth, using just the pads of your fingers.
13. Gently peel away your paper to reveal the transfer.
14. If your print is crisp and clear, put it aside and let it dry. If it's a bit dirty, you can clean it up with a wadded-up cloth, rubbing gently. Oil the cloth if you want to erase stray marks.
15. If your print stinks, you can erase it! Dab a cloth in plenty of oil, and wipe across the surface of your crummy tile. With enough oil, your tile will look as clean as new!

Tile Examples (pages 29-33)

A Few Words About Using Epoxy for a Glossy Finish (pages 34-37)

1. Materials:
• Epoxy - get slow setting epoxy. I like Envirotex Lite Pour-On High Gloss Finish. You can get this at most craft and hardware stores, or online. [8oz. kit for 2 square feet] [gallon kit for 32 square feet]
• OPTIONAL Blow torch - butane crème brulée torch works well
2. Set up a fool-proof plastic-covered work area. Epoxy is even easier to get all over the place than oil paint, but much harder to clean up. It peels off of flexible plastic (like a garbage bag or an overhead transparency sheet) before it has fully set.
3. Line up all your printed tiles on a surface covered in plastic. This will be your setup for coating them with epoxy. If you want an easier time separating your finished tiles and don't care if you have bumpy drips on the back, you may want to stand each tile on top of a support (something you don't mind ruining).
4. For mixing, follow the instructions on your epoxy container carefully. The Pour-On epoxy uses a 1-to-1 ratio of resin to hardener that need to be thoroughly mixed together.
5. Pour your epoxy mixture over all your tiles. As much as possible, try to get full coverage over each tile without drowning your entire work area in one giant layer of epoxy which will be hard to separate when it dries. While the epoxy is still workable, you can use a paint brush, a stick, or your glove-coated finger to more carefully spread the epoxy.
6. After the epoxy has sat for a few minutes, you'll notice bubbles start to form. You need to get carbon dioxide blown on those tiles to release the bubbles. You can exhale onto them, but be careful not to inhale the toxic fumes on the uptake! I prefer to use a butane torch to supply the CO₂. Remember, though, that it is not the heat (which can scorch the finish if it is held close for too long), but instead, the CO₂, that releases the bubbles.
7. Let the epoxy harden overnight.
8. The epoxy should be firm to the touch, but still flexible. Pull, tear, slice, or cut your tiles out from the giant mass of epoxy before it hardens further. If you stood your tiles up on supports before epoxying, this process is easier.
9. Wait another day, and your epoxy should be really hard.
10. Your tiles should now be glossy and beautiful. To create a matte finish, go over the surface of the tile with very fine sand paper.
11. Let me know how it goes! Tell me what works, what doesn't, and if you've made your own improvements to the process.