Photo Transfer Beads and Pendants [Polymer Clay Tutorials #77 in Beads and Beading Series]

You will find the answers to the this "Fun Quiz" within the polymer clay tutorial outlined on this hubpage. I've also conveniently posted all the answers together near the end of the document.

Question #1: When using the toner method of transferring images onto polymer clay, what temperature of water should be used for removing the paper? (a) Cold; (b) Warm; (c) Hot

Question #2: Is it a good idea to place a piece of parchment paper directly onto the surface of your toner image transfer during the baking process? (a) Yes; (b) No

Question #3: After transferring a photo image to polymer clay it doesn't really matter when you bake it. (a) True (b) False

Question #4: When removing the paper from your polymer clay image transfer, is it best to: (a) Rub vigorously with your finger; (b) Rub with medium pressure from the outside in; (c) Rub lightly from the center out; (d) Rip the sheet off quickly like a band-aid

Question #5: With the toner method of transferring images onto polymer clay, which of the following types of machines can be used for making your initial paper image: (a) Ink-jet or bubble-jet printer; (b) Office copier like a xerox machine (c) Laser printer; (d) Both b and c but not a

There are many different ways to do a photo transfer onto polymer clay. Here's a list of some of the methods:

• Toner image transfer (this tutorial)
• Polymer clay image transfers with gin alcohol
• T-shirt transfer papers for ink-jet printers
• Judikins-Trans it rinse away paper
• Epson photo paper transfer
• Mineral spirits method
• Water slide decals
• Liquid polymer clay transfer

The above methods will give you varied results form excellent to dismal. Some of them use materials not always easy to come by... like special papers or specific models of printer machines. And some use supplies you may want to keep for other purposes... like gin :-)

After trying several techniques and running into various problems, I found a technique that is simple and creates excellent results - even for beginners.

The method I teach here is called Toner Image Transfer Technique.

Supplies Needed for this Tutorial:

• Toner based copy of your image (in reverse print). This means an image created by a laser printer or photo copier. Images created by ink-jet or bubble-jet printers will not work.
• Light colored polymer clay (or translucent). For this tutorial, I use Premo Sculpey brand in white.
• Pasta machine.
• A piece of smooth ceramic tile that is small enough to fit in your oven or toaster oven.
• Toaster oven for clay use or regular home oven.
• Oven thermometer.
• Polymer clay tissue blade.
• Water for rinsing plus a water "misting" bottle if you have one.
• Wet/Dry Sandpaper (320 grit, 400 grit, 600 grit and 1200 grit).
• Buffing cloth and/or Dremel rotary tool with buffing wheel.
• Future Floor Finish or polymer clay varnish.

Condition a chunk of white or light colored polymer clay and roll into a flat sheet on your pasta machine at the thickest setting <01>.

You can roll your clay to any thickness you like, but the thickest setting on most pasta machines works well for pendants.

Make sure the sheet of clay is flat with no trapped air bubbles.

Place this flat sheet of clay on a clean dry ceramic tile while it is being worked on <02>. You will eventually bake the clay right on this tile.

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Step 2: Cut Out Paper Image:

Cut out your photocopy or laser printed image to a manageable size. Please note that ink-jet printed images will not work with this toner transfer method.

Only the ink from the paper will be transferred onto the clay, so you don't have to worry too much about cutting too neatly <03>.

However, it is a good idea to leave the overall size of the paper larger than what the final size of your clay pendant will be. This is because a light indent of the paper's edges can sometimes show on the clay after the burnishing process in a later step.

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Step 3: Position the Image:

Lay your paper image face down onto your prepared polymer clay where you want the image to transfer <04>.

In the photo, you may notice some letters on the back side of my paper. This is because I printed my image onto the other side of a recycled sheet of paper.

This won't bother my transfer at all because the printed text will wash away with the paper in a future step. And it's a more earth friendly thing to do.

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Step 4: Burnishing:

Using a small piece of paper as a burnishing tool, gently rub the back of your image to be transferred, until you know that it is in full contact with the polymer clay <05>.

You may notice that the image starts to show a little through the paper at this point. But if your paper is thick, it may not show through at all.

The most important thing is to not leave any trapped air pockets between the paper and the clay.

Also make sure the edges of the paper are not curling up and away from the clay. The paper should be laying completely flat.

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Step 5: Wet the Paper:

Now you need to get the paper and your clay wet. In photo <06> I am using a spray bottle with plain water, but you can also do this under cold running water.

Make sure to NOT use warm or hot water as the image will smear. In photo <07> you can see a pendant bead where the baby's image was smudged from using warm water.

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Step 6: Rub and Rinse:

Now very gently with your finger, rub off the wet paper in a circular motion starting from the center and then working outwards. The paper will start to ball up under your fingers and can be easily rinsed away <08>.

Make sure to use a very light touch. In photo <09> the light area on the baby's forehead was where I rubbed too hard and removed some of the ink from the clay.

As the paper gets washed away and becomes thinner, you will be able to start seeing the image that has transferred onto the polymer clay <10>. Keep rinsing off the paper, feeling carefully with your fingers for any last traces of paper stuck to the clay. Printing your image on colored paper is one way to see any traces of paper a little easier.

In photo <11> we are in the final stages of removing the paper from the polymer clay. At this point it may not look like there is any paper left on the clay, but it is important to be sure to remove any last traces before the piece is baked. Remaining paper would leave raised areas or bumps on your finished piece.

A neat way to check for the last bits of paper is to close your eyes and gently swirl your finger over the surface of the clay. Sometimes removing one of your senses will heighten another and you may find this helpful.

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Step 7: Trimming Clay:

Now that the image is clean and paper free, it can be trimmed <12>. It is important to leave the clay stuck to the tile and not to try and move it. Moving the clay will stretch and distort the image ... something you do not want.

You can trim the piece to the size that you want with your polymer clay tissue blade or a cookie cutter. Remove the excess clay and set aside.

This is also a good time to put a hole in the clay with a skewer if you are planning on using it for a pendant.

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Step 8: Baking:

Bake your image transfer pendant directly on the ceramic tile <13>.

Here's the toaster oven and oven thermometer I use for baking polymer clay in my studio <14>.

Make sure to bake your piece as soon as possible after transferring the image onto the clay. Do not touch the image surface of the unbaked clay, especially if it has been sitting for awhile.

Photo <15> shows a transfer which I had done perfectly but did not end up baking right away. A couple of days later when I went to bake it, there was a bit of fluff stuck on the clay transfer surface. So I tried to brush it off and completely smeared the surface.

I guess over time, the ink bonded with the uncured clay and became very sticky.... very different from the surface I was rubbing to remove the paper a few days before.

This was frustrating because I had made this special Harry Potter Hogwarts Crest for an altered book Christmas present and was running out of time to make another one. Oh well, my mistake. At least now it doesn't have to be your mistake!

Normally when baking a flat sheet of clay I like to lay a piece of parchment paper directly on top of the clay and weight it down with another tile <16>. However, this technique does not work well with polymer clay image photo transfers.

In this photo <17> you can see wrinkles from parchment paper that transferred onto my pendant bead and wrecked it. Now that's one mistake I'll never make again.

Instead of laying parchment paper directly on top of the image during the baking process, you can tent the parchment so it is not touching the surfaces of your photo transfer bead or polymer clay pendant <18>.

This tenting will keep the clay from discoloring due to direct heat. Don't worry about the paper burning in the oven. The temperature is so low when baking polymer clay that it won't effect the paper at all. That being said, always be careful when working with any oven or heat source.

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Step 9: Finishing:

After baking, sand the edges and the back of the pendant really well using several successive grits of wet-dry sandpaper <19>.

But be careful not to sand the the image transfer surface directly, since this would quickly erase the thin layer of ink on the surface of the clay.

Buffing the photo transfer surface by hand with a cloth is much safer than sanding it <20>.

For power buffing the back and sides of my pedants I use a Dremel tool <21>.

Finally, seal the whole piece with Future Floor Finish <22> or a varnish meant for polymer clay to give your piece that final shine.

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Final Thoughts:

Photo <23> shows an example of a baby keepsake pendant that I made for a cousin of mine. She loved receiving it and will hopefully cherish this unique piece of jewelry for a very long time.

Besides baby photographs, you can also transfer your child's drawings <24> onto polymer clay.

Or treasured wedding photographs <25>. Use your imagination and I know you will come up with all sorts of wonderful ideas.

I hope this tutorial was helpful for you. Please let me know if it was by leaving a note in the comments section at the very end of this page. Also let me know if there are any other topics you would like me to cover with regards to polymer clay or making polymer clay bead jewelry.

If you would like to see and hear Polymer Clay Tutorials in full motion, high-quality streaming video, I've set up a special form for you to receive three (3) of my complimentary video lessons at this link: <<Polymer Clay Tutorials>>

Question #1: When using the toner method of transferring images onto polymer clay, what temperature of water should be used for removing the paper? (a) Cold; (b) Warm; (c) Hot

• Answer: (a) Cold. Always use cold or cool water when rinsing the paper off a toner image transfer. Warm or hot water will smear the image.

Question #2: Is it a good idea to place a piece of parchment paper directly onto the surface of your toner image transfer during the baking process? a) Yes; b) No

• Answer: (b) No. Laying a piece of parchment paper directly on the image while baking will leave wrinkle looking marks in the transfer image. Instead fold the parchment paper like a tent and place over the clay to prevent scorching.

Question #3: After transferring a photo image to polymer clay it doesn't really matter when you bake it. (a) True (b) False

• Answer: (b) False. In my experience the ink on the clay gets really sticky after it has been sitting for awhile. Things such as dust and lint will stick to the surface and the image smears easily. However, if you bake the image right away, the ink cures and you will have no problems with the ink becoming sticky.

Question #4: When removing the paper from your polymer clay image transfer, is it best to: (a) Rub vigorously with your finger; (b) Rub with medium pressure from the outside in; (c) Rub lightly from the center out; (d) Rip the sheet off quickly like a band-aid

• Answer: (c) Rub lightly from the inside out. Although some methods of image transfer involve ripping off the sheet of paper like a band-aid, I have found rubbing the paper off lightly with your finger from the inside out and leaving just the ink behind on the polymer clay, gives a very successful image transfer.

Question #5: With the toner method of transferring images onto polymer clay, which of the following types of machines can be used for making your initial paper image: (a) Ink-jet or bubble-jet printer; (b) Office copier like a xerox machine (c) Laser printer; (d) Both b and c but not a

• Answer: (d) Both b and c but not a. Since the technique I describe only works with toner inks (they bond nicely to the polymer clay), an ink-jet, desk-jet, or any other printer that sprays the ink onto the paper, will not work using this method.

This video though hard to see, shows one of the ways you can do photo transfers onto polymer clay. This is how I used to do it but found the results to be less sharp and more blotchy than the toner transfer technique I teach in my tutorial.

This video is from a respected polymer clay artist showing the toner photo transfer technique. However, there are several steps missing from her demo that could cause problems for a beginner (i.e. water temperature, rubbing techniques and baking procedures). She probably addresses these topics in her live classes.

Here's a good video showing another way to do image transfers onto polymer clay. This technique produces sharp colorful transfers, but uses expensive special paper that is hard to find.

This is slide show of her photo image transferred designs, plus a few other jewelry designs. A great thing to watch for ideas. Lots of eye candy.

And finally, here is a link to a video that discusses several of the frustrating mistakes I made [Cindy Lietz], while learning about the toner method for doing polymer clay image transfers:

<<Polymer Clay Photo Transfer Beads>>

This streaming video is of a much higher quality than what YouTube allows. As with all of Polymer Clay Tutorials, it is designed to show you what TO DO... as well as what NOT TO DO. My sincere goal is to get you making beautiful beads and beaded jewelry that will have your friends saying, "Wow!"