Metallics, Foils, Puffs & Flocks

My last print session was all about adding textures and more unusual things to the prints. First up was the metallic paint (which has to be made up in a special extraction chamber due to the small particles of metallic powder floating around).

I added some gold jays to my original teal coloured jays to build up the layers of the image.

 Then there was foiling, which involves a certain kind of paint/glue stuff which you print on, then let dry. Then you cover the image with a coloured aluminium foil, put a sheet of thin parchment on top of that and put the whole sandwich through a rolling heat press. When it comes out the other end and cools down, you peel off the excess foil and view the results!

Puff paint was quite cool. It involves using the puff paint through the screen as normal, then you put it in another heat press (not a rolling one) between two teflon sheets  for about 25 seconds, and when you take it out all the paint has puffed up!! Nice and simple.

Finally, flocking. This is what the fluffy sections on wallpaper are called. I haven't yet done this so haven't any examples to show you, although the slight pink bits in the puff paint above are small flocking fibres which were left in the heat press and glued themselves onto my paint. It uses the same glue as the foiling, although whilst the stuff is wet, you use a flocking tool to blow your coloured fibres onto the image. They stick to the paint/glue and you finish it off in the heat press. Apparently though the tool can give you small electric shocks so I'm not sure whether I want to have a go or not!!