Quirky Classroom - Printing photos on tracing paper

Welcome to the first of the Quirky Classroom posts. These are a series of classes working with the goodies from the Quirky Kits and looking at techniques or ideas to have a go at.

This class explores using the tracing paper in your Jan/Feb kit to print onto and create a layering effect. You can change any of the papers I've picked out for ones that suit your layout/photo better but here are the kit goodies I used from both of the kits:

Prima Journalling spot stickers
Photo Freedom Navy Chevron paper
Photo Freedom Red Stripe paper
Crate Paper Latest paper
Thickers alphabet stickers
Crate Paper Fourteen stickers
My Minds Eye Collectable stickers
Airmail envelope
Bird on branch trim
Chevron ribbon trim
Polaroid Frame
Bird notelet
White cardstock
Tracing paper

 

First print out your photo on the tracing paper. You’ll need to set your printer settings on the transparency setting, (this is what worked best with my printer) so it prints carefully on the more delicate paper. If you know your printer might not cope with the tracing paper temporarily glue it to a sheet of regular printer paper with a dot of gluestick around the edges so it can be run through your printer then peeled away from the paper afterwards.

Print out some other images that will work with your photo onto the tracing paper. I went with some butterflies and printed them in a deep brown. The butterflies are from a free font you can download here if you want to use the same images,  http://www.dafont.com/butterflies.font

To build the layout I started with a piece of the Red Stripe paper, (approximately 8.5 x 3.5 inches) and the airmail envelope:

 

The next two layers were a strip of the Crate Paper 'Latest' including the decorative strip at the bottom of the paper it's about 1 inch wide by 8 inches in length. The piece of the Navy Chevron paper, (reverse side with the blue dots) is 3 inches wide by 8 inches in length.

 

 

The next two layers are another of the blue dot paper at the opposite side of the layout and a piece of the Red Stripe paper with the text print side showing placed over the top. The text print paper is approximately 8.5 inches square. I've added one of the washi tape stickers from the Crate Paper sticker sheet to the top of the text print paper.

 

 

For the next layers I've added a piece of the Crate paper 'Latest' paper with the woodgrain side showing, this piece is roughly 7x5 inches. In the top corner of that I've layered a piece of the Navy Chevron paper with one of the bird notelets and fixed another of the Crate Paper washi stickers along the top of the notelet.

The final layer of paper is the most important one as this is the paper that will show through your photo. I picked out a piece of the Crate Paper 'Latest' paper with the flower side showing as the reds and pinks work with the pinks and oranges in my photo. You might want to choose a different paper so try out your tracing paper photo over the top of the papers first to pick out the one that looks the best. Cut the paper so it's just a little bigger than your printed photo and layer it in the centre of your layout.

 

 

I've torn the edges of the photo on the tracing paper but you could cut clean edges if that works better with your photo. Fix the photo to your layout using a sticker in one of the corners first.

 

The idea of printing on the tracing paper means the photo is semi-translucent so you can layer other images underneath. I've cut out two of the butterfly images to layer underneath my photo. Peel back the photo to position the layers underneath how you want them.

 

 

Once you're happy with the layers glue down the images and the photo. I've used small dabs of gluestick, (Prittstick) and once dry it's clear. Tape will show through and wet glue will wrinkle the tracing paper so a 'dry' glue that dries clear like this is best.

 

For the next stage I've started to add embellishments. I've used a strip of the Crate Paper Fourteen paper with a piece of the bird trim and layered it across the bottom of the layout threading it through one of the Polaroid frames then adding one of the tracing paper butterflies. Another butterfly is in the top left corner.

Along the top edge I stitched down the chevron ribbon trim in a haphazard line so it spilt over the edge of the layout. The trimmed it down to the edge of the layout.

 

To finish the layout I added some more of the Prima stickers scattered around along with the layout title and some little splashes of ink to bring the colours together, (They're manila and white Mr Huey's mist sprays). The bottom edge of the layout I've left blank to add journalling.

 

If you have a go at printing on tracing paper from your kit or just using the class ideas to make a regular layout, share what you make with a link to where you've uploaded it in your comment so we can come and see what you've made or email a picture of your finished layout to me at enquiries@craftyprincess.co.uk

Have fun!
x Leo