Alternative Processes Take 1

This is my most recent project, which is called an acrylic gel lift. Our current assignment is to use three different alternative photography processes to create three different works of art, and this is my first go at it. Basically, an acrylic gel lift is made by taping a photocopy of a photo down flat and then painting tons of thin layers of white acrylic gel over top of it. The annoying part is each layer has to dry before the next one is added, so the process takes a really long time. The gel dries clear, and once you have built up enough layers - I used about 20 -   there will be a stretchy layer of plastic stuff on top of the photo. Then, you take the photo off of the surface it is attached to and place it in a try of water so that the paper becomes wet. This allows you to rub off all of the paper layer, leaving just the acrylic gel behind with a transfer of the image on it. The overall effect is super cool. I decided to add some colour into my otherwise black and white gel transfer to add just a little more interest to it. My image is a picture of a river near my grandma's house, so I decided to add some blue paint to the water area of the photo and some green to the trees and plants. To do this, I mixed a tiny bit of each colour acrylic paint into the acrylic gel and added another layer of tinted gel over the the area that I wanted the colour to transfer to on top of all the other layers. Once the paper was all rubbed off and the image was dry, the result was pretty cool. I decided to make what was originally the back of the photo the front, because the colours on that side were not as strong or streaky and the colour just shone through. I really like the way it looks when it is held up against the light, so I think I will probably use it as a window covering or something, that way it will catch the light and look super pretty. This project was very different and fun, and I am excited to try out some more alternative processes.

Photo was taken with aperture f4.5 and shutter speed 1/100, with a Nikon D3100 camera and 18-55mm lens.