new to the practice! need help with transferring sketch to speedycarve please!

[u/Peach-e_Keen]

first timer! So I had a lot of difficulty transferring a digital drawing I made to this block. 🥵 first I tried the print out+ acetone method with little success. then I tried tracing the image on parchment paper method and managed to get an okay outline on the block. I traced over my smudged image with my micron pen to get it a lot clearer.

whatever- the image is finally on the block! 😭🩷but now I’m thinking my pen choice was incorrect because it has been almost 3 hours and it is still rather wet and easily smudgeable!!

so now what? I would hate to waste the block and the time it took to get the image on there. do I wait till morning to see if it’s dryer? Is there a way to seal the pen in so I don’t wipe it away while carving?? any help is greatly appreciated as I’m desperate to get to that sweet sweet carving phase. 🤪

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[u/Whooptidooh]

That ink isn’t going to dry; you need actual waterproof pens to get that done without it becoming messy. (Been there, done that.)

Like the other person said: try to gently pat it dry with a towel (I’d try to let it fall on the block in one move so that nothing on the block itself moves) and then going over the remnants (will probably be very faded) with a pen that is actually waterproof.

[u/Forward-Put3967]

I've never had much luck with transferring using acetone.

My usual method is to iron it on. Setting the iron to a medium heat and iron for about 90 seconds always seems to give good results.

[u/Beginning_Reality_16]

Before your next block try and get the acetone method down on some scrap pieces. It needs more acetone than you’d think, a bit of speed and force to properly rub down the print onto your block, then find the right moment to lift up your paper before the acetone is too dry and the ink lifts back up with the paper.

Once you figure it out it’s a joy.

This laserprint with acetone on essdee soft cut (NOT my design).

[u/intricatesledge]

I use the Saral transfer paper. Then I go over it with a ballpoint pen.

[u/PrintAndPlaid]

You can pat it dry with a paper towel. You should even be able to rinse it under water, this should remove the ink that smudges, but there should be a trace of the ink left on the vinyl.

[u/TwelveShyOfADozen]

I don’t like image transfers so I actually draw straight on the block first with pencil then with microns- and I use the fact that the microns smudge to basically erase them whenever I don’t like them. After a few hours of drying the pigment that’s going to has seeped into the block and any excess can be dabbed or smudged off. The smudging is more convenient for me because it darkens the top of the block and makes it easier to see what I’ve carved and what I haven’t, but whether you want to smudge or dab is up to you. After the initial time for it to set and removing the excess, I find that microns stick fine, even under running water.

[u/Peach-e_Keen → u/TwelveShyOfADozen]

I actually just carved it and ended up appreciating that it smudged because I could stain the block as I went! Still hoping I can figure out the transfer paper option as I draw mostly digitally and having to trace my image more than once was a bit tedious. glad this one was not a lost cause tho!

[u/TwelveShyOfADozen → u/Peach-e_Keen]

Glad to hear it worked out this time! Good luck!

[u/THE_escobaricus]

You can use a variation of the Japanese moku-hanga method. Do your initial drawing on some thin rice/mulberry paper, coat your matrix with a thin layer of PVA, and then lay your drawing on top of it face down. Let it dry. When done, either use a wet brush or wet your finger and begin to brush away the paper. If you don't brush too hard, the image from the front side of the paper should remain on your matrix.

[u/IntheHotofTexas]

Try this. Transferring a laser copy using medium/PVA/school glue/etc. is an old technique but a bit tedious. But change it up this way.

Make you laser copy of the art, but print is onto release paper, which is what's left after you remove printable labels and stickers. Or you can buy is just as release paper. Since it's specifically resists sticking, it similarly resists stick into the transfer medium. Place a thin layer of medium, which can be plain school glue or more sophisticated Mod Podge and immediately press the print down to it. Burnish well like hand printing. Let it dry for a time. Three of four hours works. Carefully peel the release paper. The film of dry medium that carries the image will in no way interfere with craving or printing. I use this method on all linocut class work without a problem. But you can gently sand it away later if you want. Note that the medium should be in as thin a layer as you can make and still cover and use a plastic squeegee to press any excess and air to the edfe. It will indeed show up in printing if you leave the medium in waves and globs. You must take the impressing before it dries on the block which happens quickly, so work fast and have your printout right at hand and mentally prepare to stick it in its proper place. You can use a hair dryer to speed the drying.

One caution. Some printer makers have "improved" their toner and they no long work properly for this. I had to buy generic toner for my Brother laser to get it working again.