I enjoyed this project quite a bit. Probably because it catered more to my graphic design abilities... and it was just fun.
I started by cutting down a large sheet of heavy/textured paper to 8.5" x 11" sheets so I could run them through my printer. Working with the limited sheet size of a desktop printer, I was able to get 4 of the 20 total panels per sheet. This way I only had to join together 5 pieces.
After printing I used my x-acto knife to trim the larger sheets down to the actual 4 panel size.
Next up was to trim out the "frame" area for the transparent panels. Again... x-acto and ruler.
Here's some detail shots of the cut panels. Not to bad, if I do say so myself.
Now time to get the gel transfer medium going. I used Omni-Gel, which I purchased from Quality Art because I was told by the employee it would transfer the image from paper to gel and be completely transparent. This is what I wanted, thus why I purchased the Omni-Gel over other brands... but what I got was something different all together. I'll explain later.
Instructions were to apply three coats, one brushing horizontal, one vertical and another diagonal... allowing each coat to dry between application. This I did.
The second part of the process was where I ran into problems. I was supposed to let the it soak in water for 15-20 minutes and then "gently wipe away" the paper from the transfer medium. I let it soak... but the paper didn't want to come off. Maybe it was user error, since this is the first time I've tried this, but the final product was far from transparent. Too many paper fibers were left embedded into the gel. Because of this, I had to alter my original idea for the book.
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