Packing tape transfers (tutorial)

Today the kids and I did one of my favorite art projects... Transfers... Which is essentially transferring ink from a printed page to plastic.
It sounds complicated, but it is so fun and easy that even Z hung in there long enough to have fun.
This photo is strange, but it shows how we clipped magazine pictures we liked, (princess coupons, Thomas the train ads and for me, a photo essay about a trip to India...)... Anyway, they are super easy... Normally, people like to use acrylic medium to create the transfer,
but waiting for the drying time gets boring with a 2 year old and a 3 year old. So we used an old art school trick... Take clear packing tape (I have tons around here for shipping!) and cover the area that you want to transfer. (glossy magazine pages work best) You can combine layers of tape to get larger area. Rub the tape to the paper, burnishing it for a good bond. ( I sometimes don't rub it, to get a more aged appearance, as demonstrated in this photo).
Submerge the entire tape/magazine page in warm or hot water (we use baking dishes) and let it sit for 1-3 minutes. Then rub the paper side of the transfer until the paper rubs off in flakes. Continue until the tape is left with a clean image.

Transfers are amazing for using in collages and finished art. They layer beautifully for gluing, drawing and even sewing.. This batch is going into my journal and the kids will use theirs for future art projects, but for now, they are working as unsophisticated window clings... The kids are mystified by them and it was a fun, colorful, clean, and tactile activity for all of us... One that left me inspired to pull out my sketchbooks to paint and draw tonight to make places
for these transfers to live...