WHAT IS A PIGMENT TRANSFER?

A pigment transfer is a print-based process in which acrylic paint is used to lift the pigment from a photocopied image and embed it into a new surface. The original image is removed through water and abrasion, leaving behind a singular transfer shaped by material variables and physical intervention. Although derived from printmaking, each pigment transfer results in a unique, one-of-a-kind work.

Pigment transfers are a central part of my studio practice. I use the process to move images from the digital world into physical objects, introducing distortion, erosion, and material variation along the way. The technique became one of the foundations of my exploration of memory, fragmentation, and change.

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FINISHED TRANSFERS

A person with a red shirt and dark hair standing on the beach facing the ocean, with waves and clouds in the background.

Secrets of the Sea
pigment transfer on paper
8 × 10 inches
2015

A cross-stitch artwork of eleven people standing together, with two kneeling in the front, some holding objects, all dressed casually.

Homeroom
pigment transfer on paper
8 × 10 inches
2025

A black and white artistic depiction of Earth from space with the words 'hello world' written in a pixelated font made of small spaceship icons in the stars above.

Closing Credits at the End of the Movie
pigment transfer on canvas
36 × 48 inches
2008

A person with dark hair, wearing a striped shirt, standing in front of a green background with black patches. The person's eyes are obscured by a horizontal strip of floral-patterned paper, and the same floral paper strips horizontally extend across the image.

Unexplained Mysteries of the Universe
acrylic, pigment transfer on paper
8 × 10 inches
2019

THE PIGMENT TRANSFER PROCESS

The pigment transfer works are created through a hybrid process that sits between drawing, painting, and printmaking. Rather than functioning as a reproducible print method, the transfer serves as a starting point—one that introduces instability, interruption, and material variation into the image.

Images are sourced from archival material, personal photographs, and satellite imagery. They are translated into a pigment-based form and transferred onto paper or panel through a deliberately imperfect process in which pressure, moisture, and surface resistance determine what remains and what is lost.

The transfer itself is only one stage. Once the image is embedded into the surface, it is worked back into through drawing, erasure, abrasion, and repainting. Portions may remain intact while others break down, shift, or disappear entirely. The result is not a fixed reproduction, but a singular object shaped by both intention and chance.

Because the process resists total control, each work carries subtle differences that cannot be repeated. Ghosting, misalignment, and surface disruption are not corrected but embraced, reinforcing themes of memory, fragmentation, and change. Although rooted in printmaking traditions, the finished works are unique originals rather than editions.

MATERIALS

Acrylic Paint - We use Utrecht brand Gesso and Acrylic Matte Gel Medium. You may use an acrylic medium, preferably a thick gel medium, but you may also use gesso, as well as any colored acrylic paint.

Photocopy with the Mirror Image of Your Original - as the process reverses the image, be sure to mirror your image at or before the printers

The Transfer Surface - any flat surface that will take acrylic paint, such as canvas, paper or wood

Paint Brush, Foam Brush, etc. - paint application

Spray Bottle - needed for the paper removal

2-3 Inch Plastic Bristle Scrub Brush - in the cleaning section of your grocery store

Fan - necessary to control moisture during drying

A Flat Surface - either a wall to attach the transfer to while drying or plywood cut to the exact size of the stretcher (we stretch our canvas onto plywood during the transfer process)

Staple Gun or Tape - any means of attaching your material to a flat surface

Cotton Rag - we use old white t-shirts

Primer - gesso or acrylic medium to prime the transfer surface,

Screen Printing Squeegee - makes the actual transfer a lot more consistent, though you can use your hand if without

Scissors or X-Acto - anything to cut excess paper

STEP-BY-STEP

The following method outlines how to transfer pigment from paper to any surface that takes acrylic paint. The process is designed for transferring the pigment from black and white or color photocopies, but can also be used on graphite, ink, computer prints, magazines, and a variety of other printed material, with varying results.

These steps are intended to create the most accurate transfers possible. There are a number of variables that can be adjusted or completely ignored to create a more weathered result. Once you have an understanding of the process, you can then start making adjustments to suit your desired outcome.

1. Begin with a standard black & white or color photocopy, on plain paper. Ink jet prints will work, but about 50% of the ink will come off as you scrub, resulting in a fainter image. Make sure there is about an inch or more of extra paper on each side of the image.

2. Staple the photocopy, print surface up, to a flat surface. This controls the expanding and shrinking process the paper goes through while wet and drying.

3. Paint 3 layers of acrylic medium onto the print surface of the photocopy. Allow each layer to completely dry before applying the next. Speed up the drying process by using a fan and heat if cold. The two ingredients for fast drying acrylic paint is warm, moving air.

You can completely avoid this step and transfer the original photocopy to your surface. The layers of acrylic medium helps create a more reliable, precise transfer. The layers of dried medium make it less likely any air bubbles will tear off while removing the paper. It also makes the paper less likely to warp or ripple while drying.

Abstract art print with dark top section, white middle, and red-beige bottom, hung on a white wall beside an empty cream-colored canvas.

The mirror image of the transfer image stapled to the wall. It is a color photocopy on 11 x 17 paper. The paper we use exclusively now is Utrecht American Masters 250 GSM (Natural color, which is a warm off white). A somewhat heavy paper is necessary, around the weight of card stock. Both pieces of paper have 3 layers of acrylic medium.

4. While the layers of medium are drying, prepare your transfer surface. If the surface is receptive of acrylic paint, either gesso or acrylic medium. The white in the photocopy is the white of the paper, so an initial white surface will recreate this. As for paper, use a larger sheet that you will eventually cut down (we often do multiple transfers on a large piece of paper).

5. Now, you are about to attach your image to your transfer surface. If using canvas, either attach the canvas to a wall or table (unstretched) or build a plywood surface the size of your actual stretcher and stretch the canvas to this surface. We use this method because the work to be mobile during the transfer process. If transferring to paper, have the large piece of paper either attached to a wall or a flat mobile surface.

6. Paint one final layer to your transfer surface and photocopy. While still wet, place your image on your transfer surface and align the edges. Gently apply pressure and move from the center of the image to the edges, forming a strong bond between the transfer surface and the photocopy, as well as removing as many air bubbles as possible. Only work the air bubble out in one direction, either horizontally or vertically across the surface of the paper. Be gentle, you can tear or distort the paper as your are pushing the air bubbles out, especially if the paper is wet or if there is humidity. You can use your hands, but we always use a screen-print squeegee for the most uniform results. On large transfers of over 20 inches, the squeegee is essential. You can also remove air bubbles by taking an x-acto knife, cutting a small 1/4 inch slit in the middle of the air bubble, and pushing the air out the small hole. Often times, while removing air bubbles, several will connect and form a large air bubble, which is a good time to use the x-acto knife. If you are transferring to paper, attach the paper to a wall once the air bubbles are removed. This keeps the paper from wrinkling during the drying process.

A green cutting mat with a white sheet of paper, a chocolate bar, and a roll of blue painter's tape on a white surface.

A smooth surface to attach the two pieces of paper. A layer of acrylic medium is painted onto the paper and the photocopy is placed face down. The air bubbles are removed with the squeegee. Once this is finished, reattach the image to the wall to dry.

7. Let the paint completely dry. The transfer will dry quicker in hot, dry environments and slowest in cold and/or humid environments. You will be able to feel moisture on the back of the photocopy paper, as well as feel the softness of the drying paint when the transfer is still wet. A full day is a safe dry time. Be sure to use a fan while drying the transfer. This keeps the paper from wrinkling during the drying time.

8. Once the transfer is dry, take a spray water bottle and wet the paper. Take any type of stiff-bristle brush. We use a plastic brush that is about 4 inches long, has a handle, and 2-3 inch plastic bristles.

A work table with a green cutting mat, a spray bottle with paint, a small brush, a crumpled cloth, and a piece of paper with paint splatters.

This is the image after it has dried for 24 hours. It has been sprayed with the water bottle, about to be scrubbed with the brush.

9. Scrub the wet paper. This is why you need a resistant surface, you simply can't do this step on a stretched canvas. You begin with heavy scrubbing and, as you remove the layers, begin scrubbing more delicately. Scrub a layer, wipe off the loose paper, spray, scrub again, wipe off, spray paper, take an old t-shirt and get the small particles left behind. Finally, just barely wet the paper and use your fingers to get any tiny bits of paper left behind.

Note: You can remove the pigment while scrubbing the paper. You may want this, it creates a weathered effect. Also, if there is still moisture in the paper, the pigment will scrub off easier, so for instance if it is humid or if you have perhaps let the transfer only dry for several hours, there may still be moisture. Just be careful while scrubbing. Or, if you want the weathered effect, then take advantage of this.

A person is cleaning or preparing paper on a green cutting mat at a large white work table, with drywall and tools in the background.

Scrub with the brush, to get rid of the thick paper. This is the hardest scrubbing. You will be removing big pieces of paper. Keep your brush wet, either by spraying the paper or by dipping the brush into a bucket of water.

Person using cloth to clean or frame a photograph on a green cutting mat in an art studio or workspace.

This is the more delicate part of the transfer, removing the smaller pieces of paper. Old cotton t-shirts work very well.

Hands adjusting a photographic print on a green cutting mat, with art supplies like a brush, cloth, and container in the background.

Use the t-shirt to dry the paper (you don't want it completely dry, wipe up all the standing water) and remove the very fine pieces of paper with your fingers. You can see the remaining bits of paper, but most importantly, you can feel it with your fingers. The removal process for a transfer this size on paper takes about 15-20 minutes.

FAQ

What is a pigment transfer?

A pigment transfer is a printmaking process that uses acrylic paint to transfer the pigment from a photocopy onto a new surface. Paint is applied to the photocopy, pressed face down onto another support, and allowed to dry. The paper is then removed with water and a brush, leaving the photocopy pigment embedded within the acrylic paint film.

Are pigment transfers original artworks?

Yes. Each pigment transfer is created by hand and involves physical processes that introduce variation from one transfer to the next. Even when originating from the same source image, no two pigment transfers are exactly alike. The process is closer to printmaking than mechanical reproduction, and each work is considered an original object.

How are pigment transfers different from prints?

Traditional prints are typically produced through repeatable methods designed to create multiple consistent impressions. Pigment transfers are less predictable. The transfer process introduces shifts in texture, density, erosion, and surface quality, making each result unique. Rather than reproducing an image exactly, the process transforms it.

Can pigment transfers be reproduced?

A source image can be used to create multiple pigment transfers, but each transfer will differ due to the handmade nature of the process. Variations in paint application, pressure, drying conditions, and paper removal create unique results that cannot be duplicated precisely.

What materials are best for pigment transfers?

Pigment transfers are commonly made using laser photocopies, acrylic paint, water, and a receiving surface such as paper, canvas, wood panel, or other prepared supports. The exact materials and methods vary between artists and can significantly affect the final image, texture, and durability of the transfer.

Who developed this pigment transfer method?

The use of acrylic mediums and paint to transfer photocopy images has been explored by artists for decades and does not have a single inventor. The specific process described on this website was developed and refined by Hollis Brown Thornton over many years of experimentation with acrylic paint, photocopies, and image transfer techniques.