Color Odyssey Fabric Transfers

Fabric Crafts •

Coloring

The odyssey continues . . . is already beautifully colored by Chris Garver so you can leave it as is or

with its gorgeously intricate drawings inspired by nature. Now fans and

embellish it further. Two copies of each image are provided for practice and

fabric artists can incorporate the dynamic designs into their own artwork.

sharing with friends. From gifts to clothing to home décor, there is no limit

The process is simple: Choose any of the twenty-five unique drawings,

to the possible projects you can create. Tips and step-by-step instructions

transfer the design to fabric with a hot iron, then color in the image using

for transferring and coloring the images, as well as inspirational photos of

fabric markers, paints, embroidery, or other mediums. One of the images

completed pieces, will guide you on your creative journey.

50 IRON-ON FABRIC TRANSFERS TO COLOR AND CRAFT

Chris Garver’s Color Odyssey has taken the adult coloring world by storm

Color Odyssey

Crafts •

Color Odyssey 50

IRON-ON FABRIC TRANSFERS TO COLOR AND CRAFT

CHRIS GARVER

CHRIS GARVER

BONUS Includes two transfers colored by the artist

$16.95 US • $19.95 CANADA ISBN: 978-1-942021-42-1

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Color Odyssey 50

IRON-ON FABRIC TRANSFERS TO COLOR AND CRAFT CHRIS GARVER

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About the Author Well known and respected throughout the tattoo community, Chris Garver garnered mainstream attention after appearing as a regular on the reality-TV show Miami Ink. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he attended the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts High School and, later, New York’s School of Visual Arts. An avid traveler and aficionado of all styles of tattoos, Chris has visited and worked in such locales as Japan, Singapore, England, and the Netherlands. He currently resides in New York City with his daughter.

Chris is the author of the coloring books Color Odyssey and Flash.

Photo by Butch Hogan

Get Creative 6 An imprint of Mixed Media Resources 161 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013 Copyright © 2017 by Chris Garver Model photography by Jack Deutsch Still-life and step photography by Marcus Tullis All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage-and-retrieval systems—without permission of the publisher.

The designs in this book are intended for the personal, noncommercial use of the retail purchaser and are under federal copyright laws; they are not to be reproduced in any form for commercial use. Permission is granted to photocopy content for the personal use of the retail purchaser.

Manufactured in China ISBN: 978-1-942021-42-1 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 First Edition

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Introduction Coloring is a great way to relax and exercise your creativity. When I was working on the original Color Odyssey coloring book, I focused on creating designs that were maybe a little challenging to color, but still a lot of fun. I drew some of my favorite motifs—animals, flowers, abstract patterns, and elements of fantasy. I was blown away by the finished artwork people shared on social media; there was such an incredible variety of coloring styles. Most people colored the designs and left them in their coloring books, and maybe framed a piece or two.

A lot of people who bought the coloring book told me they would love other ways to use and display the images. As a tattoo artist, I’m used to creating art that will be prominently—and permanently— displayed. I realized that many of the designs would look great on clothes, pillows, bags, and other fabric surfaces. Being able to take the images and imprint them on clothes and things you display in your home takes coloring to the next level and gives you the opportunity to show off your coloring skills in a whole new way.

I chose twenty-four of the most popular designs from Color Odyssey to use as the basis for transfers.

There are two each of those twenty-four black-and-white images included here so you’ll have plenty of images to work with. Some of them were simplified a little bit to make it easier to color them on fabric. I asked a group of fiber artists to take the designs and decorate them with threads, paints, and markers. The results were as varied as the artists themselves. I hope you’ll enjoy seeing their work as much as I did. As a special bonus, I’ve included two colored transfers of one of my designs so you can simply transfer it to fabric and display it as is, or add your own touches.

Feel free to share your finished pieces on Instagram (#colorodyssey). I can’t wait to see what you create!

—Chris Garver

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Transferring the Designs The transfers in this book are designed for you to color, stitch, or otherwise customize with your own creativity. With these unique transfers, only the black lines of the artwork are applied to the fabric, leaving all other spaces blank for fabric to show through. You could, of course, transfer the image and leave it as is for a striking look, but the real fun comes from personalizing the designs. First you have to get the image on your fabric. This is a simple process, but it takes some care and attention to be successful. Follow the tips below and the step-by-step instructions on the next page to get the best results.

TIPS • The final image will be the reverse of how it appears in the paper transfer. Keep this in mind when planning your project.

• If you want the transferred design to be colorfast, use a polyester or polyesterblend fabric. The design will gradually wash out of 100-percent cotton fabric.

• The transfers work best on light-colored fabric.

• Woven fabrics are easier to work with than knit fabrics, like t-shirts. Tighter weaves will have the best results.

• If there is extra space around the image, you can trim away some of the excess paper to make it easier to place the image.

• Each black-and-white transfer can be used five to seven times depending on the fabric, the heat of the iron, and the desired level of intensity. Each color transfer can be used one to two times.

• The owl transfer colored by Chris will be much more vibrant when transferred to fabric than it appears in the transfer.

• A very hot iron yields the most vibrant transfer. Use the highest setting possible for your selected fabric.

• You may want to practice doing a transfer on a piece of scrap fabric.

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1. Place your fabric on a heatproof surface that is not too soft. (However, if you’re working with a stiff fabric, such as canvas, a softer surface will allow the iron and transfer to better contact the fabric.) Set your iron to the hottest setting suited for the fabric you’re using. Iron your fabric to smooth out any wrinkles that may interfere with the transfer.

2. The transfer may bleed through your fabric. If you’re transferring the design to a piece of fabric with two layers, such as a t-shirt or pillowcase, place a piece of cardboard or several sheets of paper in between the two layers. You can also use cardboard or paper to protect your ironing surface.

3. Place the paper transfer face down on your fabric. If you want to center the image, measure the width of the item you’re transferring the image to, subtract the width of the transfer (10" [25 cm]), divide that number by 2, and place the transfer that distance from each side of the piece. Do the same for the height. For example, if the piece is 12" x 12" (30 x 30 cm), place the transfer so that there is 1" (2.5 cm) on all sides. This will also ensure that your image is straight.

4. To prevent the paper from curling up and possibly moving, tape it down, pin it in place, or weight down the corners of the paper with sewing pattern weights or other small objects.

5. Iron the back of the paper transfer: Place the iron on one area of the transfer for a few seconds, lift it up, move it to another area, and repeat. Avoid running the iron back and forth across the fabric as this may cause the transfer to blur.

6. Allow the paper and fabric to cool, then carefully lift up the transfer paper to remove.

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Project Ideas and Inspiration We invited a number of fabric artists who work in different mediums to try out the transfers. These are just a few possibilities for how you can use the transfers in your own artwork, clothing, or home décor projects. £

SUSAN RADKE

“I found that gel pens (I used Gelly Roll pens by Sakura) provided the brightness and blending capabilities that a gorgeous seahorse of a colorful ocean reef deserves.”

Susan Radke is an artist and the owner of Seranya Studios Art Boutique in Plymouth, Wisconsin, which showcases and sells the work of local artists and artisans. seranyastudios.com

TERRI MITCHELL £ "I appreciate tattoo art and have several myself.

Using color in my tattoos has been a way of expressing my passion for color. For this denim jacket, I created a whimsical embroidery interpretation of the typical koi fish designs we see in tattoo culture because I love colorful contrasts."

Terri Mitchell is a self-taught artist who retired from the rat race to pursue her love of art and creating. She lives in Iowa. capriciousarts.com

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KIM MEYER £ “I love the traditional motifs of the pagoda and cherry blossoms and wanted to preserve that timelessness through the colors I used. I combined Jacquard Textile Paint, Dye-Na-Flow, and a bit of Sharpie to color the design and added my own border around the image.”

Kim Meyer is a wildlife artist and teacher living in California. wildalive.com

GIANNA CONIGLIO ¢ “The playful winged elephant design really appealed to me as an artist because I wasn’t bound by nature in choosing colors. I wanted to preserve the coloring-book feel, so I painted individual areas with a variety of colors of Tulip Dual-Tip Fabric Markers. I kept the colors light so they wouldn’t overpower the image and left the wings partly uncolored to contrast with the vibrant body. Outlining the design with a fine-point Sharpie made it pop.”

Gianna Coniglio is an artist from Lincoln, Nebraska. She enjoys creating art, baking, and exploring nature when she is not busy being a barista at a local coffee shop.

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IDEAS FOR COLORING TRANSFERS Hand embroidery Machine embroidery Acrylic paint Fabric paint Fabric markers Watercolor pencils Gel pens Beads Patchwork

TIPS FOR COLORING TRANSFERS • For embroidery, add a fabric stabilizer to the back of the fabric to

create a stable surface to stitch on.

• Wash your fabric before transferring your design to remove any

sizing, which is added to prevent fiber breakdown and can interfere with absorption of the paint. Washing the fabric will also preshrink it before you transfer your design.

• Mix acrylic paint with textile medium to prevent bleeding and reduce

stiffness.

£Artist Tracy Harris (tracyharrisgallery.com) colored the pagoda design with a variety of fabric paints, then used gold Lumiere 3D Metallic Paint & Adhesive to add a bit of shine and three-dimensional texture to the gold roofs of the pagoda and the stamens of the flowers.

• After painting, iron on the wrong side of the fabric to help set the

paint.

• It’s a good idea to photocopy your transfer and make a color study

before you apply paint or thread to fabric.

• Try combining different mediums, such as paint and embroidery or

fabric markers and beads.

• If you’d like to use a surface that is too dark to show the transfer or

is otherwise difficult to work on, you can transfer the design onto a light-colored, plain fabric, color it, and appliqué it onto your project.

• If you want to preserve the lines of the original image, but they get

colored over, you can trace over them with a fine-point permanent marker.

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Fabric Crafts •

Coloring

The odyssey continues . . . is already beautifully colored by Chris Garver so you can leave it as is or

with its gorgeously intricate drawings inspired by nature. Now fans and

embellish it further. Two copies of each image are provided for practice and

fabric artists can incorporate the dynamic designs into their own artwork.

sharing with friends. From gifts to clothing to home décor, there is no limit

The process is simple: Choose any of the twenty-five unique drawings,

to the possible projects you can create. Tips and step-by-step instructions

transfer the design to fabric with a hot iron, then color in the image using

for transferring and coloring the images, as well as inspirational photos of

fabric markers, paints, embroidery, or other mediums. One of the images

completed pieces, will guide you on your creative journey.

50 IRON-ON FABRIC TRANSFERS TO COLOR AND CRAFT

Chris Garver’s Color Odyssey has taken the adult coloring world by storm

Color Odyssey

Crafts •

Color Odyssey 50

IRON-ON FABRIC TRANSFERS TO COLOR AND CRAFT

CHRIS GARVER

CHRIS GARVER

BONUS Includes two transfers colored by the artist

$16.95 US • $19.95 CANADA ISBN: 978-1-942021-42-1

Get Creative 6

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