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Last fall, I came across a video that explained how to use waterslide paper for quick & easy emulsion lifts - though of course, you're not working with photographic emulsion but the coating of the waterslide paper. Apparently this stuff is used a lot for quick ways to add decals to items like coffee cups or whatnot, for businesses. But since any digital file can be used and this paper goes easily through an inkjet printer, I gave it a try.
Once you print your digital file, you coat it with an enamel spray to get those inks waterproof. Cut out your image and then slip it into a tray of water, like you would with the real process, only without heat involved. The "emulsion" lifts off easily in less than a minute. That stuff is strong - much less friable than classic Polaroid emulsions.
This first one I did on very cheap watercolor paper. I really tested the emulsion's strength - cutting, tearing, and ripping it everywhere. It was what I wanted to do in keeping with the subject, so it was a perfect test print for the process. If you look closely, upper and side left and elsewhere, you can see how hard I dug into the paper trying to rip that emulsion. I learned to use something other than a blade to avoid damaging the paper like this!
Torn sail:
Here is the original photo - just a cell phone snap that I took a couple of years ago, from my vantage point on Mackinac Island.
Dull as dirt.
It's fun crafting what elements to keep and what to push/twist/curve away.
For the next attempt, I used Arches watercolor paper, much better quality. This is from a snap I took last year, of a very cheerful poster near the door of a business, reminding customers of their requirements for entry during the pandemic:
Mask up!
So, since my precious store of actual Polaroid film is now expired beyond its ability to do real emulsion lifts, this stuff seems like a worthy substitute.
Thanks for looking!
Once you print your digital file, you coat it with an enamel spray to get those inks waterproof. Cut out your image and then slip it into a tray of water, like you would with the real process, only without heat involved. The "emulsion" lifts off easily in less than a minute. That stuff is strong - much less friable than classic Polaroid emulsions.
This first one I did on very cheap watercolor paper. I really tested the emulsion's strength - cutting, tearing, and ripping it everywhere. It was what I wanted to do in keeping with the subject, so it was a perfect test print for the process. If you look closely, upper and side left and elsewhere, you can see how hard I dug into the paper trying to rip that emulsion. I learned to use something other than a blade to avoid damaging the paper like this!
Torn sail:
Here is the original photo - just a cell phone snap that I took a couple of years ago, from my vantage point on Mackinac Island.
Dull as dirt.
It's fun crafting what elements to keep and what to push/twist/curve away.
For the next attempt, I used Arches watercolor paper, much better quality. This is from a snap I took last year, of a very cheerful poster near the door of a business, reminding customers of their requirements for entry during the pandemic:
Mask up!
So, since my precious store of actual Polaroid film is now expired beyond its ability to do real emulsion lifts, this stuff seems like a worthy substitute.
Thanks for looking!
<--galore!
) – was if it could be used with other, water-soluble, media? Hmmm... 
