Decorating Dominos With Photo Transfers

Modern standard dominoes measure 1 inch by 2 inches.

Dominoes and photo transfer paper create a unique craft item that can be used as a pendant or a gift set of personalized playing dominoes. The process to create these dominoes takes about 15 minutes of prep time. All the items needed to decorate dominoes with photo transfers are available at craft supply stores, office supply stores and local superstores.

Photo

Choose a photo you'd like to place on the smooth surface side of the domino. If your photo isn't already in digital format, scan it into your computer and save as a high resolution image.

Resize the Image

Unless you are working with vintage dominoes, the size of a standard modern domino is 1 inch by 2 inches. Use an image editor to resize your photo to 1 inch by 2 inches. Check the image to make sure it looks balanced and does not appear fuzzy by printing out a sample on plain paper.

Print

Place a sheet of photo transfer paper into your printer and print the image. If you plan to decorate more than a single domino, line the images up in a word processing program and print multiple images on one sheet of transfer paper. To get a sharp quality photo, choose the setting for your printer that you would use when printing on photo paper.

Cut the Image Out

Cut around the outside edge of each image with scissors. Place the image over the domino and lightly outline the rounded corners with a pencil. Cut the rounded corners so that the piece of transfer paper is the exact same size as the domino or slightly smaller.

Place the Transfer on the Domino

Dip the piece of transfer paper into warm water for about 60 seconds. Lift the paper out of the water and allow excess to drip off. The transfer should slide off of the paper backing. Place the transfer onto the smooth back of the domino. Use your fingers to smooth out any wrinkles or air bubbles. Use caution to avoid tearing the transfer. Set aside for at least an hour or until the transfer has completely dried.

Coat with Acrylic

Once the transfer is completely dry, spray three coats of acrylic over top of the transfer, allowing the acrylic to dry between each coat. If you'd like a harder and shinier finish, you can use a 1-inch foam paintbrush to smooth on a coat or two of polyurethane.

References

• Mixed Media Art: Getting Started with Image Transfers
• Art Ezine: Great White Transfer Technique
• The New Photo Crafts: Photo Transfer Techniques and Projects for Fabric, Paper, Wood, Polymer Clay & More; Suzanne J. E. Tourtillott