Cross-your-heart unladylike collage

I admit it. I hate bras. I've considered moving to the jungles of New Guinea, just so I could quit wearing them. (I know, no one's forcing me.) 

Instead of relocating, I tried channeling my passionate feelings into art. 

The exercise was part of my effort to teach myself how to paint using acrylics. I wanted to try transferring an image onto a painted surface, a technique described in one of the many "Intro to Acrylic Painting" books I checked out from my library.

The first step was finding the right image. I Googled "retro bra ads." You can imagine what I found. But there were still plenty of family-friendly images to choose from. Like this one, which looks like a recruitment ad for a lingerie army.

To work as a transfer, the image needs to look good in black and white (no grays). The one above has too many fine details. I kept searching and found the "lovable girl-of-the month." Unlike me, she loves her bra (which is called, predictably, "the Lovable Bra").

To turn the full-color image into a transfer, I desaturated it in Photoshop Elements, increased the contrast, and then applied a stamp filter. The image on the right shows what the "lovable" girl looked like after all the digital manipulation. Still lovable, I think.

I printed her out using my laser printer (ink jet won't work) and cut her out like paper doll. At this stage, I was experimenting, to see whether the technique would actually work.

For my test, I used watercolor paper. I painted matte medium where the transfer would go. Then I placed the paper, image side down, onto the medium. Using my finger, I gently rubbed the paper so that the image would transfer evenly. I toweled off the excess medium and waited for the rest to dry.

Removing the paper to reveal the image is delicate work. Don't try it unless you're in a Zen state of mind. After wetting the back of the paper, you rub it very gently with your fingers. Little by little, the paper flakes off. If you rub too vigorously, the toner comes off as well.

After several tries, I felt ready. I prepped the final surface -- a leftover pressboard from my husband's workshop. (I asked first.) I gessoed it and then covered it with two coats of Pepto-Bismal pink, for obvious reasons. 

I was happy with the way the image transferred. But Lovable Girl just wasn't enough on her own. I added two more elements. 

The letter tiles came from a vintage game I'd been saving for a special purpose. It took me a few days to come up with the right phrase.

For the vertical elements, I dismembered one of my hated bras. The straps look better on Lovable Girl, I think, than me. She hangs near my dresser so I can look at her every morning as I strap on the torture device - - err, I mean bra.