How to transfer text or an image onto a wall

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Things You'll Need

  • Text or image prints

  • Masking tape

  • Wax transfer paper (blue)

  • Stylus or pencil

  • Transparency

  • Opaque or overhead projector

Walls are no longer merely places on which to hang framed prints and paintings. Instead, treat them as canvases for inspirational text or for images that express your style. You don't even need to draw the designs yourself, since transferring pictures or words is an uncomplicated process. Gather images from the Internet or print text sayings from your word processing program and you're ready to go.

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Same-Sized Transfers

Step 1

Position the image or text you've found or printed in the spot you've selected on the wall. Affix it at the top corners with masking tape. This makes tracing easier than trying to hold the pattern steady.

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Step 2

Slide transfer paper between the pattern and the wall, blue wax side toward the wall.

Step 3

Trace the pattern lines with a stylus or dull pencil. Press lightly or you'll leave an unwanted groove in the wall's surface. The wax will fade away when covered with paint, unlike penciled lines.

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Resized Patterns

Step 1

Print the picture or text onto a transparency or trace it with a transparency marker. If you're using an opaque projector, which projects the image or text directly from the original, you can skip this step.

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Step 2

Place the transparency on the overhead projector or the original pattern on the opaque projector.

Step 3

Move the projector nearer or farther from the wall until the image projection is the size you like.

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Step 4

Hold the transfer paper on the wall, blue wax side touching the wall.

Step 5

Stand slightly to the side and trace the projected lines with a stylus or dull pencil. Press lightly to avoid leaving a dent.

Tip

For detailed designs, trace only the larger sections initially. Make a small "X" in each corner of the pattern while the transfer paper is still in place. After the paint in the large areas dries, align the Xs on the wall with the ones on the pattern and trace the remaining lines.

Wax transfer paper is available at most craft stores, under a variety of brand names. You will find it most often in the painting section.

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