Polaroid Manipulation
By admin On May 15th, 2010
What is Polaroid Manipulation? It’s an art form using Polaroid film that has not yet “set.” Meaning, you can move the emulsion around and create a unique piece of art from the initial image. How do you do it? Well, to begin with you need a Polaroid SX-70 (the camera of choice for this art form) and time-zero Polaroid film.
There are many ways to manipulate the Polaroid image and no one “right” way. There are many tools that can be used to move the emulsion around. Some examples are: crochet hooks, wood ceramic tools, butter knives, large paper clips and popsicle sticks. For best results; work on a clean hard surface.
A wooden dowel works wonderfully for making textures. Rub the angle back and forth where you want the texture to appear. Dark areas will get lighter and light areas get darker when texturizing. Another idea: by putting a rubber stamping foam under the print you can use trinkets and costume jewelry to emboss shapes into the emulsion. There are many ways to texturize and pattern the print! The key here is to let your creative side shine forth and don’t be afraid to try different techniques. It is important to remember that when the print is fresh, the emulsion is very soft and pliable and it’s easy to overdo it. Waiting 10-15 minutes will produce results that are less dramatic. If you scan your finished image you can use Photoshop to enhance little areas or fix glitches.
A great book to read if you are very interested in trying (or learning more about) this very cool art form: Polariod Manipulations by Kathleen Thormod Carr. It is truly amazing to me just how much can be learned about making art out of Polaroids! Enjoy!