Photography is a powerful tool for capturing a moment, but what if we could transform that captured moment into something more, something expressive, textured, and uniquely yours? That’s where wintergreen oil photo transfers come in.
In this first post of my Unconventional Photo Transfer Series, I’m 
introducing a method that allows you to move beyond paper prints and explore mixed-media art using your own photographs. Whether you’re working with wood, fabric, or textured paper, this technique opens up a world of creative possibilities.
What is a Wintergreen Photo Transfer?
A wintergreen oil photo transfer is a process where a laser photocopy of your image is lifted off the paper and transferred onto another surface using wintergreen oil. The results are magical:
- Soft, ghosted edges: the toner blurs slightly, giving a dreamy, memory-like quality.
- Matte, textured surface: your image integrates naturally with the texture of wood, fabric, or cold-press paper.
- Unique tonal variations: every transfer is slightly different, with subtle shifts in contrast and depth.
- Painterly and mixable: the transferred image can be layered, overpainted, or combined with translucent papers, charcoal, or pastel to create an expressive mixed-media composition.
The finished piece feels like a fragmented memory, capturing the essence of a photograph while inviting reinterpretation and personal expression
Why Use This Method?
You might wonder why you would go through the extra steps of transferring an image with wintergreen oil instead of simply printing it. Here’s why artists love this technique:
- Hands-on, tactile process: The act of burnishing, lifting, and layering gives the artist control and a personal connection with the image.
- Works on unusual surfaces: Transfer your photos onto wood panels, muslin fabric, sketchbook pages, papers.
- Encourages reinterpretation: The process naturally softens edges and highlights, letting you manipulate scale, repeat elements, or layer fragments.
- Creates a vintage or textured aesthetic: Perfect for sketchbooks, journals, or mixed-media collages, giving your work a nostalgic or dreamy feel.
- Integration with other media: Once transferred, the image can be overpainted or combined with other textures to create a layered, multidimensional piece.
Surfaces You Can Explore
- Wood panels: perfect for a smooth, archival-quality transfer.
- Fabric: ideal for soft, painterly, fabric-based projects.
- Art paper: Textured and absorbent, giving a handmade, tactile quality to your transferred image.
Each surface produces slightly different results, making every transfer a unique, expressive piece.
Why This Series?
Over the next few posts in my Unconventional Photo Transfer Series, I’ll explore other mediums and techniques for transforming your photographs into textured, layered artwork. Wintergreen oil transfers are just the beginning.
If you’re a member of the Creative Heart™ Membership, these projects are designed to give you confidence with new materials, expand your mixed-media skills, and provide starting points for building a personal body of work.
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist, experimenting with photo transfers allows you to see your images — and your creative process — in a whole new way.
Try It Yourself
If you’re ready to start, all you need is:
- A laser photocopy of an image that holds personal significance.
- A prepared surface (wood, muslin, or paper).
- Wintergreen oil and a few basic tools.
Take your photograph and reimagine it as a memory fragment, a painterly impression, or a layered composition that tells your story.
If this way of working resonates with you may enjoy the Creative Heart™ Membership.
Inside the membership, we explore photography-based art, combining techniques like photo transfers with noticing, intuition, and everyday inspiration. It’s a quiet space for learning, experimenting, and reconnecting with your creative voice over time.
You’re welcome to explore and see if it feels like a fit for where you are right now. ⬇️
https://nancyfalconi.ca/pages/membership
