Chibi Jack Pages
Chibi Jack's Tattoo

Thurs 5 Apr, 2007
Lee Thompson-Herbert



Everyone recognizes Jack Sparrow by his flamboyant dress, his braided hair, his hair beads and trinkets, and...his tattoo. Chibi Jack wouldn't be complete without it. For this project, you'll need the Tattoo Transfer Sheet,


a crafter's tiny iron


or hot tool with transfer tip, and a transfer marker OR a photocopier or laserprinter.

Print out the Transfer sheet. If you don't have a transfer marker, you'll need to either photocopy the transfer sheet or print it out on a laser printer. Inkjet ink won't transfer with just heat. If you have a transfer marker, trace over the lines of one of the sparrow tattoo images on your printed sheet. Fill in any area you want to be solid colored. As the transfer marker is thicker than the lines on the sheet, you may need to make some details less intricate--fewer wing feathers, for instance. When the ink is dry, trim the transfer down to a size that will fit easily onto Chibi Jack's forearm.


Transfers traced and trimmed.



Pin the transfer to Chibi Jack's forearm, taking care to keep the straight pins away from the inked design. Anything that prevents solid contact between the transfer paper and the fabric will cause a blank spot in the image.


Apply heat with your hot tool or tiny iron. If using a hot tool with transfer tip, use a very light touch and keep the tip moving constantly or you risk burning the paper and scorching the fabric underneath it. If the transfer gets that hot, it will cause a faded and distorted image as the transfer ink burns. The tiny iron at its highest setting can burn and scorch the paper as well, so check your temperature setting (medium high) or use the same technique described for the hot tool.


You can tell a successful transfer because the ink will become more visible through the paper. This will happen much faster with a hot tool than with the tiny iron because of the higher heat.

The transferred image has soft edges and looks more like a stamping than a transfer or painting. If you accidentally scorched the fabric a little, that often ends up looking like Jack's branding and burn scars (see the first photo on this page). If you have leather stamping tools, a small letter P may be the right size to fit Chibi Jack's arm. Use the hot tool to heat stamp Chibi Jack's brand by lightly scorching the fabric.(photos forthcoming)



Chibi Jack Start Lee's Rants Lee's Home Page
www.johnnysangels.org