Written by Jennifer Stamps
Over the past few years, I’ve been experimenting with my film prints – including my Polaroids – by adding layers of art to the prints. Multimedia layers including… embroidery, collage, and even watercolor paint.
I fell in love with the process of adding layers to my film photos to create super color, one-of-a-kind pieces of artwork. One of my absolute favorites: adding watercolor paint to my Polaroid prints.
It’s an easy and fun way to turn your photos into unique multimedia art prints – making your memories super cool artwork!
In this article, I’ll share how to add watercolor paint to your Polaroids, tips for getting the results you want, and what to do with the Polaroids when you’re done!
The Age of Your Polaroid Matters!
When using watercolor paint on a Polaroid, it does matter how old or new your Polaroid photo is. You’ll want to make sure the Polaroid chemicals are dry before adding the watercolors to it.
According to the Polaroid website, the chemicals aren’t fully dry on the Polaroid until it’s about 30 days old. However, in my experience, as long as the Polaroid photo is at least a few hours old, the chemicals are dry enough for this watercolor experiment.
Most of the time, I do this project with prints that are less than a week old. But, I’ve done it with a 10-year-old Impossible Project print and a one-year-old Polaroid SX-70 film photo with less dramatic results as my day to week-old Polaroids. So, depending on your desired results, keep that in mind.
Related: How To Do Polaroid Emulsion Lifts
Adding Watercolor Paint to Your Polaroid Picture: The Step-by-Step Process:
If your Polaroid is at least a few hours old, you can use these steps to create a watercolor painted Polaroid.
Step 1:
Start with a Polaroid – either one you’ve taken with a Polaroid camera or with the Polaroid lab.
Color film or black and white. Both will work. But it needs to be Polaroid… It won’t work with other instant film brands like Fuji Instax.
Step 2:
Using scissors or an exacto-knife, cut the top of the back of the Polaroid and gently peel the backing off.
You’ll have two pieces: the front with the white developer/image and the back.
On the right: the Polaroid backing
Step 3:
From you’re two pieces, you’ll need the front piece with the image. You can disregard the back piece.
With that front piece, start washing the emulsion/chemicals off the Polaroid with tap water. The chemicals are on the back side of the front piece.
Once it’s wet, take a brush and gently move the emulsion around so that it starts becoming loose.
Step 4:
This is the really fun part – WATERCOLOR!
Now that your chemicals are washed off and the emulsion is loose, you can gently watercolor the backside of your Polaroid.
Add lots and lots of water so you don’t rip the emulsion. If you want the colors to be more vibrant, use more paint with all that water.
Once you’re happy with your colors, let it dry (paint/emulsion side up) for at least 24 hours… possibly more.
Bonus – Using a Polaroid You Just Shot
Bonus or accident? I decided to try the same technique as above, but with a very fresh Polaroid. It was fully developed, but the developing chemicals were not dry. I tried this technique with a Polaroid that was about 20 minutes old.
When I cut the top, back of the Polaroid, I pulled the font and the back apart, and the emulsion stayed on the backing – meaning the clear plastic front of the Polaroid is what pulled apart.
This allowed me to literally put the paint on top of the photo, which is pretty cool. I think it especially looks good on black and white film.
How to Display Your New Cool Mixed Media Polaroid
Once your Polaroid is dry, now you can do whatever you want with it. Frame it, mount it to archival paper, or my personal favorite… embroider it!
Framing Your Polaroid
Any time I used mixed media on a print (including Polaroid), I enjoy framing it in a floating frame – frame with glass on both sides so you can see the front and the back of the piece.
You can find floating frames on Amazon. And they make a cool conversation piece.
Mounting Your Polaroid
If you decide to mount your Polaroid for a tradition frame, make sure you use archival, acid-free paper and double-sided tape. I like to use is paper from Canson along with Scotch double sided adhesive squares.
Once your Polaroid is mounted, you can use any frame you want.
As always, with any artistic experimenting, take everything with a grain of salt. Use these steps as guidelines – you might discover a happy accident!
Thank you so much, Jen! Jennifer is a regular contributor here at Shoot It With Film, and be sure to check out her other articles, like The Benefits of Traveling with Minimal Gear and How to Do It and 5 Fun Ways to Experiment with the Holga 120.
You can also check out more of Jennifer’s work on her website.
Leave your questions about traveling with film and taking minimal gear below in the comments!
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