To create a direct print onto a paint skin:
1. Apply a strip of blue painter’s tape to the front of your carrier sheet around all four edges. Coat the sheet with polymer medium (gloss) using a foam paint roller, making sure you paint over the blue tape (Figure 20.13). Allow this to dry completely, and then apply a second coat.
These coatings of polymer medium will become the base skin for the painting that you’ll peel off the carrier sheet at the end of the process.
2. You’re now ready to create an underpainting for a digital image. This can be a simple textured pattern, or a complex abstract painting that will integrate with the digital file (Figure 20.14).
3. Allow the painting to dry completely, and then use your foam roller to apply two more overcoats of polymer medium (gloss). Allow the painting to dry between the coatings.
4. Carefully remove the blue tape, which will leave a nice clean edge on the paint skin (Figure 20.15).
5. Let the acrylic paint skin dry several days before proceeding with the inkjet precoat.