Polaroid Art - The Emulsion Lift

The Emulsion Lift

Films and materials that can be used include:

• Polaroid peel-apart films
• Fuji peel-apart films
• Polaroid Pogo inkless paper
• The Impossible Project's integral films

These days due to availability most emulsion lifts are created using FUJI FP-100c; a colour 3.25"x4.25" sized peel-apart instant film. Firstly the picture is taken on a compatible camera or a 35mm slide may be enlarged onto the instant film using a Daylab or Vivitar instant slide printer after the exposure is made the film is "pulled" spreading the reagent and is allowed to develop to completion at which point it is peeled apart and the positive side removed from the sandwich and allowed to dry for a while. It is then placed in a warm water bath above a similarly sized sheet of glass of clear plastic and allowed to soak for around 5 minutes. At around this time the emulsion will start to separate from its backing and can be gently scraped off, starting at a corner, using something like a driving license or debit card, the now blank backing of the image is then removed from the water and the emulsion placed onto the plastic or glass where it can be spread out and adjusted easily under water. From here it can be placed onto a surface that is damp and when the emulsion has been adjusted to how you want it a thin layer of acrylic medium or ever so slightly watered down PVA glue is applied over the top to fix it in place