How do I creatively alter my instant photos?

Looking to revamp your old instant photographs or experiment with your fresh ones? Here are five different techniques to try out!

Draw or Paint Over the Image

A fun and quick way to enhance your instant photographs is by drawing over them. It’s simple and easy to do regardless of skill. You can do this on your fresh instants, or better yet on your old ones to reinvent them. Using colorful permanent markers, let your imagination run wild and draw whatever you wish – from simple shapes and patterns to fantastical figures and creatures. Don’t feel restricted by your pens; you can also use glittered and metallic pens for more textures or even use paint with brushes or sponges.

Add Stickers

If you need to work on your confidence in defacing your prints, you can take baby steps by using stickers instead. This still requires the courage to alter your photographs and add to them, but you have the comfort of knowing that the changes are impermanent. Who knows, stylizing instants with stickers could also lead to a journey of scrapbooking or creating art journals!

Try Embroidery

Get crafty by adding embroidery to your instants! Aside from your instant photographs, you need threads of your preferred colors, needles, and a cork board or something similar that you can put beneath your image as you’re puncturing it.

Start by taking your photo then thinking about what you want to do with it. Think simple or go crazy – play outside the frame, work with multiple transparencies, or try it with a single layer – it’s completely up to you. With the board underneath the instant, get your needle and start puncturing holes to guide you later on. Once finished, take your needle with thread and start going through the holes to create your desired design!

Use Chemicals

Soaking your instants in liquids like bleach will lead to a chemical reaction that changes your image’s color and overall look. For this, prepare a cleaning product containing bleach, gloves, water, a Stanley knife, and a workspace with good ventilation. With your gloves on, start by lightly cutting the back of the print with the Stanley knife, then peel off the protective layer. Proceed by applying bleach on the emulsion. You can spray it directly or be more precise with a dropper tool – the way you apply the bleach will result in varying patterns! Once you have achieved your desired effect, wash the emulsion well with water. The bleach will keep acting unless you have washed it off thoroughly. For a visual guide, you can watch this video. Just enjoy the process and look forward to creatively abstract outcomes!

Put it in the Microwave

One great tool for altering instant photos can be found in your kitchen. Take a photo and while it is still developing, put it in the microwave and heat it for a maximum of six seconds. When trying this out, remember that it’s normal to see sparks while the image is inside the microwave. Microwaving your instant photographs can create burned edges, abstract spots, and even vintage-like colors.