Experiments with Acrylics
On a Saturday morning with a little time to take it slow and have a think about a little creative project, I decided to get the paints out, and see what emerges. I had made a couple of stylised sketches with fineliners of a heart, and thought it'd be a good subject to imagine with some bright colours in acrylics.
Initial sketches for the idea:
It's sometimes (joked) I should put some of my things on Etsy, so thought this would be a good little experiment; to make a few related pieces and see what interest they get, although Iv'e since got quite attached and they'll live on my wall until somebody would like to adorn their own!
Not entirely happy with them and I consider them a Work in Progress; just prematurely stopped.
Art never quite feels 'finished' to me; just good enough, which is perhaps the nature of any challenging creative endeavour; a story, a drawing...or our code.
Good enough is done.
It's diminishing returns after that, now against the opportunity cost of doing the next-most valuable, creatively fulfilling project! Call it done, and keep experimenting, learning, creating and producing into the world.
The Process #
Mediums
- Acrylics
- Mixed media board
- Parcel tape
- Windsor Newton inks
- Faber Castell Pitt pens
- Gesso & gloss medium
Starting with a textured base helps break the creative barrier and push past the fear of a blank canvas and gets me going.
You make a mark, and the next one is somehow easier. Then the next...and our muse may visit if we're lucky!
My process for all 3 was similar. From the gesso base, I watered down a little Windsor and Newton ink to get the drip effect and loosely splattered it on the board and swung the board to get the drips I wanted, and a patch of bold colour.
Composition is still important, even when doing something abstract.
There's a reasoning in an oddly-pleasing abstract or impressionist painting; the contrast; positioning, transparency of visual elements relative to each other. They may challenge conventional aesthetic rules of balance and thirds, resembling chaos, but it's still necessary to know what the aesthetic 'rules' are so they can be broken deliberately, to create a rebelious style while preserving harmony and intention.
With Faber Castell pitt pens, I drew the heart outline using hatching, followed by detailing with a white POSCA pen. Then I painted a gloss medium for some pop on the colour.
I'm curious to see what interest these get on Etsy as a kind of experiment, although I'm all to aware creating art for sale is a different game...
Rick Rubin in 'The Creative Act' inspired me recently on this, to make things for yourself foremost; to capture purity of the idea, and the audience's tastes follows. I still hope they do land; inspire a little emotional resonance, a feeling, a memory, with a few who see them.
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