Sunday, September 29, 2013

fossil paintings

My art friend Rhonda introduced me to these. A watercolor artist named David Castle makes what he calls "elementals", paintings composed of smaller elements. One of those elements are 'fossil' paintings that he makes using a flat stone as a resist. By looking at the photos and reading a few of his posts, we were able to (mostly) figure out how he does them and gave it a try a couple Sundays ago.

After reading a bit further today, I realize that he starts with a few layers of wet paint before he sets the rock down in it. I started mine with just setting the rock down, then dribbling paint and ink over it. In any case, I like the ones I made and plan to keep playing with this cause I love the effect.

The first four are all about 3" square and done with one rock on cheap 90lb watercolor paper. The last one had 3 rocks on it and is about 8" square. It was on 140lb watercolor paper which I sprayed with water before dropping the paint over the rock. 

The first one was done with Moon Shadow Mist in Tawny Turquoise. It's gorgeous in person. I bought 4 colors of their spray inks a couple years ago and haven't used them much but will try the other three with more fossils. 

The others are mostly Dyelusions inks and Distress Stains. I didn't do any with watercolors like David does them but will give that a try next.

This is an easy an interesting thing to try. All you need is some heavy paper, a few flat-bottomed rocks, and liquid color of some sort - watercolors, inks, fluid acrylics.


Think I'll cut some postcard sized paper and get some started...







3 comments:

  1. Yay they turned out cool! Glad you experimented more with that technique!

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  2. Wow, these are awesome! The dyes separating colors remind me of experiments we did with paper towels when I was a kid, with food colors, watching them separate as they spread out over the paper.

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  3. These are amazing! I never would have thought of this and the result is so serendipitous ...... yet amazingly cool. I want to leave work and go home and try it right now! :) So is it really as easy as setting down the rock and dripping wet paint and letting it run down? OMG...so easy and so pretty!

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