Frequent readers of this blog will know that I really do enjoy a bit of spatter in my art work so I was very happy to learn that spatter was the basis of this week’s Life Book lesson. The lesson was taken by Mandy Van Goeije and was about starting loose and abstract and then finding some form within that abstraction to turn into an illustration, generating text to support that illustration, and layering watercolour and other media on top of a splattery, puddly watercolour background.
I decided to use the primary colours for my spatter because it was what was demonstrated in the tutorial and because I recognised that it was a palette that I don’t often use. I often add spatter at some stage in my art work but it was a twist on things to actually use the spatter as the starting point. I am not someone who tends to get creatively blocked because of having a blank page but I imagine this is a good way to get past that problem.
Once I had the spattery layer, I had to look for shapes and forms within it that suggested the starting point for an illustration. It is human nature to see facial features in inanimate objects (a quick google told me it is called “pareidolia”) and it is something I certainly do. When looking at my spattery layer, however, the form I saw emerge was a human figure – a tilted head surrounded by red hair and, in the negative space – upraised arms and hands. I think my brain determining I would see a human figure is probably an extension of the same phenomenon that has people seeing faces. When coming up with the story element of my art work and the text, I decided my figure should be the Muse of Spatter and wrote “The Muse of Spatter dances wherever she pleases and creates from chaos” as I felt that basically encapsulated the theme of the lesson and what I created as a result of it.
A Pict in PA 
Looks great! Makes me want to do some spattering too!! Like it 🙂
Thank you! Get spattering. It’s so much fun.
There is so much to love about this piece! I wasn’t sure where you’d be going with that splatter, but it turned out wonderfully. And thanks for the link to Mandy’s page – I haven’t done LifeBook for several years so I miss out on finding some very fun artists.
Thanks, Ellie. I think if I’d gone less crazy with the spatter, it might have been easier to see a stronger shape or idea emerging.
Just perfect. I love her carefree attitude that goes with her origins!
Thank you!
Did you use an old toothbrush to make the spatters? Or do you have an atomizer? Or did you use a mist-sprayer (like for use to spray olive oil in a kitchen)? Good job – no matter how you did it!
Well, now I feel totally lo-fi. All of those techniques could have been awesome. I, however, just loaded a wet brush with watercolour and flicked it onto a page I had spritzed with a little water.
Hey, don’t knock it – the loaded wet brush works!! I often use that one!! The other splatter techniques just give a different “look”. 😉
This is so great and happy 💗
Thank you!
I love how this turned out! And using spatter as a starting point is a great idea – there are so many possibilities there!
Thanks. As you know, I’m a fan of spatter. Using it as a starting point was an interesting twist on the usual.