The clingfilm and salt experiment

The last class of the year was a bit random and experimental.

Clingfilm is the bane of my life. I can never tear it properly and my efforts to do so look like a poor score on the Generation Game (if you remember that?) And salt is something I put on food, not watercolours but I was game for it.

Clingfim is used by placing it on wet wash and manipulating the wet paint, creating a texture that’s quite organic. salt, when sprinkled on wet paint soaks up the pigment and creates a foam of white marks similar to ocean spray or a pebbled beach effect if you’re clever.

We had a choice of green beans or shells. everyone took the beans because our teacher had demonstrated using them. I went with shells and pebbles. the colours were amazing but I think I was supposed to use the clingfilm and salt on the background. I used them to 'enhance' the qualities of the shells – big mistake me thinks.

The main shell and stone to the right of it uses clingfilm mainly because  the shell was going wrong to the point of me aborting the whole study and the stone had a linear quality to it that demanded the clingfilm. The techniques saved the shell marginally and I’m happy with it. I used salt on the bottom right stone. This is really unfinished and is still too pale and needs work doing to it.

I can see real opportunities with both techniques and will be trying them out over the Christmas holiday.