Leaf Smacking and Other Techniques
I could paint like the high tech wildlife artists; each blade of grass, each foozle and whisker, one at a time, in glorious photographic realistic detail.
...and then I'd definitely have to smack somebody upside the head with a paint roller...
That's what digital cameras are for. I want my wall to tell a story, be engaging, be fun, and not have to spend three lifetimes doing it. I pioneered a technique when I was allowed to paint on my wall as a kid. I painted a tree in one corner, and figured out I could use the real leaves to put painted leave on it. I used a printing roller (for woodcuts) and rolled paint onto the leaves, then pressed them onto the wall. Very messy, used lots of leaves, but effective. For this mural, I tried smacking the leaves into a roller pan of paint (I rolled the paint out in a thin layer with the paint roller) then smacking the wall. A bunch of leaves was good for a couple of smacks before reloading. Depending on the type of leaves, how many were on your branch, and the stage of wilt they were in (wilted leaves are wimpy), they left nice prints.
Or not. It was a very imprecise techinique. Leaves drooped, leaves wilted, there were too many leaves (leaving a green blob on the wall instead of a nice branch).
I then tried rolling paint onto the leaves, then pressing them onto the wall. Roller tended to suck up the leaves making a gooey mess. Brushing paint on the leaves worked better. Pressing them on the wall still involved lots of latex gloves or paper. Then I hit on Spongebob. A large, squareish kitchen sponge pressed against your bunch of painted leaves leaves a very nice print... and you can rinse Spongebob as he gets icky (he has at least 6 working sides).
You can also try: grass, brooms, sponges (rip at a flat one with needle nosed pliers and create textures), bark and other natural substances, bricks, toys (rubbery stuff with odd textures), kitchen tools (to scratch wet paint), sand, toothbrushes and stiff brushes (or brooms or toilet bowl brushes) for spatter... stray spiders who wander into your artwork are on their own.
...and then I'd definitely have to smack somebody upside the head with a paint roller...
That's what digital cameras are for. I want my wall to tell a story, be engaging, be fun, and not have to spend three lifetimes doing it. I pioneered a technique when I was allowed to paint on my wall as a kid. I painted a tree in one corner, and figured out I could use the real leaves to put painted leave on it. I used a printing roller (for woodcuts) and rolled paint onto the leaves, then pressed them onto the wall. Very messy, used lots of leaves, but effective. For this mural, I tried smacking the leaves into a roller pan of paint (I rolled the paint out in a thin layer with the paint roller) then smacking the wall. A bunch of leaves was good for a couple of smacks before reloading. Depending on the type of leaves, how many were on your branch, and the stage of wilt they were in (wilted leaves are wimpy), they left nice prints.
Or not. It was a very imprecise techinique. Leaves drooped, leaves wilted, there were too many leaves (leaving a green blob on the wall instead of a nice branch).
I then tried rolling paint onto the leaves, then pressing them onto the wall. Roller tended to suck up the leaves making a gooey mess. Brushing paint on the leaves worked better. Pressing them on the wall still involved lots of latex gloves or paper. Then I hit on Spongebob. A large, squareish kitchen sponge pressed against your bunch of painted leaves leaves a very nice print... and you can rinse Spongebob as he gets icky (he has at least 6 working sides).
You can also try: grass, brooms, sponges (rip at a flat one with needle nosed pliers and create textures), bark and other natural substances, bricks, toys (rubbery stuff with odd textures), kitchen tools (to scratch wet paint), sand, toothbrushes and stiff brushes (or brooms or toilet bowl brushes) for spatter... stray spiders who wander into your artwork are on their own.
