Any idea how'd I'd recreate this artwork with my students?

April 3, 2014 7:40 PM

Any idea how'd I'd recreate this artwork with my students? See inside for links and details.

I want to recreate this art with my photography students. I will have them take their own black and white photos, and I can obviously get watercolours, etc., but I am stumped as to how I'd get the photo onto watercolour paper.

Any suggestions?

posted by figaro to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

Per the artist's site, "Painting is made of gouache or inks that are then digitally combined with photos." So, two photos+painted element+Photoshop=project.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 7:48 PM on April 3, 2014

This artist describes her method of printing photos onto fine art paper and then painting with watercolours.
posted by saucysault at 8:02 PM on April 3, 2014

Lazertrans or another transfer method (there are several transfer methods written up in books and online, but I'm away from my desk so can't direct you right now. Feel free to memail me.) The artist you linked is using a digital process. You might want to transfer on top of a watercolor gradient rather than watercolor over the transfer in case your particular transfer method is water soluble. Another transfer method that might work is Lesley Riley's Transfer Artist Paper (TAP).
posted by blnkfrnk at 9:53 PM on April 3, 2014

The trick to printing photos onto good paper that takes well to gauche and watercolor paints is to find a printer that does rear-feed printing. This is basically putting the paper in on the back side, such that it doesn't get bent in the printing process, so you can do heavy cardstock and fine art papers. Many printers do this and if you have a well-equipped photography and printing lab you should have at least one printer that can. Often you have to flip a hidden tab or something to find the rear feed access.

So I'd have the students take photos, and then either scan the negatives and stitch the images together digitally, or have them make splitscreen prints the hard way with physical masking in the darkroom and then scan those prints, print those results onto good paper with a nice tooth that's got proper sizing for your paint choice, and then apply paint. Goodness.
posted by Mizu at 9:58 PM on April 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

I would make a photographic emulsion and apply it to paper that will soak up watercolor well. Then do the splitscreen in the darkroom, then apply paint. Or the digital route, which is easier, but less fun.
posted by dis_integration at 7:07 AM on April 4, 2014

What Mizu said, but the effect you'd get from combining digital and hand-painting will be very different from the artist's results, since she is using photoshop. You might like this - a lot. But be prepared. Maybe try it out yourself before introducing to the studio.
posted by mumimor at 10:29 AM on April 4, 2014