Wednesday, December 18, 2013

"Fractured Letters" acrylic abstracted letters by Carol Nelson


"Fractured Letters"



This was a fun project.  I read about this on Pinterest.  Print out your name (I used CAROL) on your ink jet printer in a font you like.  I used Ariel Black in 200 font size.  Spray with fixative so the ink will not run.

Cut the letters up and mount them on a panel or canvas.  I used a 6x6 wood panel.  Use polymer medium gloss to attach and seal.

I wanted to try using Golden Clear Tar Gel as a surface treatment instead of varnish or resin.  To hold in a thick layer of gel, I used blue painters tape around the edge.

Some happy accidents occurred (I love happy accidents.)  My cheap ink (from Overstock.com) bled, in spite of being "fixed" with ink fixative spray (Premier Art.) That's what the blue bleed around the letters is from.  I like it.

The black gesso on the sides was brushed on after the piece was done.  Originally, I had white sides, but changed my mind, thinking black would look better.  ANY stray gesso that got on the tar gel surface was about impossible to remove, but I like that too.

I'm not sure if it's the tar gel layer, or the bleeding that gives the piece somewhat of an encaustic look.  Another like.

I can imagine doing this on a huge scale.  Even if you do a little one, you could use it as a design for a larger work on canvas. I could never come up with a design like that - it has a geometric and random look at the same time.