DRAWING MATERIALITY 2 – THE STICKY SIDE

We started the category, Drawing Materiality, awhile ago.  And there has not been much follow up.  So, to correct that curatorial deficiency, let’s dive back in and see what we have.  For this outing, we explore how we draw on the sticky side of painter’s tape.

What?  Why would anyone want to draw on the sticky side of painter’s tape?  Well, I have found that the sticky side will pick up acrylic paint.  And when it does, you get an incredibly interesting geometry.  What you do is:
1. draw some lines with chalk pastels
2. wet the lines with water
3. spray paint over the wet lines
4. press the sticky side of the tape into the lines
5. when you pull the tape off, you have an interesting geometry on the sticky side 
6. spray fixative will stick the tape to the paper.  

The drawing at the top of the page is what it looks like right after you have pulled off the tape, which occurred in step 5 above.  That, in itself, is a cool drawing.  It reveals holistic form.  I hope you can see that as the beginning of a previously unimagined holistic form.

The drawing just above then started with step 6.  After the tape was spray fixed to the paper, again, with the sticky side out, I applied a spray coating of clear acrylic.  The clear spray removes all of the stickiness of the tape.  And then I continued to draw.  This pulls out all the stops. as I used conventional poche, acrylic ink, ink stick, water soluble pencil, and it was all done on top of the tape as prepared above. 

If you have been following along at all, you might realize that the above process produces two drawings for you.  This is what the drawings look like side by side in my sketchbook.   

If this all seems too complex, that’s because it is.  Why are we doing this?  We are interested in Drawing Materiality as a mode with which to get you out of your culture. I offer these thoughts to you with the hope that they are at least inspirational.  Ok, you may not want to draw on the sticky side of the painter’s tape.  But there are probably other materials in your art bin or in the basement somewhere.  This might inspire you to ask, hmmm, maybe I can use this or that in my drawing, and see what happens.  

Generate a fresh geometry.  Invent a new method.  Use it as a starter for holistic form.  Draw with time.  Holistic form is all that matters.  Free your mind.