avatarBarbara Carter

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CREATIVITY | ART | TEXTURES

It’s all In the Textures & Patterns

And what you might discover.

Art & photo Barbara Carter

Here’s how the above picture was created.

Art & photo Barbara Carter

First, I covered the paper with watercolours. While the paint was still wet, I placed crumbled plastic wrap on top of the wet paint and let it sit there until the paint dried.

Once the paint was dry, I removed the plastic wrap to discovered all the interesting patterns.

I had the painted page sitting around for a month or so, unsure of what I’d do with it. Sometimes I just doodle. But since this sketch pad is 14 x 17 inches, it’s a bit large for doodling comfortably in.

So I brought it up into the kitchen and placed it where I could see it throughout the day. Both my husband and I commented on what we saw in the patterns. It is a fun way to let your imagination run wild.

Kind of like when I was a child looking up at the sky, trying to figure out what the shape of each cloud reminded me of.

Seeing familiar objects or patterns in otherwise random or unrelated objects or patterns is called pareidolia. It’s a form of apophenia, which is a more general term for the human tendency to seek patterns in random information. Everyone experiences it from time to time.

Our own interests and experiences play a part

In some ways, the pareidolic images we discover tend to indicate things about which we are most interested, whether they be people, puppies or planes. Finding such “embedded” images can be fun and interesting, almost a hobby for some. But for some they can also fuel obsessiveness and paranoia. Enjoy finding your own pareidolic images, but keep in mind that what you are seeing is not really there, but in your mind. — source

My main interest is in the human form.

And one night before going to bed, I saw her face.

I sketched it in with light pencil lines to see if I still liked it in the morning.

And as you can see from the picture at the top of this article, I did like what I saw and finished the painting.

Art & photo Barbara Carter

I posted the unfinished picture on Facebook and enjoyed the various images other people saw in the shapes.

Such as the head of a rabbit in the picture below.

Art & photo Barbara Carter

See the rabbit? Or maybe something else? It’s fun to look at the patterns to see what we can see.

Now, here is a close up of how to make these patterns.

This works for watercolour paints and acrylics, just make sure the paint is still wet when you add the plastic wrap.

Art & photo Barbara Carter

Once dry. Remove the plastic wrap and see the amazing results!

Art & photo Barbara Carter

After I took the photo, I turned it around to view it from all angles and saw something.

But first, What do you see?

To my surprise, it wasn’t a human face I saw, but the head of a goat.

Here’s to hoping I inspired you to play with plastic wrap and paint and to let your imagination run wild.

Barbara Carter — artist and writer with a focus on healing from childhood trauma, alcohol addiction, and living her best authentic life. Likes to take walks, read, watch TV dramas, and practice Qi-gong, and work on her memoir series BARBARA By The BAY.

Creativity
Creativity Tips
Patterns
Apophenia
Imagination
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