After my first run of airbrush on gold speckled Xuan using alum solution, I thought I would try the same thing on regular Xuan. Un-sized, raw Xuan. I was really hoping that the alum solution would behave differently on regular Xuan, and that I could paint from the back of that paper, as I had alluded to in my last blog.
My head was no longer occupied with juxtaposing wild ideas of dimensions and gravity and whatnots. I would just focus of the technical details this time and enjoy my airbrush. I told myself.
Seeded my regular un-sized Xuan with my gold "strings".
Wrote in my comic strands with alum solution.
Gingerly sprayed the paper with my airbrush. Holding my breath to see what the paper reveals. Apparently the crease in the center of the Xuan took center stage. The bulge created shadows as a result of some of the sprays not being able to reach the paper. Interesting!
After further spraying to make the color more saturated, this was the result:
The alum solution laden brushstrokes were not as apparent as those done on the gold speckled Xuan.
Instead the painting seemed to be cloaked in enigma. The shadows from the crease in the center of the paper actually added to the mystical nuance of the painting. Serendipitously! I could see a faint, but definite representation of a vortex with a dark center. Reminded me of whirlpools. Was that how "strings" act I wonder.
My reason for trying the dot 2 version on regular un-sized Xuan was to demonstrate what alum solution does to the back of the paper. The following photo showed the back of this painting.
Closeup of a area on the back of the Xuan, showing marks left by the alum solution from the front of the paper, notice the very distinct white outlines of the brushstrokes.
The voids were actually brushstrokes done with alum solution and it blocked full seepage of color from the front. The colored areas were those devoid of alum.
By over-spraying the void with color again, I was able to overpower the resist property of alum and shaped my cosmos somewhat.
Close examination of the photo showed all the intricate white filaments rendered with alum solution. One might say that this was soiling. Reminded me of sweating on shower doors.
Soiling done deliberately.
I couldn't conclude this blog without showing the front and back of this painting,
Front
Back
Which side would you display?
