Experiments!

Does it make me a nerd if I love experimenting?

One of my first experiments within a practical session was this tattoo technique which adopts the 'tribal' theme so well! Using a fuller's earth powder mixed with water, I spread the mix evenly in a long rectangle onto the skin. Using the end of a wooden scalpel stick I carved out a pattern. I did swirls as I have been looking at the moawi tribes and this is a very common pattern. I dried the pattern with a hair dryer and then used black aqua colour palette to paint over the hardened paste. The result was very fitting due to the final look of the pattern being cracked and crumbled, this texture adds to the imperfections that tribal communities represent today, making the tattoo more cultured. The crackling of the fuller's earth basically represents, to me anyway, the thought of the actual earth's surface and how the natural resources of the world like the soil cracks, so I feel it brings a real raw meaning to any tribal look. This is a major technique I am considering to use in one of my final images! LIGHT BULB MOMENT!

This fullers earth continues to remind me of this image I came across on tumblr..

As you can see the paste on this member of a tribal community is quite thick, like the effect fuller's earth has without having a tribal pattern carved in. I love the bold colours on to the fuller's earth too, brings it away from being so simple and raw. However in contrast to that when using the fuller's earth I did like the natural colour of the paste, it was an original grey which I feel relates it to the earth' natural, original colours!

Here is a  collage of images from one of my experiments during a practical session. My aim was to design and create a pattern onto the hair, as in many cultures paint (sometimes from the face) onto the hair to enhance their tribal looks. In order for me to produce this pattern, I needed a tub of powered 'fullers earth', water, rice and aqua colour gold. I sectioned the hair around the front of the face, I got three sections and as I twisted them in the  hair and sprayed them back. Once held into place I smoothed over a thin layer of the water and fullers earth mix over each section. I then mixed up a batch of the rice mixed into the paste and spread that over the top. Using a hair dryer I dried each section covered in the rice mix until it all the dampness had gone. This then made it easier to paint over with the aqua gold palette. Once completed, the texture actually gave the gold sections of hair a gold beaded look, I particularly liked this due to jewellery being a major factor within the 'tribal look' within alot of tribal communities.