!Art_Alchemist_Guild@lemmy.today
What painter isn’t a little bit of a chemist? What quilter isn’t a mathematics wizard? A skilled tailor is essentially an engineer, and a printer qualifies as a mechanic.
I’m interested in processes. Where does paint come from? How does the wool get from the sheep to my sweater? Is there anything stopping me from digging up clay from a riverbed and making a pot out of it?
I’m especially passionate about this since artist prices can be ridiculously marked up on the same supplies that are sold in bulk to big industry. Too many brands market a vibe over quality, which makes it good to know what goes into making quality paints, papers and clays, and if you really can just spin your dog’s sheddings into a nice hat. In an age of amazon consumerism we forget how much useful stuff is around us, literally on the ground, is being repackaged and sold from a warehouse halfway around the world. Why not learn how to make the most of what’s free outside and become a mad scientist?
So, I made a place for all those artists, and anyone else, who wants to discuss methods as well as the art, to share resources, meme about crafting insanity, and get critique.
Right now it’s just me, but I’d love to have more people posting and sharing. I started weekly discussion topics and a monthly challenge to see if that gets people engaged.
I’m looking for at least one other mod to help keep an eye on the place, too.
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Hmm. I dabble in artistic programming. Would anyone be interested if I posted about stuff like how I implemented a pencil tool in my pixel editor, wrote an image stitcher, or made this trippy spiral animation occasionally? I’d probably be posting more on the mad science / math wizardry side of things if that is of interest (and in scope).
Totally. That’s beautiful btw, love how it shifts through hues and saturation. I can’t cover the digital bases, myself, and I’m already interested.
Paint is fantastic. Did you know we use just a couple dozens of pigments? They go in oilpaint, acrylics, watercolour, everywhere!
And of course that’s just the beginning…
Might post something if I understand what the sub is really about, but at least I subbed.
Thanks!
Pigments are my absolute thing. I’m waiting right now for the paint I just mixed up on my grinding palette to dry a little before scooping into a jar. I have a verdigris farm, and buckets of steel wool decomposing with different chemicals on a shelf. You want to talk about pigments? I’m so game.
The community is a bit broadly described. It could narrow to fit whatever kind of group develops or I could find a better way to write about it. I’m easy-going.
Fascinating.
I have a verdigris farm but it’s the unused paint I scoop up from my pallet after a paint session, and keep in a airtight bowl for future backgrounds 😁. It does make a nice neutral-ish grey often green leaning…
Close enough, mine’s copper basking in vinegar fumes. It’s historically more toxic and worse as a pigment.
You’re more into the historical part of pigments? And textile I guess?
I’m into the chemistry, but that covers the history, too. My textile knowledge is 90% my knitting guru friend pushing knowledge and medieval spinning tools on me.
Whatcha painting with all that improvised verdigris?
Ha, only the impimatura, the starting-off background!
