Saturday, July 16, 2011

Bubbles and the Blob

I tried an experiment with watercolors yesterday. It didn't work as hoped...
The idea was to get bubble patterns in paint transferred to paper. Bubbles are always darker along the edges when sitting on a surface and capturing that darker pattern was the goal. A mixture of water, watercolor and dish washing detergent seemed like a good way to make the paint bubbles, so I mixed up a batch in a shallow dish and placed it on top of watercolor paper. Then I used a straw to blow lots of bubbles so they would spill out onto the paper. The bubble patterns looked good but once the bubbles inevitably popped, only a blob of color remained, not exactly spectacular.


But not all was lost. I did have fun taking photos of the paint bubbles that I may use in some way. And I have some other ides on getting that bubble pattern on paper yet. (Click on the photos to get a larger view and a better look at the iridescence.)




(Click on the photos for larger versions)

5 comments:

Gwenn Seemel said...

I love this experiment and from here it looks like a complete success: the photos are gorgeous!

Rob R Robinson said...

Thanks Gwen! I plan to keep working along these lines and see what might be possible. There seem to be lots of opportunities ...and it's always fun to experiment!

Lynda Hoffman-Snodgrass said...

Hi Rob - try the colored soapy bubbles on saran wrap. Arrange it on your paper and let it dry... many of the bubbly textures will appear on your paper this way.
Have fun!!

Rob R Robinson said...

Thanks for the tip Lynda! I'll give it a try this afternoon.

BeemerGirl said...

Very interesting concept. I can see how they would add an interesting dimension to an image. I'm surprised they didn't turn out, unless it was the dishwashing liquid that might have prevented "drying". I'll enjoy seeing your next experiments.