Dotting painting technique details

Dotting Art – an individual and unique painting / illustration technique

For my Dotting artwork I use syringes for applying colour

I developed Dotting as a painting technique in 2015. What began just as an idea in my mind has become a perfection orientated process based on first artworks and sketches. The technique Dotting requires above all three things: patience, sensitivity and an ease of mind.
The particular thing about Dotting artwork is the tool that is used for it. The colour is applied precisely using syringes so that an ornamental composition of elements joined by minimal colour transitions is created. The white surface of the paper provides the border so that the elements have no contact with one another.

By choosing the object the sketching and capturing of an optimal structure for the Dotting technique begins. The created structure is the main part of every artwork and represents the visual look and the effect generated by the Dotting technique. If the structure misfits, the whole composition appears unbalanced and unequal.

Therefore every artwork requires coming to terms with the basic form of the object itself. How is the object constructed, where are the basic areas, where are edges and where the axes? What can be extended or modified to accentuate the surreal?
The next step is to create structure elements by drawing quick strokes. These strokes are extended steadily until a first possible overall structure is generated. After this step watercolour is applied to the paper for further processing. A first version arises. By creating this version possible inequalities can be captured and optimized in the second or also third version. The final version matches the optimum of my personal imagination concerning the chosen object.

dragonfly_watercolour_farbtunnel_72
Dragonfly V1 – Watercolour on paper – 02.2016
FACE V1 – Watercolour on paper – 02.2016
FACE V1 – Watercolour on paper – 02.2016

Looking at the Dotting artwork it is not about the object, it is more about the process itself and its single steps. Starting with the first sketches, studies and compositions up to the last step – applying the colour to the paper by using the syringes in a meditative and concentration requiring way. I want the viewer to experience the process in a visual and mental way.
Time is always the crucial factor for every artwork. When the paint application process starts patience and ease of mind do influence the final successful result. The smallest state of anxiety or a previous interaction with certain parts can wreck hours of work. Dotting as a technique requires working slowly, cautiously and sensibly. Time is the core element of the meditation and concentration needed.

Dotting as an art and illustration technique is still in a genesis phase. The aim is to optimise and to extend the technique to a maximum. New forms, new structures, working with different kinds of colours and also large formats. The challenge is to transfer structures to large formats in a target-aimed way and to afford effects as a result. The paint application is the same but the dots get wider, they behave different and create another optical effect depending on the kind of colour and the painting ground.

For all Dotting artworks follow the link Dotting

Kunst mit Spritzen

Dotting Art – eine individuelle und einzigartige Illustrationstechnik

Medizinische Spritzen als grafisches Werkzeug für den Farbauftrag

Dotting als Illustrationstechnik habe ich 2015 entwickelt. Was als Idee angefangen hatte, ist auf Basis von ersten Arbeiten und Studien heute zu einem perfektionsorientierten Prozess geworden. Insbesondere drei Dinge erfordert die Technik Dotting: Geduld, Feingefühl und innere Ruhe.

Das besondere an Dotting ist das künstlerische Werkzeug, das zum Einsatz kommt. Medizinische Spritzen dienen dem präzisen und kontrollierten Farbauftrag der Aquarellfarbe, sodass ornamentartige und mit minimalen Farbübergängen versehene Bildkompositionen entstehen. Keines der Ornamentelemente darf ein anderes berühren. Bewusste Weißflächen des Papiers bilden die Grenzen der Elemente zueinander.

Mit der Auswahl des Objekts beginnen die Skizzierung und das Finden einer für das Dotting optimalen Struktur. Diese Struktur ist der Anteil jeder Arbeit, der das Gesamtbild und das Wirken des durch das Dotting erzeugten visuellen Effekts ausmacht. Stimmt die Struktur nicht, wirkt die gesamte Bildkomposition unausgeglichen und unsymmetrisch.

Jede Arbeit erfordert daher ein Auseinandersetzen mit der Grundform des Objekts. Wie ist das Objekt aufgebaut, wo sind Flächen, wo sind Kanten, wo sind Achsen? Was kann erweitert und was verändert werden, um das Surreale zu unterstreichen? Oft kommen daher unterschiedliche Bildansichten eines Objekts zum Einsatz, werden kombiniert mit Elementen anderer Objekte, sodass sich ein stetiges sich Wegbewegen von der realen Darstellung vollzieht. Schnelle Striche lassen im nächsten Schritt Strukturelemente entstehen, die stetig erweitert werden, bis eine erste mögliche Gesamtstruktur vorliegt. Dann folgt der Schritt des Farbauftrags und der Verarbeitung der nassen Farbe, sodass eine erste Version entsteht. Durch diese erste Version können mögliche Fehlstrukturen erfasst werden, die in der zweiten oder auch dritten Version angepasst und optimiert werden, bis eine erste finale Version vorliegt. Die finale Version entspricht dem Optimum meiner Vorstellung in Bezug auf das gewählte Objekt.

dragonfly_watercolour_farbtunnel_72
Dragonfly V1 – Watercolour on paper – 02.2016
FACE V1 – Watercolour on paper – 02.2016
FACE V1 – Watercolour on paper – 02.2016

In den Dotting-Arbeiten geht es weniger um das Objekt an sich, sondern um den Schaffensprozess in seinen Einzelschritten. Von den Anfangsskizzen, über erste Studien, die Komposition aus Elementen, die Farbwahl und die finale fast meditative und konzentrationsfordernde Umsetzung mit Hilfe der mit Aquarellfarbe gefüllten medizinischen Spritzen. Der Betrachter soll den Prozess visuell wahrnehmen können.

Zeit ist stets der Faktor, der für jede Arbeit ausschlaggebend ist. Beginnt der Prozess des Farbauftrags, entscheiden Geduld und innere Ruhe über ein erfolgreiches finales Ergebnis. Schon der kleinste Unruhezustand oder ein verfrühtes Interagieren mit bestimmten Bereichen kann im schlimmsten Fall die Arbeit von Stunden zunichte machen. Die Technik des Dottings verlangt ein langsames, achtsames und bewusstes Arbeiten. Der Faktor Zeit wird zum Kernelement der kreativen Arbeit.

Dotting als Technik befindet sich weiterhin in einem Entstehungsprozess. Ziel ist es, die Technik maximal zu optimieren und zu erweitern. Neue Formen, neue Strukturen und das Arbeiten mit anderen Farben. Großformate und das Arbeiten auf Leinwand und damit auf großen Flächen. Die Herausforderung besteht darin, die Strukturmöglichkeiten auf große Flächen zu übertragen, andere Farbarten wie Acryl zielführend einzusetzen und eine entsprechende Wirkung zu erzielen. Der Farbauftrag bleibt gleich aber die Dots werden größer, verhalten sich auf dem Untergrund anders und erzeugen eine eigene optische Wirkung je nach Farbart und Untergrund.

Alle Dotting-Arbeiten unter dem Link Dotting

Dotting art - DRAGONFLY V1 – Watercolour on paper – Libelle Illustration

Another Dotting artwork using medical enjections

This is the other final version of a new Dotting artwork called „Dragonfly“ V1 (V1 means it is the first version). A dragonfly has no detailed structure, just maybe the wings so I had to find a structure for the central body that hamonizes with the wings and their structure. The wings were much more easier to develop as I already created wings for a butterfly. Finding a perfect structure for the whole body including the wings has required a lot of sketches. To keep things easier I developed first only one side to duplicate it later for the final artwork. The whole process of the artwork took me more than a week.

Dotting art - FACE V1 - Dotting - watercolour on paper - Ornament

New final Dotting artwork using medical enjections

I finished two new Dotting artworks a few days ago and this is the first one called „FACE“ V1 (V1 means first Version of a FACE). This is the first time I use my unique illustration technique for a human representation. Finding the perfect structure for the Dotting technique is always a complex process and I need to do a lot of sketches until I have a final drawing I can use for the first version. Sometimes the whole process can take more than a week depending on the object. Photoshop allows me to create digital versions of the scanned artwork. A dark background is more effective on a screen and this is the reason why you can see the two versions below. Dotting is my own art technique. The important tools I use for it are medical injections to apply the colour on the paper.

Robot Illustration Watercolour

Robot painting drawing

Robot illustration – Watercolour and ink on paper

0

Robots is a series I started at the end of 2014 and I’m still working on it. Other characters and other technics are planned. I was thinking about our time now and the upcoming future. Robots or AI are already a part of our normal life as they do things in the industry but also in the military section. No human failure, no rest, nothing should go wrong. It’s been said that in the future intelligent robots and Artificial Intelligence will be able to make human planning and decisions. That’s the idea but think about military drowns or military robots. If something goes wrong and if responsible persons lose control. Then what?

The way I started to work was a really easy step. Drawing a line from the top to the bottom of the paper. Then I began to draw the head and its parts by constructing geometric forms. The idea was to create the characters plane, abstract and surrealistic, without any shadows or plasticity. I had a kind of mural painting in my mind and wanted to keep it simple focusing on the coloured layers as a last step. I constructed first just one side and transferred later every point and every line or circle to the other side.

Robot painting „Robot 3“

For the first one (see below) I used acrylic colour, later I changed to watercolour. The important fact is that I never made a sketch of the whole robot or the geometric parts like the head, the arms or the legs. I build it up completely from the top to the bottom.

„Robot 1“

Robot 1 - Acrylic on paper
Robot 1 – Acrylic on paper

Robot illustration „Robot 2“

 

Robot illustration „Robot 4“

Skull V1

I went on focusing on organic ideas and usted a drawing I made a few months ago. The first version of a „dotted“ skull was finished today. Dotting as a technique means in every case to find a structure and this makes it difficult during the whole process. Another version is planned and maybe also a third one.

Space Girl Skizze

Space Girl Artwork

Space Girl – Watercolour and fineliner

Space Girl is a large illustrative painting I did at the end of 2014. I collect pictures from newspapers, journals and other media to use them as drafts but I normaly only use the posture of a person as you can see here. The original picture is viewable on the photo above. I painted the picture in a large format (DIN A1) without any reason but as quite a lot of famous paintings show, the larger a painting is the more impressive it appears to the viewer. But maybe this only my personal sensation.

Illustration Girl - Frau in Blau
Illustration „Space Girl“

Dotting Art - Seehorses

Dotting – a new painting technique

In 2015 I started a new technique which I call “Dotting”. I’m still experimenting with it as there are different factors influencing the look of a picture and the composition. I tried ink and watercolor as I thoungt that the transparency of these colours are perfect for the technique. The first picture I made was this one. More a sketch than a painting but I wanted to try something out. I realised that I had to wait until the colour is dry and the real look comes out.

dotting_girl_72

Yes – in fact. It is dark but to be honest. I was in a dark period when I painted it. No comment but I will keep it for myself as a reminder for me. Then I found out what I can really do with the technique and I optimized the steps a little bit so that these paintings were done. The first one was on tumblr start page when I published it so that I received a lot of new followers. More than 400 reactions where on that picture. Not bad as start.

After this I came to the next step. I was thinking about animals and especially about their X-rays. I combined in my mind animal X-rays and their normal look so that first these two pictures came out. I was always focusing on the basic structure of the current animal and the X-ray gave me an idea of the lines I need to draw. I’m still working on new versions and at the moment I keep it as a secret as to what kind of tools I use for the technique but the tools are the important fact about the final look.