A-TIER technique
Decalcomania — surrealist paint-transfer for chance-driven portraits
100k ft — What is this?
Decalcomania — surrealist paint-transfer for chance-driven portraits
50k ft — Why care?
The artist explains decalcomania, Oscar Domínguez's surrealist method of pressing paint between surfaces to transfer random textures. They start with a rough portrait silhouette, let the transfer create the texture, then commit to it and pull form and dimension out of the splotches.
10k ft — Key takeaways
• Commit to the accident and render form out of what's already there.
• Press-and-lift paint transfer gives unrepeatable organic textures.
• Start with a loose silhouette so chance has a direction.
5k ft — Tools & techniques
(no tools tagged)
controlled chance, decalcomania
1k ft — Deep-dive / try it
Decalcomania
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#surrealist #surrealartwork #sketchbookartist #drawingprocess #paintingprocess #artprocess #drawings #paintings #decalcomania #abstractportraits
Transcript excerpt
One surrealist method I really love is decalcomania. Decalcomania is where our word decal comes from. It's the transfer of a design or a pattern from one surface to the other. And the surrealist version of decalcomania, Oscar Dominguez called it decalcomania with no preconceived object. So without the preconceived design, you let the process itself create random unique textures. So I start with a silhouette of sort of a portrait pose. So I do have some idea of what direction I'm going in, but I have no idea where I'll end up. And I love this technique because it does add an element of uncontrollable chance to it. I can't control how the paint will transfer. I know what the colors will be, but I don't know how it will look. And however it looks after the decalcomania, I like to commit to that. Even while I define it and try and add form and dimension and make it more representational, I want all that stuff to come out of what I see as already being in there. I try to think of it as bringing these random splotches of paint to life.