Friday 15 July 2011

Finger painting

This girl came from paint to paper via only my fingers. Mainly fingertips, but nails were needed for the finer details (it's very difficult to transfer paint from fingernails to paper with any kind of control, I can assure you!).

It's an exercise for the Experimental Art Course which I'm also sharing for Paint Party Friday. If I'd had time I would probably have done more paintings with sponges, sticks and stones for assignment 2, but this is the extent of my artwork this week. Fingers have been glued to keyboard all week churning out the work stuff.

I'm really rather proud of her. A few years ago I'd have been chuffed if I'd painted this with a brush! I think it comes down to attitude. Painting with my fingers, I hardly expected to create a masterpiece. It was play, experimentation. I didn't have to share the result on here or even indeed with my fellow students in our Flickr group. It didn't matter if it was a total disaster.

And the result when the pressure was off? Well, I like it! OK, no masterpiece, but there's something fresh and fun about her. This was on my mind a lot this week - letting go of being precious, being brave. I've been trying to apply it to my writing and creativity at work too; I've been writing a tonne of articles and helping pull together presentation materials for the senior management team. Sometimes when we try too hard it's just so stiff and pretentious.

Maybe I'll take some paint into the office and get the Board finger painting... What do you think?

35 comments:

  1. It's about the process. :) And if the result makes you feel good it's as good as a masterpiece. :) Nice work! I didn't know you can be so precise with your fingers. I'll have to try it. :)

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  2. free abandon - playing with fingers and paint - what wonderful stuff. yes, we do need to loosen up sometimes, to relax and often it is when we do this that we create the magic.

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  3. LOVE this!!!!!!!!
    your fingers are brilliant.
    raw beauty. xo

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  4. You truly give finger painting a whole new feeling--this is wonderful!!

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  5. Great work like it alot

    awesome work

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  6. I say go for it and have fun in the office :o) Love the painting and you are right, when we are not worried about the outcome it tends to work our better than we think.

    Happy Friday to you!

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  7. very cool...I paint with my finger tips quite a bit. I like the outcome too. The ultimate control of where the paint goes and it gives your unique texture.
    KAT

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  8. I think she's fabulous! I love her expression; her attitude. And yes, take those paints into that office! ;)

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  9. Oh wow! This is so fantastic! What a marvelous idea!

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  10. She's very expressive...must have come through your fingertips!

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  11. She is wonderful and all done with simple fingers! Amazing work! :-)

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  12. You do better with your fingers than I do with a brush........lol Happy PPF, Annette x

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  13. Love the painting ~ finger painting I love too ~ fun! Over from PPF ~ hope you come visit my blogs ~ Share the Creative Journey and A Creative Harbor ~ enjoy the weekend ^_^

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  14. Lisa, she's adorable. I can't imagine having any control at all painting with fingertips and fingernails. Wow!

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  15. AMAZING that you did this with your fingers- I love her eyes especially! I can't believe you got such detail in there with just your fingers and nails! Sorry I'm a little late stopping by, I had to take my son to Harry Potter this morning, so I'm running behind on my PPF visits :)
    PPF Hugs,
    Stephanie

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  16. Wow - very impressed that you did this with your fingers! Erika

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  17. Wow I really really like her, she looks very intense.

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  18. I totally love her, makes me want to try painting with my fingers too!!!!!

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  19. I love the style of her - she's got color and great depth - and i can't believe you did that all with fingerpaint! EXCELLENT - i love how you shadowed the neck, too! good stuff - yes, it's always when the pressure is off that we feel more free - a good lesson you have shared with us! thanks!

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  20. WOW! Just fingerpainting. That is so creative and interesting. Well done. HAPPY PPF!

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  21. Hooray for fingerpainting!!! I love the freedom of it :) It is similar to how I feel when I draw with my non-dominant hand... no preconceived notions and low expectations can lead to magic!

    Yippee!!!

    xo
    Kristin

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  22. Lisa, I think she turned out quite grand. I know you had to have had fun using just your fingers.

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  23. I'm sure painting with your fingers and fingernails is much more challenging than it sounds even. I love the experiment.

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  24. I love the looseness of her. I would be thrilled to do that at all! I'm wishing I could have taken the experiment art course - definitely next time. Nice to see what you are up to!

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  25. I really love the feel of this painting!

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  26. First off, I love her! The fact you used fingers is amazing! She seems so pensive! The strange thing is I keep wanting to go back and study her, she seems to have a message! Really wonderful work. This piece really moves me!!

    I fight being contrived in my art! Love that you let go!! Yes get the board to finger paint, you may learn some secrets about them! Happy ppf and thanks for sharing!

    Hugs Giggles

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  27. Hey Lisa - your PPF link went to a course and not here - did you mean for that to happen?

    Luckily I knew where to find you!

    A wonderful painting! I would never have guessed it was using your fingers. Very very impressive!

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  28. Eye, brain, hand... isn't that the natural order of things? I love it.

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  29. Be BOLD! I love it. Happy PPF!

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  30. I love her! And I love that you painted her with your fingers. So exciting!

    Happy PPF!

    (and definitely bring some paint to work!)

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  31. This is just lovely and very expressive. Some new direction ... ;)

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  32. Fantastic work, amazing its only your fingers. I am impressed, you can do better with your fingers than I can with a brush. I am so out of practice....

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  33. Love this. It must have been fun to go back to the way we all learn to paint furst.

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Thank you for your comments - I always love to hear what you think :)

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