How to Paint with Smoke

Most of us have dabbled in painting a few times in our lives. The medium that you choose to work with is an important decision that has to be made during the design phase of your project. From a historic perspective, the act of painting involves a canvas or any other flat surface upon which the image will be painted; it also involves choosing the right medium that shell be worked with to create the image. Some of the most sought-after media include charcoal, acrylics, and watercolors, among others.

For those looking for something unique there is an innovative new technique that uses smoke as a medium. Also known as fumage or using smoke for painting, this technique is growing in popularity. Wolfgang Paalen discovered and first used fumage techniques. Smoke painting can yield some pretty amazing images. The following tips will be very beneficial to those who are intrigued by smoke painting.

Envision your design. As with any creative project, the initial step that must be performed is visualization. Although many people can, not everyone can imagine what they want to create in their minds. Thus, it is a good idea to visualize the overall picture that you want to achieve by manually sketching the design or by using a form of computer software that will allow you to produce a rough sketch. It might be a good idea, due to the nature of the medium to keep your designs rudimentary and/or abstract (e.g., the human form, simple shapes).

Assemble your chosen materials. A kerosene lamp or candles are examples of items that make smoke that can be ideally used for this type of project. Because this project is for beginners, candles of varying thicknesses and wick lengths are ideal. This is because longer wicks produce smoother patterns, while shorter ones produce solid and dark shades and forms. Using these will allow you to come up with varied images with different intensities or shading. Aside from the candles, you will also need a canvas and protective gear for your hands and eyes.

Paint with smoke. It cannot be stressed enough how very vital it is that you take safety into consideration; wearing gloves and goggles is an excellent start, but you must also consider your surroundings and whether or not anything is flammable, since you are working with candles. To begin, prop up the canvas in such a way that you can maneuver it around as you paint. You might need to paint from the side or beneath the canvas. Next start painting by using one of your selected candles to develop the shading. In doing so, keep in mind that the angle and speed with which the candle flame is dragged across or beneath the surface can help produce different shades. If you are cautious, try doing some practice strokes on a different canvas before applying anything to your actual work. One good thing fumage is that you can be as creative as you like because there are no specific rules to follow.

Apply the finishing touches. Once you are at the end of the project, don't forget to spray fixative on your canvas. You will find that this helps to save your pattern.

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Tags: design, fumage, painting, smoke painting