Yes, you should have one.
I love working with tissue paper images because I get to create a different background allowing me to create an image that seems timeless.
But I’ve heard the despair in student’s voices as they proclaim, ‘I’m not an artist and have no idea how to create a background’.
Your background doesn’t have to come completely from your own imagination. There are hundreds of different directions you can go and one of my favorites is to create a texture library.
Whenever I am out and about, I’m oftentimes taking photographs with my phone.
I photograph all sorts of things and sometimes I get funny looks, but ‘what the hey’.
I take photographs of…..
- Fabrics
- Vintage wallpapers
- Concrete or tiled floors
- Rusted metal
- Tiles
- Napkins
- TV screens
- Rainy or dirty windows
- Bark
- Ice formations
- Underside of mushrooms
- Lichens or moss
- Oil slicks
- Sandy beaches
- Marble
- Snow
- Falling water
- Sparks
- Clouds
- Blurry images
- Burned papers
- Tea stained paper
Mostly I’m looking for texture, color, or shapes.
Sometimes I manipulate them further by inverting the image, changing the hues + saturation, adding a gradient layer, or augmenting with a motion blur.
I have Topaz filters on photoshop, and I’ll pop an image into one of the ‘impression filters’ to see what might come out.
From this original photo of sparks flying from a metal grinder:
I’m able to get multiple variations that I could use to either mount to my substrate or as a photo transfer.
When I’m just not in the mood for turning on the wax or only have an hour or so, I’ll start going through these photos and imagine them as part of a background (covered with wax revealing certain aspects) and how my tissue paper photos will look on these images.
One chance encounter with a metal grinder may be enough background ideas for a complete series of work.
Keep these images in a file folder or in Lightroom. Refer back to them either as inspiration or actual images that you use.
You’re a photographer. It’s what comes natural to you. Use that talent to create your backgrounds.
Let me hear from you. I’d love for you to join the conversation. Do you keep a texture library for making backgrounds? What are your favorite things to photograph for texture?
Be well….be creative,
I’ve been doing this for years……always interested in textures and patterns. BUT I am not organized in storing and have trouble finding images. This has inspired me to make them more accessible. Thanks!!
So glad this has inspired you to organize them. Before I put them all into Lightroom I was the same, they seemed to be everywhere!
l’ve transferred some images I like directly onto tissue paper without using my camera – just put directly on my printer and copy onto tissue paper. I’ve done this using scrarves, other fabrics, wrapping paper. As long as the object is fairly flat or flexible. Then the image I like is on tissue paper and ready to use in an encaustic piece.
Thanks Gayle…..always interesting to see how others go about creating their backgrounds.