I found out right away why most mouth artists are painters, because when I tried to use a pencil, I could barely make a visible mark, even with a 4B lead. It was almost impossible to put enough pressure on the pencil without losing control of the line entirely.
A Sharpie might do the job, but rather than breathe too many of those nasty ink fumes (& potentially do more harm to my brain than good!) I decided to try using my Pentel Pocket Brushpen, along with some diluted purply-brownish ink applied with a Chinese bamboo brush.
Another unexpected challenge: it was hard to focus clearly on what I was doing when my face was so close to the paper. I suspect most mouth artists use long brushes for this reason-- some, like Ben Nevis, use special rigs to extend the brush. I had to stop & sit back frequently to make sure the marks I was making weren't completely off-target. I think it would probably be better to work a little larger too, to minimize wobble issues.
Silliest unexpected challenge: drool! Several times I came close to an unintended bleed wash. :-P°°° Afterward I realized that most people do mouth painting with an easel, which would help a lot. Would probably save on neck pain too. If I ever try this again I'll definitely tweak my technique.
Ink on paper, ~5"x4.5"
p.s. I'd planned something completely different to mark the 150th oddment, but once again time did not permit. :-( Still, this is Oddments & Curiosities' sesquicentoddical!
p.p.s. Ces, before you issue any more challenges, I must preemptively state that this is the one & only orifice I will offer to my Oddbody exercises!
Edit: If you haven't seen Ted's contribution (hinted at below) to my virtual Oddbody toolbox, please have a look at the Shut-Eye post!
What, you are refusing to nostril draw?
ReplyDeleteI am amazed at how much life your experimental drawings have, so much more than I could ever achieve with my dominant hand. Bravo!
What, you are refusing to nostril draw?
ReplyDeleteI am amazed at how much life your experimental drawings have, so much more than I could ever achieve with my dominant hand. Bravo!
Oh my god!!!! I can hardly see because I just came from my eye doctor but I have to tell you that my mouth is agape. I am awed again and again. I totally believe now that anything your body does will result in something amazing. I am bowing to the master. Wow I think that if there was a gigantic canvas and you rolled over it, something magnificent will come out of it. Amazing!!! Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteOh my god!!!! I can hardly see because I just came from my eye doctor but I have to tell you that my mouth is agape. I am awed again and again. I totally believe now that anything your body does will result in something amazing. I am bowing to the master. Wow I think that if there was a gigantic canvas and you rolled over it, something magnificent will come out of it. Amazing!!! Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteIn Etegami, you take the very tip of the shaft of the ink brush between your fingertips, and dangle it perpendicular to the paper. The aim is to deny yourself full control over the ink brush, so that the resulting lines are wobbly and blotchy. That is basically what you've done with your mouth drawing. I think that's fascinating.
ReplyDeletePauline, I don't even want to THINK about nostril drawing! Thanks very much for the kind words though!
ReplyDeleteCes, I think your vision issues are affecting me too-- I'm seeing double comments! The gigantic canvas idea is intriguing... I don't have anything that big just now & it would be impossible to scan. But I'm still thinking about it... maybe someday... if I do it you'll be the first to know!
Debbie, I actually thought about Etegami as I was doing this! It is indeed very similar to that elegant art form, only with crossed eyes & drool. ;-)
Long time ago I read about a girl who became paralyzed and started drawing as part of her therapy. She did beautiful, detailed drawings, and I was too intimidated to try it out as a result. But as you've shown, art comes from the brain, not the hands. Nice job!!
ReplyDeleteWow!! Really, wow!!! And ummm....I think Ces just challenged you again.....just sayin'.... ;)
ReplyDeleteOkay, smarty pants; let's see you mouth paint while looking backwards into a mirror at the paper. You'll need a brush with a u-joint built into it, though.
ReplyDeleteBTW, here's an old trick: Stuff the inside of your mouth with a paper towel while mouth painting to help control drooling.
Linda, I trust this unbeautiful, undetailed drawing removed all previous intimidation! Have at it! :-)
ReplyDeleteMit, thank you. And as to the Ces body-painting challenge... I may soon be rolling around a padded room wearing a paint-drenched strait-jacket, the way things are going.
Ted, if you build it (the U-brush) I will try. Deal? Just don't use plumbing fixtures, or I'll send you my dental bill.
And hmm, you are not the first to advise me to stuff my mouth with a paper towel. (Strangely, this long preceded my mouth painting efforts. Little did I know they were only trying to help me avoid future drool issues!)
mouth, foot, non dominant hand......does not matter , everything is good enough if you can use it properly....:)
ReplyDelete( and you do!!)
what is next? ;)