Goldfish Salvation

[merimask]

Everyone, take a Zen break and look at this amazing video. It has to be seen to be believed. I love this man. I think we are probably very similar people. He's found a new way to paint goldfish and I just...every time I watch it, it makes me cry a little. So beautiful.

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Comments

[tallymark]

Holy--he--it--that--

I had to watch it twice to understand it--is he painting on *layers* of epoxy? That--I had no idea it could have that kind of effect. The realism is absolutely uncanny.

That is just--oh my god. That's mindblowing.

[merimask]

It's incredible isn't it? As an artist who works with sculpture, it is ~amazing~ to me that he's creating 3-d art by layering flat 2-d art atop itself over and over. It just blows me away.

And the coolest part is that the fish cast shadows! And they end up suspended in an element that actually looks like water. It's just so beautiful...

[kelkyag]

That's lovely, and a fascinating way to paint in three dimensions.

Painting the giant goldfish at the end was almost the more interesting part, to me -- knowing ones' brushes and textures and how to wield them.

[merimask]

I've seen calligraphy done like that; on a huge sheet with a large brush. But the huge goldfish is just so amazing. That he can go from the tiniest detailed miniatures to painting a fish with a straw broom...wow.

I love the way he finishes the eye last...by hand. :) So beautifully intimate and personal.

[golden_meliades]

He must have some pretty intense spatial skills, not to mention a great memory and eye for detail, to make so many layers that fit together to make something that looks identical to an actual fish, rather than just a reddish orange blob floating in epoxy. Each one would have to be EXACTLY the right size with the colours applied at EXACTLY the right spot and it's pretty uncanny. I could imagine it, but never do it. (I would have believed it without seeing it, though...it sounds like something that can be done 'in theory' but that you'd have to meet a hundred million people before you'd meet one that could actually pull the theory off.)

[merimask]

I see how he's doing it, but the details (how thick is each layer of clear acrylic? How many layers does he do to get a 3-d effect?) are all his own and good for him. :)

I totally want to try it though, to make my own "koi in a box". You know how much I love painting koi. ~This~ is the layered, "floating" effect that eluded me when I was trying to make koi leather plaques...remember? It so frustrated me that I abandoned the whole theme.

[golden_meliades]

Yes, I remember you being disgusted with how 'flat' they looked. Though your new idea could solve that...

You could try fish as a test for your up-and-coming technique.

The thickness of the layers is the only bit I can't figure. You can't pour resin/acrylic all that thin, afaik. Not paper-thin, anyway. And if you didn't pour it thin enough and looked from the side, you'd see lines. Even a millimeter would likely be too thick. I can only think that he found a way to dilute/thin it and pour it really thin, almost as thin as paper.

[golden_meliades]

Most of all, he must have the patience of a saint. It takes resin forever to harden up fully and if you did dozens of layers you're looking at days and days of work.

Again, unless he's come up with a special hybrid material or something. I do NOT have that kind of patience, though. I don't like any craft that takes more than a few hours. I just flat out get tired of it.

[kazeno_taka]

That is incredible. I'm guessing he's just painting 'slices' on many many layers of resin, which creates a three-dimensional appearance. It's absolutely beautiful.

[wildwose]

His skill at this is undeniable, and certainly I have never seen anyone who does it so perfectly, but I have seen it used in a similar technique before. On layers of glass, very similar and also using glass to do the shadow style boxes. I seriously want to paint large format like that with a broom as well. If you watch the video, you can see many boxes around him so I believe he is working on many at time and the drying time wouldn't be to bad if he is using a two part. You can get them in a 10-30 minute hardening range.