black in black

the black in black paintings are very hard to photograph, because of the different shades of matte and shiny blacks, and the 3D elements. watch the videos for a better impression of what is going on…

a stylized pill bug with decorative elements in various shades of black.
pill bug – acrylic paint, stucco (modeling paste), crochet elements, beads, nail polish, and ink on canvas, 30x30cm
video – pill bug
long stem art nouveay flowers on a partly striped background, in various shades of black.
art nouveau flowers – acrylic paint, stuart semple’s blackest black, stucco, crackle medium, and nail polish, on canvas, 30x30cm
video – art nouveau flowers

One of my first black in black painting was an experiment to try how different the blackest black is from regular acrylic paint.

painting of black art nouveau flowers on a deep black background
art nouveau flowers inverted – regular black acrylic stencil on a blackest black background, 30x30cm

A more advanced piece of work is black in black spider & lace, combining black acrylic paints, stucco paste, indian ink, tatted and crochet lace, and black varnish.

a black spider in a circle of crochet lace, with other lace elements around it. the whole painting is done in different shades of black.
black in black spider & lace
spider & lace video

the steampunk pill bug incorporates the clichée cogs and gears, but also tatted lace, different kinds of black and clear varnishes, and acrylic blacks, among other materials. and it has an evil, disgusting twin…

a stylised pill bug seen from the side, done in various black paints and materials, on a square canvas.
steampunk pill bug
steampunk pill bug video

half a dragonfly, art nouveau style, slightly destroyed, and completely black. done in acrylic paint (both cheap regular black and black 3.0), varnish, crackle medium, and stucco paste.

art nouveau style half of a dragon fly, one on the right and one on the left side of a square canvas. on the left side, there are black vertical stripes barely visible.
half a dragonfly
black in black – half a dragonfly video

stag beetle nouveau, a shiny black stag beetle with art nouveau corner ornaments, stripes, and a tatted oblong frame. materials: stucco, blackest black acrylic, standard acrylic paint, beads, cotton thread, two kinds of varnish.

a stag beetle in stucco centered on a square canvas. around it is an oblong frame made of tatted lace, the remaining canvas ist striped vertically. in the corners are art npuveau ornaments in stucco, with small beads. the whole painting is done in different kinds of black paints.
stag beetle nouveau video

black in black – art nouveau octopus

materials: blackest black (Black 3.0) centre circle, black acrylic paint and spray varnish stripes, shiny black varnish octopus (on stucco), black cotton crochet lace in the corners and at the bottom. canvas on cardboard, 30x40cm.

an art nouveau style octopus silhuette in shiny black, on a black striped background, with crochet lace in the corners and on the bottom of the canvas, and a rinf og black pearls surrounding the head like a large halo.
Black in Black – Art Nouveau Octopus

black in black button octopus

lots of spray paint, acrylics, stucco, crackle paste, varnish, buttons and beads. 30x40cm

octopus in cracked stucco paste, in a cricle of buttons, with black varnish, black acrylic and stucco corner elements.