Layers & Transparency

 

I used multiple elements of transparency to achieve different effects in this piece. I used stippling with ink in addition to watercolor itself as a medium, which lends itself to transparent techniques. The background employs flat, opaque shapes in order to further differentiate the figure in the foreground. I was also inspired by the text, which mentions the creation of layers in printmaking via the use of precisely aligned layers. The red and green at the edges are meant to look like these layers, were they to deviate slightly in the forming of a shape and the edges made unclear. In addition, the effect of the watercolor washes makes the main figure appear translucent, the red of blood showing through and a blue-green pattern sweeping through the skin, a color reminiscent of the veins visible on the hands and arms.