If You don't know what surrealism art is, I'm here to share the beauty of the unspoken words when you combine the unnatural with the natural. Surrealism is when artists depict unnatural images to express the unconscious mind. In simpler terms, a form of expression using things that are unnatural in our world. I'm going to assume that I have you already hooked on the idea of becoming a surrealist artist... so, here is my guide on how to create surrealist art.
Think of a Emotion or a Deep Psychological Theme
Think of emotion and begin to describe it in detail. How it makes you feel, what thoughts occur, and all the physical symptoms that occur through your body when you feel that emotion. Here is how I would apply these steps to describe anxiety. When I think of anxiety it makes me feel like I'm standing at the edge of a cliff where the lightest wind can tip me over. The thoughts that I feel when I'm anxious are like a bunch of tabs open in my mind and I don't know where the music is coming from. The physical symptoms I feel are a knot I'm my stomach or a bunch of butterflies ready to explode from my insides.
Pick Apart the imagery behind the details you described.
Once you have thought of the emotion or idea you want to convey, pick apart the image within the details you described. . So when I hear the expression “ I feel butterflies in my stomach”, I do just that. I paint butterflies in my stomach.
When I hear “standing at the edge of a cliff”, I think of a red ashy storm pushing a woman off a cliff and her body shattering like glasses. When I hear “ a mind with many tabs open,” I think of an image of an actual brain with different tabs.
Include Your unnatural elements
So when doing surrealism, you have to include the unnatural and the natural. For my work, the natural would be the landscape and the women in my painting. The unnatural would be the floating brain and heart. The unnatural and natural work together to create a deep beautiful concept of the different paths we create for ourselves when we are stuck in the middle of following our minds or our hearts.
Make your image beautiful
I think a mistake many artists make is that they only focus on the deep meaningful concept. While that is important, I want to emphasize that you should try to make your paintings beautiful as well. Learn about color theory and what colors work best with each other. Maybe add beautiful scenery in the back, some flowers, or a good color combination. I like to make it when art makes you feel something, but I also like when art is pretty to look at.
Don't give it all away
The best part is the art that keeps the audience guessing. Even Though my art is very straightforward when it comes to the concept, when It comes to surrealism I try to not give it all away. As for yourself other ways you can convey a message without being so blunt about it. For example, how else can we convey sadness that isn't with tears? How else can we convey happiness without a smile? Keep the audience guessing by thinking outside the box.
Surrealism is the most exciting, deep, and amazon form of art out there. I hope I have helped other young artists find their path in surrealism. I wish you all a happy and peaceful art-making!
Ashley Garcia
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