Okay, so I’ve been seeing this guy Derek Kaplan’s art pop up all over my feed lately, and honestly, it’s pretty cool. I decided to give it a shot myself – see if I could create something even remotely similar. Spoiler alert: it’s harder than it looks!
Getting Started
First, I gathered my supplies. I didn’t have any fancy canvases or anything, so I just grabbed some thick paper I had lying around. For colors, I dug out my old acrylic paint set. They were a little dried out, but hey, that’s part of the charm, right?
The Messy Process
- I started by just slapping some paint onto the paper. No real plan, just going with the flow. I used a big, fat brush to make broad strokes.
- Then, I tried to mimic some of Kaplan’s shapes. Lots of circles and rounded rectangles, kind of overlapping each other. It looked like a total mess at this point, but I tried to trust the process.
- I added some contrasting colors to make it pop. I used a smaller brush and a palette knife for more details, and try my best to make it looks better.
- I kept adding layers and layers of paint, letting some of the previous layers peek through. This part took forever, and my hands were covered in paint by the end.
The (Not-So-Grand) Finale
Honestly, my final piece looks… okay. It’s definitely not as polished or sophisticated as Derek Kaplan’s work, but it was fun to try! It’s kind of abstract and messy, but I guess that’s my style. I might try this again sometime, maybe with better materials and a bit more planning.
