Experiment: cement lines on corrugated iron

Today I mixed cement and household emulsion to make a paste to paint the bones of a building carcass.

I blocked out the concrete structure with masking tape and applied the cement mix into the gaps. This allowed me to build up the thickness by adding layers, and I liked the cleanish lines it made when I peeled off the tape. It had a slight shuttering effect.

I waited for the cement to turn matt (I thought it would run if it was too watery) before peeling off the tape. Where the cement was thick it left a lumpy effect which reminded me of cement splashes. I wondered whether to smooth it out but in the end left it. I liked the raw feel of the lumpy, gritty texture.

I thought some of the lines might be too thin on the first piece so I tried some thicker ones on the second. We’ll see whether they stay stuck.

I loved the rusty bits on the iron, but I thought I should have done some weathering painting before I put on the bones so the building looked deeper and there was more variation between the bones. I tried that with the second piece and I thought it did give more body and depth to the structure.

In the first one I painted the sky in pink oil paint. I like the way the paint reflects the light and shows up the waves in the iron. But I’m not sure I like the pink. I chose it to reflect one of the underlying colours on the iron. I might over-paint with a light grey and let some of the pink come through.

The second painting is a simpler detail and more abstracted as a result. I suspect I might prefer this to the fuller image because it might feel looser.