Layering

 What Is Layering?

I have learned that the process of layering in art is the stacking of materials over other materials. This can make it easier to add surface texture and subtle color shifts. Many contemporary artists use the concept of layering to create the impression that one shape is in front of another to create visual effects. Layering can be achieved through the build up of shapes and objects to create an aesthetic that is appealing to the eyes.

Examples of Layering in Art

An example of layering is this picture. If the picture were to have a blank background, it would probably look very plain and boring. However, you can see that the artist stacked together multiple pieces of elements to make the image stand out more. In some cases, you can see the very bottom layer of a layered artwork, like this one. In others, you may only see the top layer.

Another example of layering is in this painting of a man's face. The artist incorporated many different shapes, lines, and colors to stack on top of each other, creating a colorful image with various elements. Again, if the image were to only be an outline of a man's face, it would look very plain. However, the layers of colors gives more life to the art piece. 

Takashi Murakami

A contemporary artist who uses layering in his art is Takashi Murakami. He is most famous and well known for creating the Murakami flower, which is now widely recognizable for many people around the world.

The Murakami flowers are celebrated for their joy and innocence. Takashi Murakami displayed an example of layering in this piece of artwork by overlapping multiple flowers on top of each other. You can also see that the artist uses shapes to create cloud behind the flowers. Although the clouds are really underneath the flowers, the process of layering it under the flower creates the visual effect that they are actually behind and above the flowers.

There are multiple examples of layering in this picture from the bamboo sticking out behind the panda bear to the stacking of skulls to make it look like they are on top of each other. All of these techniques make the objects in the picture appear more 3 dimensional, which is one of the reasons why artists use layering in their artwork.

Layering In My Art

In my own art, I can use layering by applying overlays and colorings to my videos. I can also use different shapes and drop shadows to make the video look like it's 3 dimensional.

Something that interested me in the investigation was where the Murakami flower originated from. I've seen the flower multiple times before throughout my lifetime, but I've always thought it was the basic way to draw a flower, and never knew that there was a specific name for it.