The Color of Music

How the moods of music affect the moods and methods of painting.

First up on my playlist was Hall of the Mountain King, though I found a version I did not expect to find, by Apocalyptica, a Metal band of some genre or other.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWEmsUiQELU

I have to admit I knew pretty much what to expect of each bit of music and pre-chose my watercolor pencils appropriately.  Though I do think the point would have gotten across in different colors, but Hall of the Mountain King, any version, makes me think of dark and rich colors (and trolls, the old fashioned kind).  I took a photo of each one as I finished it before adding water, then added water while playing the same music. I tended to make separated lines to distinct notes, went up and down as the music did. But I only had a small piece of paper in front of me, so ended up drawing over previous parts.

Water added.

Kinda dangerous music.....

I figured the original Grieg couldn't outdo Metal, so I went in search of something more tranquil. I've been watching a series on Netflix called Journey to the Microcosmos which deals with a lot of little microscopic things backed by a southing narrator and watery, flowing mood music. This particular episode was mostly music. I turned the screen around so I wouldn't try to draw the critters but I'm sure I was influenced by my previous viewings of tiny twirling things within a film of water.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcZCZFmoRMU

watered down:

Last for some fun, Parov Stelar, Booty Swing (Lyric, I think this was background music to one of your earlier classes, or something close to it. That's how I discovered electro-swing).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eco4z98nIQY&list=RDQMBbK7LBfmORY&index=2


I think this one made me think of partners dancing and those little dance diagrams you find with lessons. So there are two people dancing in relation to each other, and they are gliding across the floor in various pathways.  I made the bottom lines whenever a part of the music came up that seems to wind and unwind, over and over.

These two closeups are probably my favorites:

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NOTE: This study is from an online design class I am taking with Lyric Kinard called The Artist's Toolbox, part 1. Information on the next offering of this class can be found here: https://app.ruzuku.com/courses/34574/about.