Controlled accident has found its place in every area of the modern arts. The aleatoric music of John Cage and Lukas Foss, the movements of many modern dance choreographers, the paintings of Franz Kline, Jackson Pollack, and others of the action school welcome accident into their work. This original Dover publication illustrates dozens of accidental effects discovered by a commercial artist in the course of his work. Some are the result of bringing together materials that react with each other, some the result of applying pigment in uncommon ways. All of them have enormous design potential. The text describes in detail how you can create similar accidental designs yourself with only basic art materials. Nine areas of 'accident' are described and illustrated: tree forms created by the movement of pigments or liquids; crackle patterns resulting from stress in layers or glue, paint, India ink, or graphite; crawl patterns as coats of paint cover irregular or incompatible surfaces unevenly; random patterns of drips, drops, or dribbles; splashes and runs created by vigorous impact and gravity; marble effects created by pulling power or canvas through paint which is floating on water: wrinkle lines and folds in a variety of materials-- 27 plates that show patterns emerging in from ink flowing along wrinkled paper, scorch marks from a kerosene flame, waves in water-filled baking pan, and similar material. Variations in temperature, humidity and the materials themselves guarantee that no two designs will be exactly like. The instructions that accompany each plate, explaining step by step how the author created the effect, are therefore not a means for duplicating the illustrations. Rather, they are a way for the artist to explore his materials and exercise personal creativity. - from Amzon