Creatures

Perhaps one of the coolest aspects of tie dye, and one of the things that first drew me into the art, was the hidden little pictures, faces, and creatures that tie dye can yield! These 100% unintentional characters pop up when you least expect them and are hard, if not completely impossible, to create intentionally. My favorite creatures are the ones that show up that are undeniable to any audience. Different people can see different things in each tie dye because our brains are wired differently and we can subconsciously be looking for things that are of interest to us, but once in a while some creature appears and everyone says, "Whoa! Look at that!" That was the case with this little dude, this little meditating Mantis/Alien dude with the glowing eyes. How cool is he?! Completely unintentional, this little guy graced the back of a shirt that I first labeled a fail. I had spiraled the shirt and the spiral came out messy and I was unhappy with it. I re-tied the shirt into a mandala fold and re-dyed it and this is what I found when I opened it up! Wow!

I have seen many a face, many a creature or character in my tie dyes. I have seen bears and lizards and monkeys playing drums. I've seen totems stacked with characters. I've seen soldiers and angels and all kinds of things. As an artist, I am always looking for inspiration and/or new ideas. How cool is it when you find inspiration in your own piece?! Could I duplicate this process and recreate this little guy? No! But I could draw him up and stitch him into a tie dye or create a vector with him to embellish a tie dye. The possibilities are endless! Art is a living, breathing, evolving thing and I am ever so happy to spend my days in the midst of it!