Brushpops
Brushpops is a generative system inspired by Roy Lichtenstein’s iconic work, where a random hash determines the composition of a series of abstract brush strokes.
Lichtenstein’s original work has separated the brushstrokes from their original context, and now we take another step in the same direction, and separate the artist from the work. Surrendering to the random nature of the generative system, I’m no longer able to curate the work, and throw out the outputs I don’t like. I have to relinquish control, and set the work free, where only some loosely-predetermined rules and a hash number will determine the actual outcome.
The Brushstroke was detached from the painting, and it’s now detached from the artist as well.
Please note, the examples shown here were produced at the testing stages of the system. When the project goes live, it may produce completely different results.
Composition The algorithm has two ways for applying the brushstrokes to the canvas. The first would be a jumble of curved strokes, all concentrated inside a circle of varying size. When there is a low number of strokes to play with, the algorithm sometimes kicks into a more structured approach for placing the strokes, some of them directly inspired by Lichtenstein’s original work.
Color The algorithm can choose from 18 different color palettes , and sample them in three different modes. Usually, it would pick a color for each new brushstroke, but sometimes the whole composition will have just single color picked. The third mode picks a different color for each brush bristle, with results varying from variegated to psychedelic.
Brush strokes The actual brush stroke is made up of a few dozen “bristles”. This is basically a long row of circles that is being pulled along the curve that the algorithm is looking to draw.
Along its journey, every circle decides if it wants to grow or shrink in size. This can happen multiple times, but generally, the brush loses some of the paint as it goes along, with some bristles completely disappearing.
Canvas, splats and drips The algorithm chooses a complimentary color for the canvas, with the occasional addition of Ben Day dots. While painting, each brushstroke could also produce color drips, and some splats that form if the brush leaves the canvas too quickly.
Collecting As of writing this, I can’t be sure which traits will end up being rare, or perhaps not appear at all. But what I did have in mind is trying to discover and assemble triplets of similar traits that could work together.
These all have exactly 20 brush strokes, with multi-color bristles and with a Ben Day circle:
These are all single, basic brush: