hua tunan's chaotic yet controlled painted tiger blends textures + techniques

hua tunan’s chaotic yet controlled painted tiger blends textures and techniques
all images courtesy of hua tunan

combining traditional, asian-influenced motifs and contemporary public art practices, chinese graffiti artist hua tunan has painted the image of a roaring tiger with gold, black and white pigment. rendered on a towering canvass wall, tunan (previously featured by designboom for his vibrant leopard portrait here) has formed the monumental image by spraying, throwing and catapulting different hues onto the solid surface, where the layered textures become an integral part of the final result. the performance-like personality of the painting process, characteristic of the artist’s overall approach, lends itself to a chaotic yet controlled composition where the animal image is formed by the fusion of various textural qualities. from sketch book to pen to paint brush, the work takes shape over the course of multiple trials and techniques, finally forming the dynamic image of the dangerously-realistic wild creature.

layered textures become an integral part of the final result

hua tunan catapults paint at the canvas

black, white and gold brush strokes are both chaotic and controlled

the image of the tiger becomes clear against a gold backdrop

the artist uses brushes and body force to create the dynamic composition

the artist throws liquid paint towards the canvas

the background is splattered with paint and pigment

painting the backdrop for the animal composition

sketches by the artist of the tiger in motion

in-action shot shows hua tunan working on the large-scale work

an image of the artist’s palette reveals the textures and type of strokes achieved