Upcycle Progress: Surrealism Vinyl Art

I want to begin with recapping the plan for my upcycle project. I am planning on using old vinyl records that no longer play music as canvases for new art pieces. I plan to paint on each record in a surrealism style including musical elements to tie the canvas in with the art. Surrealism is a style I have been painting for a while now and believe that I can achieve my best art in this aesthetic. If you would like to read more about the aesthetic and basic plan you can head over to my other post here: https://www.aesdes.org/2024/01/31/upcycling-project-surrealism-painting/

Currently, my progress is going very well. I have two digital sketches of my plan for the records. These are shown below in Images 1 and 2.

I decided to do two records because I feel as though the piece is very well rounded with only two. I put a lot of detail into these sketches so that I had a full and complete plan before I began painting. I have never painted on vinyl records before, so I want to make sure I have the least amount of error possible in case I am not able to cover it up or fix it.

I chose these colors because they are bright and catch the eye of the viewer. I also think that the neon colors contrast well with the grays in the woman’s face. I also played around with the sketch to make it flow well with the shape of the record. I wanted the art to draw your eye around the record in a circular pattern. I think this is one benefit to the circular shape of the record.

What classifies this art as surrealism is the creative twist on the realistic components. The woman herself is very realistic including shadows and accurate facial features. The music notes also have a realistic shape to them. The imagination comes in with the addition of the vinyl record below her neck, the piano and music notes coming out of her head, the shape of the keys from the piano, and the bright colored additions to the keys and music notes.

The two records are a bit scratched but I think with some art techniques, like shadowing and highlighting, I can avoid the scratches having an impact on the final look of the project. I plan to paint throughout the next week and allow time for the paint to dry on Saturday February 17th. I think working on the painting until Thursday February 15th will give me enough time to finish the painting to my standards. This will allow me Friday February 16th to add any final touches that I see fit. Sunday February 18th I plan to add a clear top coat in order to keep the painting in good shape and avoid any future mishaps.

Currently, I have two records and a whole bunch of paint. The only thing I have not yet decided is what paint medium I am going to use. I normally use oil paint because I prefer how it blends and how long it takes to dry, but I am not sure if this will work on a vinyl record like it does on a normal canvas. The option I am leaning more towards is acrylic paint. I think that this may work better on the vinyl but I need to do more research to be sure.