0,00001 Year Old Fossil

Fossils get your imagination running. The remains of something existing thousands of years ago.....

Well these fossils are very new, young and without any history, but fun to make in under an hour.

I had a few pieces of tile mosaic remaining after renewing the bathroom. What to do with them? Throwing them straight away seems such a waste. So I started drawing on them. I took some examples from a little fossil book. A few color pencils, mainly black and white. And a spray can acrylic color varnish ( hairspray could do as nicely).

For example:

Draw a spiral on a stone. Don't use any pressure. For the best natural result place it on an edge. Draw white "zebra" stripes across the shell shape

Place black stripes in between the white one's. Make the edge of the curl darker. Think of some shadow in the deeper parts

Not necessary but I found it to be a good addition. With some light green, blue or pink color tones light up some areas

Save your work with a layer of varnish or hairspray. Don't use laquer. It should not create a permanent shining effect. It should almost disappear after drying. Only preserve the drawing.

You will find drawing after the varnish has dried is easier than before. The ( invisible ) layer makes it possible to add finer details and intensify the white or black to create an almost three dimensional look. Cover the new drawing again with a layer of varnish.

Note that the photo's should not be seen larger than actual size ( one or two inches). Enlarging them makes them blurry, and looking less nice than they actually are.

Here are some more shapes to inspire.