Residue
With is artwork, I have found a way to replicate a seaweed like texture. The idea is to create some kind of slime like substance hanging of the orbs. Could this orrery have been transferred to us from another dimension, and is therefore covered in some ghastly residue from that dimension. I want to create a back story for this artwork sooner or later.
To create the residue, or seaweed if you wish to call it that, I got some large pieces of cotton. I covered it in PVA glue, which would dry and gradually stiffen it. I stretched the cotton out, whilst also tearing it. It formed the shape and consistency of seaweed hanging off a physical object. Small cotton balls might conceivably work but I advise you get your hands on large pieces of cotton. With the small cotton balls you get from Boots, its hard to perform the stretching, tearing action. There is not enough cotton to stretch out and tear. Without that size, you can’t make the shape that is needed. You just end up tearing the cotton ball to pieces. If my memory serves me right, I think I got this large piece of cotton from Hobbycraft.
Painting
I was able to paint the seaweed using acrylic paint. To achieve this color use a mixture of Sap Green, Yellow Ochre and Burnt Sienna. The other important thing is to have a smaller brush for painting detail. If the green intended for the seaweed gets on the skin of the orb (or creature), it can look messy. The colors for each type of surface need to be correct. Otherwise it looks messy, haphazard and ‘painty’. It sends a signal to the viewer that you don’t care about the work.