One of the techniques that I used and explored in multiple ways creating this series involved masking tape and numbers. I love that painting is like a puzzle, and I think it's fun to try to find an efficient route to achieve my vision. I created my reference in PhotoShop using NASA's image of 30 Doradus or the *Tarantula Nebula*. I placed it within an icosahedron, a shape familiar to many gamers. I was exploring more complex geometry after playing with stripes, circles, and triangles. 

![d20 tarantula flat.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPne5pv6MsuU7yJtaBtuAApvyxKVnYt9Hgvrxi4ahvbkc/d20%20tarantula%20flat.jpg)


<center>Have you all seen this image of 30 Doradus? It's just stunning.</center>
<center>[*source*](http://hubblesite.org/image/2942/news_release/2012-01)</center>


![30 doradus.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQQtyH4ftwuL6zkYuT8ujQafNU3wKbWp9r9zwEf4nWgik/30%20doradus.jpg)

Because I created my PhotoShop image to scale, I plotted the points at each edge and transferred them to a canvas toned silver. From there began the puzzle of deciding which parts of the shape to tape up first in a way that would not only be the easiest route but also so that I might be able to paint as much surface at once as possible. 

I recently found craft masking tape that is much smaller in diameter so I no longer have to move around my tape to get small lines. Yay! 

<center>*So it began...*</center>

![IMG_4018.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWkj4VFbbpNTfaHLDN2jnomTUZG9hjz2xgdiy5aWRRFxa/IMG_4018.JPG)

![IMG_4020.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmXJQHBYRQhgJG55813k3qTyLeXD5mm64XozMX2EtBB3oC/IMG_4020.JPG)

![IMG_4021.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmV4nExNo8hC6TqJEQyBTu733tBLiPMhSDeq6iDikbPzvW/IMG_4021.JPG)

![IMG_4022.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmTxHYcsmdnzagVUoLvokqArkVUBa41aePMT5HQheuazGJ/IMG_4022.JPG)

![IMG_4023.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmdtZ2VAsYjhn2YK8fXzx8zL6gFcgMbytVY9Jz5Zogt55u/IMG_4023.JPG)

![IMG_4024.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQxi44iGF2h1ra1BtSQxx4mEBNLZ1FV6x9i6VFSXotzXH/IMG_4024.JPG)

![IMG_4026.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmUauYZKwwyUxBUEW9ugxQvbWVexuEjnAFHWFWFX97X4JU/IMG_4026.JPG)

![IMG_4027.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmZJaiJv4XxvuYJYk23bh2okng9pG3bqKwqFCYEu7TG8gj/IMG_4027.JPG)

![FullSizeRender (45).jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmdzBvbryqPQgF8jF6d3VZhdXVVt4VfiBsU9QZkf3wmJXF/FullSizeRender%20(45).jpg)

<center>*The final:*</center>

![Tarantula Galaxy_Christie Snelson.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPzoREJYG32ZiNiUbsQ42bEiTTTtxCBmmtDLCqU9u4A3K/Tarantula%20Galaxy_Christie%20Snelson.jpg)

The painting made it into the local paper! So exciting! If you want to see the rest of the series, you can find it on my [website](http://christiesnelson.com/perspectives-2017/). I also made a pretty comprehensive post about it last month that you can find [here](https://steemit.com/art/@christiesnelson/finally-finished-my-space-series-32-new-paintings-from-hubble-images). 

![FullSizeRender (47).jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmUkN1TxjqmemZ9W4WFhFkfFYSvggNcHpQ5nPGHynyK78B/FullSizeRender%20(47).jpg)


<center>Thanks for looking!</center>

<center>![christie snelson sized copy.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPdJKvUPYgz77SDJCVLz43cUjYpvVuZHTGLB6c3QYpCFh/christie%20snelson%20sized%20copy.jpg)</center> 

<center>[www.christiesnelson.com](https://www.christiesnelson.com)</center>