Ink Blot Painting Workshop

Using an ink blot method, I created some interesting compositions when trying out different colours and manipulating it in different ways. It's not a medium I have experimented with before so I was rather apprehensive at first but it turned out to be very enjoyable and a sort of unique way of using ink and paint; prior to this I always shied away from using coloured inks and paints, as I didn't feel like I was a good painter or good with a brush; I much preferred pen and paper as a medium to work with. However I was very satisfied with the results of the process.

Perhaps the most captivating feature of the ink blot work was the perfect symmetry, which was created simply by folding the page.

Here are the three main stages (above) for my ink blot artwork. Initially I had made a mistake by using far too much red ink which nearly soaked through the A1 paper, creating a huge meaningless mess on the page that I wasn't too happy with. It essentially looked like a massive red blob with nothing else to it. Therefore I decided to use some A2 paper (cutting A1 in half) and place it roughly in the centre to sort of absorb the red paint I had used, as well as provide a clean surface to do more on. This is actually very similar to the process I use in my sketchbook when I make a mistake in black pen (Faber-Castell drawing pens) which I can't erase or go over in white pen; I simply just stick some thin white paper over it. It's not usually a problem as I use this work digitally, so often it doesn't show up on the scanner, and if it does, it can be sorted in Photoshop using healing brushes or lighting techniques.

To me the work I produced looks to me like an albatross swooping through the air at a bird's eye view. The symbol of the albatross is important and also important to me. It reminds me of a specific song, 'Weight of Living Pt. 1' by Bastille, from their studio album 'All This Bad Blood'. The song throughout makes multiple references to an albatross, and the message that is given is to let it go. The symbol of an albatross is used as a metaphor to describe a psychological burden that feels like a curse. The song itself is believed to be an allusion to the famous poem 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, telling a story of an 'old sailor cursed to wander the earth and tell his story to those who will listen, as penance for sins he has committed'. So the act of letting the albatross go is one of defiance yet freedom. To me an albatross symbolises my worries, thoughts and fears as the psychological burden, especially coming to terms with failed relationships I was fully invested and head trauma. These things are the inspiration for all my art.

Source: Genius. (n.d.). There’s an albatross around your neck / All the things you’ve said and the things you’ve done. [online] Available at: https://genius.com/2850743 [Accessed 25 Nov. 2021].

Stages of the ink blot painting & creative process

1. By covering up the red area of the page with a blank canvas it opened my mind to some new ideas with this piece. I covered the canvas with blue paint which also went onto the original painting too. The mixing of the red and blue created a sort of burgundy colour. I also experimented with some different effects when folding the paper. In the first image I folded the A2 to essentially create an A3 paper layer above, and poured the ink over and folded everything to create this symmetrical effect, but with only half the blank canvas in the middle. This created a blood-red effect on the left side of the page, contrasted with the red specks of paint on the right hand side, yet the blue pattern was reflected onto both sides. The contrast made it my favourite version of the whole lot.

2. The next bit I did was unfolded the bit of paper in the middle and added some blue ink to the crease in the middle. I let the blue ink drip across the page by holding up the paper, and then folding it to make it symmetrical, which is how it ends up with the photo on the right. The trickling of the crimson red and blueberry colour created some interesting wiry effects that were mirrored.

3. In this stage I added plenty of red blotches and dots all over the page; in order to add a sort of gritty level of detail. It sort of looked like blood splatter across the page which was an interesting gothic type of idea. It also blended well into the red bits on the original paper. Once again I folded the paper.

4. I decided it would be good to add my own personal twist to my artwork. I wanted to expand from simply drawing in pen and pencil and incorporate new techniques and different mediums as part of my portfolio. I wasn't sure what to draw specifically other than the eye in the centre so I coloured in some white spaces around some of the paint to create an unusual sun spot looking effect. The symbol of the eye crying blood was a powerful symbol in my eyes.

When I was putting away some of my art supplies I had an unusual inspiration. I was pouring the paints out into the sink and I thought how that was almost an unusually artistic image, with the spilled red paint and the perspective of all the brushes. So I took a few photos (above) of this idea that I had.