Ink droppings 1
My inkblot number 1. What did you see?

In my last post I asked if you could see or imagine anything in these inkblots that I made into my art journal, and I got some fun answers. Thanks everyone!

The more I think about this exercise the more I see its value. I realize how great it is to sometimes let art be a coincidence, to let go of control and perfectionism. It is challenging us to think differntly and use our imagination more actively. Imagination is key, but it needs exercise or it gets really really tired. Some grown ups seem to have killed their imagination somewhere along the way, and that is so sad. Give your imagination some mouth-to-mouth help, quick!

Often we already know what we want to see on the page. We think we have an “idea”, but where did it come from? Maybe someone else’s art journaling? By looking at something already existing we let the subconscious work, and that is very good. Innovative art often comes from the subconscious.

So you have your inkblot, and you are looking, and looking…

At first you might see nothing, just some stupid spilled ink, but once you relax and you see an image revel itself you are taken by suprice. Why didn’t you see that at once? Yeah, now it’s so obvious.

For me I get kind of stuck at both these stations. First I got stuck and saw absolutely nothing no matter how hard I tried. Then I saw what the inkblots depict and after that I could see nothing else!

I can only see babies there now, no matter how hard I try to see a bunny, a buffalo, a bison or something else entirely!

All I see are these babies…

Ink dropplet babie x 2
I call them the inkdropplet twins. One dark like coal in the November night, one transparent and almost dissolving…

They are kind of spookey, and because the “came to me” I am not sure if they are unborn children longing to be born or spirit babies trying to tell me something… :-) I think they would be interesting images to continue working with, maybe in fabric or embroidery? Or poetry. To me they are very poetic.

This is how the second inkblog image looked when it had dried:

Ink dropping page 2

And this is how it turned out, an iluustration spreading across two pages, not as romantic or poetic, but rather cute:

Ink dropping elephant
Inkblot elephant, born out of… my imagination? coincidence? my humor?

Thanks everyone for playing along and using your imagination. I hope you will try this exercise that is called “inkblots”, taught by Leah Piken Kolidas of Creative Every Day. I will defiantly add it to my arsenal of art exercises to use every now and then.