Beautiful Oops

I created my beautiful oops inkblot into marine life. There were four blots on the page to begin with— one large skinny one in the center of three small dots. Something about the way the ink trailed reminded me of a hammerhead shark, so the long one transformed into a just that while the two small ones on the left are now fish, and leading the way is a jellyfish. This theme seemed appropriate to me because I am passionate about marine life and health. After moving to Maine four years ago, I took great interest in the ocean and its life. In my freshman science class, I was introduced to the detriments humans inflict on the ocean and have been highly interested in learning more and making a change since then. Because of this passion, I was excited to hint at it through this art piece.

I created this using a black Sharpie, Prismacolor markers, and a white gel pen. The markers are a choice material for me because I like being able to layer and blend colors together to get a rich and vibrant look. I used the Sharpie to expand off of the inkblots, creating detail and form. The white gel pen came in handy for adding detail as well.

To begin, I rotated the paper around, viewing the blots from different angles to see if any images stood out to me. I couldn’t help but see the shape of a hammerhead shark. I decided to play with form and add onto the blots, drawing in the eyes and fins of the hammerhead, tentacles for the jellyfish, and fins for the fish. I began outlining the shark with a blue marker with the intention of filling the space around the animals with solid blue but decided to go with a more vibrant, funky look. The colors outlining the main forms of the animals help create unity because the jellyfish’s yellow flows under the shark and the pink of the shark matches the pink gradient around the fish. As my project evolved, it was enhanced when I added highlights using the white gel pen which makes it more visually engaging. My next step for this project could be to continue the multi-color pattern rather than having a faded background. This current background clashes with the vibrance of the main subject so it’s not visually pleasing. If I add more details such as sea plants with hints of the same colors, it would tie the background and the animals together.