Bulletism is a Surrealist technique of shooting ink at a blank piece of paper. The result is a type of ink blot. The artist can then develop images based on what is seen.
Gather Materials:
- an artist’s journal, unlined notebook, or piece of paper
- pencil set
- pencil crayons
- India ink
- a timer
Today’s Exercise
- I took my journal down to my art studio and splashed some India ink on the page
- I tilted the page allowing the ink to run in different directions
- I drew a bristly brush through the ink creating feathery lines
- I spent 15 minutes doing yoga while I left the ink to dry
Responding to ink blots
- Set a timer for 5 minutes (I remembered – YAY!)
- Spend the 5 minutes responding to the marks on the page
- Use a charcoal pencil to extend some lines
- Make some lines dotted and some dashed
- Experiment with white on top of the black ink
Reflections on the Exercise
- I thought this would feel like a Rorschach test where I would be looking for realistic images in the ink blots, but that didn’t happen at all. I played with mark making as I have with other exercises, not looking for realistic images. Wonder if that says something about my personality 🙂
- 5 minutes wasn’t long enough
- I should sharpen pencils all my pencils ahead of time so I don’t spend time sharpening during the exercise
- The two whites I have didn’t do anything much on the black.
- The extended lines with charcoal pencil blend in nicely