{"id":34,"date":"2026-08-30T18:26:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T18:26:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ab-designs.art\/?page_id=34"},"modified":"2026-09-08T15:53:48","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T15:53:48","slug":"ink","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ab-designs.art\/?page_id=34","title":{"rendered":"Ink"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
Business Man <\/summary>\n

An A4 piece created as part of a university project responding to a written script. I was given a selection of five scripts to choose from and selected this one because I was immediately drawn to its themes and the creative possibilities it offered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project challenged me to translate a written narrative into a visual form, considering how elements such as imagery, composition, symbolism, and atmosphere could communicate aspects of the script without relying solely on the written text. The final piece became an exploration of how a script can be interpreted visually and transformed into an independent piece of artwork.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
Wisteria <\/summary>\n

Created as part of a university project focused solely on flowers, this A2 piece was produced in response to a timed observational drawing exercise. I was given just\u00a015 minutes\u00a0to create an ink painting inspired by flowers, using only a\u00a0single brush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The restrictions encouraged a spontaneous and instinctive approach to mark-making, removing the opportunity to overwork or refine the image. Working solely with ink also meant relying on pressure, movement, and the density of the marks to suggest form, shape, and texture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exercise challenged me to simplify the subject and capture its essential qualities quickly, embracing the unpredictability of the medium while developing confidence in expressive and gestural mark-making.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Flowers<\/summary>\n

A series of experimental flower drawings created during a timed university workshop focused on\u00a0mark making, observation, and rapid image-making. Each drawing was completed within a strict\u00a020-minute timeframe, encouraging me to work quickly and intuitively rather than becoming overly focused on detail or perfection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The time constraint pushed me to explore different marks, lines, and ways of suggesting the forms and textures of flowers. Working at speed allowed the drawings to retain a sense of movement and spontaneity, while challenging me to identify and capture the most essential characteristics of the subject.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
Female Dancer <\/summary>\n

A figurative piece inspired by the female anatomy, exploring the relationship between the natural forms of the body and the fluidity of dance. I wanted to combine the sense of movement and grace found within dance with a more static, almost statue-like quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The contrast between fluidity and stillness creates a sense of tension within the figure, suggesting both movement and permanence at the same time. The work explores the female form not simply as an anatomical subject, but as something expressive, sculptural, and capable of communicating emotion through posture and movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The combination of organic bodily forms and dance-inspired fluidity creates a piece that sits between\u00a0living movement and preserved form, questioning how the body can simultaneously feel powerful, delicate, expressive, and restrained.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
“Be hurt in love or by fear??”<\/summary>\n

A figurative study exploring the vulnerability, fear, and emotional exposure that can come with love. The figure is seated with her knees drawn tightly towards her chest, creating a protective and withdrawn posture that suggests a desire for safety and emotional self-preservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Created using Beryl pen and water, the figure itself has been deliberately allowed to bleed and dissolve across the paper. The fluidity of the ink disrupts the solidity of the human form, suggesting the way strong emotions can make us feel vulnerable, exposed, or as though we are losing control of ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The contrast between the recognisable figure and the uncontrolled movement of the ink reflects the tension between wanting to protect yourself and allowing yourself to experience deep emotional connection. The bleeding form becomes a visual representation of vulnerability, something that cannot always be contained or controlled.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Bear Study <\/summary>\n

Created as part of a university project focused on developing a bear character for a mock children\u2019s book. This study consisted of two exercises exploring how simplified forms could be used to create a recognisable and expressive character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first task focused on\u00a0line work, experimenting with different poses and positions while reducing the bear into simple, essential shapes. The second was a\u00a0five minute brush and ink exercise, designed to encourage instinctive mark-making and prevent overthinking. Working quickly with ink forced me to focus only on the fundamental shapes and features needed to communicate the character as a bear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, the exercises challenged me to consider how much information can be removed from a character while still maintaining recognisability, personality, and movement. They became an important part of developing a simple visual language for the final children\u2019s book character.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
Abstract life drawing<\/summary>\n

An abstract life drawing created during a live life drawing session. As the first piece of the session, I gave myself\u00a020 minutes\u00a0to loosen up and become more comfortable with the medium before moving into further studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working with ink, I focused on keeping the marks fluid and expressive rather than concentrating on precise anatomical detail. The abstract approach allowed me to respond instinctively to the figure, using movement, line, and spontaneous mark-making to capture the essence of the pose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exercise acted as a warm-up, helping me establish a sense of freedom and fluidity within my ink work and encouraging me to work with the unpredictable nature of the medium rather than against it. <\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ab-designs.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/34","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ab-designs.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ab-designs.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ab-designs.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ab-designs.art\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/ab-designs.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/34\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":181,"href":"https:\/\/ab-designs.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/34\/revisions\/181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ab-designs.art\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ab-designs.art\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ab-designs.art\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}