Teaming up with Beth for more mark making

I felt like this mark-making session was much more successful. I was more free and playful with it. I was in super good spirits as it was my birthday, and I think that energy definitely showed in the work. 

This was my first time using alcohol ink and I really liked how highly pigmented they were. I also experimented with watercolour liquid paint, spray paint and marker pens. At the beginning I was a little cautious, not wanting to make too much mess. But once I got into the flow, I loosened up and stopped overthinking. I became more instinctive with my marks, making lots of splashed and drips.

One of my favourite experiments was using wax crayons first and then applying watercolour on top. I loved seeing how the wax resisted the paint and created negative space. The effect was really beautiful, and it is something I definitely want to keep exploring in my future abstract mark-making work.

It is interesting because some of the pieces I was not so happy with at first actually grew on me when I came back to them. The fluorescent orange circle, the blobs of navy ink, and the negative space with the pink stood out much more when I looked at them with fresh eyes. I was really happy when I revisited these sections.

This has taught me not to throw anything away too quickly. Sometimes it is important to step back, take a break, and return to a piece later. Fresh eyes really do reveal new things.