I’m continuing to work with this text from Don Quixote.
It’s a short quote, but it really gets to the point, as only proverbs and aphorisms can.
(See En Los Nidos for my explanation.)
This is one of my favorite ways to work. I start with some random calligraphic gestures in sumi ink. Then, without waiting for the sumi to completely dry, I get it wet, either by running it under water or splashing or spraying water on it. The sumi runs everywhere, of course, but it brings some randomness into the process. Once that’s all dry, then I go about trying to find ways to get the text to work in the overall layout and, if necessary, re-balance the effect of the random sumi marks and running ink. I use sumi ink a lot – I love how the intense black contrasts with the relatively bright white of the watercolor paper. When you run water over it, beautiful textures of grey appear.
