Indian Ink Inspiration II: The Web

After the first ink experiments I was curious to see what other people had done with black ink. I was also interested in how others had used these 'manual' techniques in a digital environment, for instance in web design, and/or in how far the internet could aid me in the use of black ink patterns.

I quite like how Ink+Mortar Design combine water colour, black ink and and a digital typeface in their website banner:

It serves to show how well manual mark making/handwritten fonts can go hand in hand with a modern sans serif typeface, which gives it a professional touch. 

I also stumbled across the online portfolio of a designer called Colin Brewer, who has a blog in which he explores different mark making techniques, using black ink amongst other media (http://www.inkyhands.co.uk/). Here is some of his work, a mixture of type experiments and landscape studies:

 

 

As you can see, Brewer has experimented on a number of different levels, including the wetness of the paper he was using and the amount and density of ink on the brush. The outcomes are varied and interesting. Brewer writes: "I began this blog site to practice how to 'look' again in the form of observational studies". Thus, using these manual techniques and a medium as traditional as black ink helps him to return to the basics - to 'look again' after having his eye shaped and influenced by his work as a graphic designer. 

Last but not least, I found a useful resource for the lazier designers amongst us: On http://graphichive.net/Free/Graphics/ free vector-based files can be downloaded and the page includes black ink marks, too:




Although I like these patterns and marks very much and I think they could come in handy if you are stressed for time, I strongly recommend trying to create your own. Not only is it fun, it usually turns out in ways you never could have anticipated and will often inspire you in a totally unique way!