What do you see? (top left image). Did you see the rabbit? Or perhaps another animal or creature? Chances are you did not see a Kookaburra if you are not Australian. As part of my image-making practice I have been developing a form of ‘marbling’ using oil-based paint and turps on water. In my thesis Back to the drawing board? I refer to this form of accidental mark-making as ‘water squiggles’. The floating paint is transferred (lifted off the water’s surface on contact) using paper or canvas to create a single print (mono-print). Different chemical reactions are created by variations in the oil paint recipe, the quality of pigment used, the temperature of the water, and how long the paint is left on the surface. A wide variety of random patterns, textures, bubbles, splotches, and swirls are formed using this process. It is possible to direct the paint in certain directions by drawing into the surface with a stick or submerging the paper or canvas under the paint surface and allowing the paint to wash over.

Finding images within these water squiggles has become “a way of developing and arousing the mind to various intentions”, (Da Vinci, 1508) for me. I have always had an interest in pareidolia and visual phenomena including optical illusions. As a visual communicator, understanding the principles of visual perception (it’s potential and limitations), is essential to producing effective human centred design solutions.

Roughly sketching possible approaches and compositions over the top of these images can be an efficient way to think through and play with possible visual outcomes. I mainly use the sketch app Procreate to draw and record the iterations and my thinking trail for future analysis. The results derived from creative thinking activities conducted as part of my PhD research, Back to the drawing board?, suggest students benefit from including process drawing, with other digital cut and paste activities, in their creative processes. Exploring alternatives is the key to .