Ink Smooshing Tutorial

There's this technique that I really like using. It's called "Ink Smooshing" and it makes this watercolor, spatter effect. It's very easy to do and it needs ZERO creativity! Probably why this technique appealed to me so much.

The name came from the action that you do in order to achieve the watercolor effect, which is "smooshing" ink on paper. Personally I really like the word "smoosh" and "smooshing". It makes it sound like it's a really fun thing to do; and it is.

Something to note though is that the pattern will be pretty random and cannot be replicated since how the ink is smooshed on the paper unpredictable. You can exercise some sort of control on which colors to use, how much ink gets on the paper, and where the colors go.

I also noticed that most of the time when I'm doing this, my initial reaction is it looks ugly, but as I put in more colors and splatters, I see it get prettier. There are instances when I really didn't like how it looked and then after a few minutes, I suddenly appreciate how nice it looks, and I can't believe how I can be capable of making something so beautiful! Haha! So don't fret if you think you can't do it, or it's not pretty enough. it will be! Just wait!

There are 3 things you need in order to do this

1. Water-based ink or any ink that gets "activated" by water. So in other words any ink that is not waterproof. You'll get the best effects and colors with water-based ones though. You can also use watercolor! In my arsenal, I use the following: Versa Color ink cubes, Versa Magic ink tear drops, Distress Mini Ink Pads, Distress Stains, Crayola Super Tips, Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens, Zebra Mildliners
2. Plastic Film. The plastic film acts as the medium that transfers the ink into the paper. I use the transparency films and just cut them out into smaller pieces. You can use any material that does not absorb ink. I find that the clear plastic transparency films are best for this because they are flexible enough for the job but not too much that I can't get any control on where I lay down the ink. And since it's transparent, I can see how the ink behaves as I smoosh it on paper.
3. Water. Adding water on the ink that's on the plastic film makes the ink spreadable and gives it it's watercolor effect. I use an atomizer when I do this technique.

So in order to smoosh ink, here's what you need to do:

1. Make sure your plastic film is clean, no other ink traces. I usually use different films for different colors. That way I don't waste ink. I can reactivate left over ink with water!
2. Put the color you want on the film, either you swatch your pens or press your ink pads on the film. You can do a single color or multiple colors in one film. Do note that having multiple colors will cause the colors to mix at some point. So if you have more than 2 colors, be ready to get a brown tint on some places of your work.
3. Put a little water on the ink. You can either spritz it with an atomizer, one spray will do; or put a small drop of water on the ink and mix the water with your finger. The key here is to use very little water, just enough to "activate" the ink. Too much water will also warp your paper or cause the fibers to show. When spritzing water, you'll need something to wipe off the droplets on the parts of the film with no ink.
4. Flip the film over get ready to smoosh ink. You can either put the film on the paper and use the pads of your index finger to smoosh or press the ink on paper so that it spreads out; or instead of putting on paper flat, you can do quick dabbing motions with the film to get a spattered effect.

After doing this technique a couple of times (read: a lot!), I've discovered a few things:

1. It's better to lay one color at a time. I like the effect better and each color is more vibrant since I can target where to put it
2. Start with the lightest color first because once all your colors are smooshed on paper and you haven't smooshed the lightest color yet, it'll be hard to bring out or the color because the brighter colors have taken center stage already
3. Using the water drop method yields better results than spritzing because sometimes when you spritz, there are parts of the ink that don't get activated, and doesn't have the watercolor effect when smooshed on paper

Check out the video here: