Inky Pleasures

Discover unique acrylic ink art by Newcastle-based artist Steve Smith, digitally enhanced for stunning effects.

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Artistic Journey

I started creating art again about 15 years ago when I got a job working in a factory. Something about the job brought out a need to do something small and mindless to relax and when I bought the book 'One Zentangle A Day' by Beckah Krahula I began a prolific period of doing dozens of small credit card sized pieces of artwork. This was really the thing that started me off creating art again. It's an excellent book - click this link if you're interested. I don't get any money for recommending it. Think Ebay or World of books might have it as well maybe cheaper.

Here's a small selection of some of the better ones that I created around that time. All I did really was play around with my watercolour set then cut the sheet of paper into small manageable chunks and then doodled around the shapes using a fineliner pen and a white 'gelly roll' pen. Aye, it's like 'Paint by Numbers' but who cares... it keeps you out of mischief! The amount of enjoyment I got from doing these (just for my own pleasure) you wouldn't believe. The moment I'd finished one I'd start another till I had done about a hundred.

I suppose all good things must come to an end, but in this case it didn't end it just morphed into something better than watercolours... acrylic ink!! I bloomin' love ink!! So, I bought a small set of daler acrylic inks and some cheap black ink and (to get over the fear of the blank page) started dripping it, blowing (using a straw), spraying with water to create blooms of colour. The amount of fun I had... ink should be illegal to buy! Haha!!

Around this time I discovered a cheap and cheerful waterbrush - can't remember which one at the time but I currently use Caran D'ache waterbrushes which are far superior to any other I have used. I also had a wee trip into the toon to 'Details' Art shop and bought a tin of Inktense pencils which are pigmented ink and can be layered to create eye popping artwork. Combined with a waterbrush directly onto the pencil... "Waterbrush and Inktense pencils... oh my!!, Waterbrush and Inktense pencils... oh my!! (to the tune of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz - Lions and tigers and bears oh my! Haha!!). Here's a link to Derwent Inktense pencils - I wouldn't recommend rubbish to you. Again, I'm not making any money from any of these links - it's just so you can see what I'm talking about. Support your local art materials shop as much as you can - use it or lose it!