Hirameki: the art of transforming paint blots into artwork

Today, I’ve been playing with the Japanese painting technique called hirameki, which I originally learned about a year ago through the Graphic Change Academy newsletter.

Basically, hirameki involves creating color stains in various shapes. Once they're dry, you add details based on the first image that comes to mind.

My husband explained the meaning of the word to me as inspiration, like in the phrase: “Oh, that’s what I want to draw!”, which you exclaim when a shape reminds you of a specific image.

My husband's suggestion that I make the blots with my non-dominant right hand was what I ultimately chose to do. The outcomes of this playful exercise are shown below. I'm positive that today’s experimenting with hirameki wasn't the last time I did it.