Rorschach inkblot test is an interesting fashion silhouette developing technique: Here's how

It isn't news that Rorschach inkblot tests are among the widely known psychological tests. These tests are used to analyse the thoughts of the clients and understand their perceptions of different objects spotted in the inkblots. So, what's new?

Apart from being a psychological test, this technique is a very interesting and fun way to develop fashion silhouettes! How you may ask, well it's not going to be as professional as the traditional inkblot test but I assure you it's an easy and fun fix.

Very often, we all experience creative blocks. The pressure to do something new every time is quite taxing and the mind becomes so rigid that it cannot think freely. This brings us to the point that easing ourselves becomes priority. The same applies to silhouette development in fashion. Something new comes up almost every season and sets the bar so high to make interesting and unique silhouettes the following season. This is where finding new ways to think freely which helps exploit our creativity to the fullest plays a cardinal role. So let's grab some paints and brushes and get started right away, ya?

So, as always the first step is gathering all our materials. For this activity, we will need paper, acrylic paints (tubes preferred)/watercolours, paint brushes of any size and threads of different thickness and we are all set.

This is a very simple activity which does not require much time but gives very interesting forms which can be develop. Follow the steps listed beneath to gain an understanding about this technique.

Step 1: fold the paper in half either vertically or horizontally and press firmly till a crease is seen.

Step 2: Open the paper and choose 2 or 3 colours (could be random) and add blotches of paint on random spots on one side of the paper. Some can be clustered some individual. Make sure to not cluster them too much and spread out the blotches. This should not be done consciously, just go wild!

step 3: once paint is added , carefully fold the sheet back again, and press it firmly so the other side absorbs the paint too.

Step 4: carefully open the paper again and voila! you have an interesting and symmetrical form happening.

It is very important that one should not add the paint consciously and just let loose and have fun with this activity. Initially the paint might not show up on the other side of the paper properly but that is completely alright! Just make sure not to let the paint dry or add some water to bottle or watercolour paints. initially the forms might not look appealing but it is important to keep trying and utilise interesting colour combos as well to spice up the forms.

For my first try I chose yellow and red, but orange is also seen because the colours have blended. Upon observing closely I see 2 teddy bears who seem upset with their heads facing down. It is important to keep analysing what you can perceive from the forms which have formed and build relationships and develop on those terms.

So let's spice it up a bit, shall we...?

For this next exploration i have used threads. You will be surprised how threads of different thickness creates an entirely new dynamic. This exploration is also pretty simple, after adding paint place the threads on the paint in any way, but leave a tail hanging. Now close the paper and slowly pull the hanging tail. Make sure to place something heavy on top of the paper so the effect of the thread can be seen.

My first try using a thread wasn't perfect as you can see. The paint did not show up on the other side because it dried up and i did not press it hard enough. The thread effect was also not prominent because i did not pull it out properly. But it's okay ! It is important to keep trying and explore more.

Colour palettes play an important role too. Although choosing random colours for initial explorations are good, i learnt quickly that having a colour story elevates the form so much more and makes it way more striking.

To develop silhouettes, following the above techniques is all one needs to do alongside sketching a fashion figure for the base. Adding paint on top of those figures paves way for more garment like looking forms. Adding other features like stylised body parts or textures and details adds more element making it feisty.

What is more interesting is that paper is not the only medium one can work this technique on. Fabrics are a great option too! Anything from a pillowcase to unused fabric will work. One has to follow the exact same method but be cautious not to add too much water or the paint will seep through the fabric! Here are a couple of my explorations on scrap fabric that I found around my house ( A quick heads up, It got extremely messy:)) :

These are a few process pictures of my first exploration on fabric. I should say it was a little different from working on paper. The fabric absorbed all the water and the paint even caught on to the floor! Yes, the floor! I had to go in a couple times and apply paint and fold it again for it to show up. Nonetheless I enjoyed painting the fabric because it gave me the chance to explore on a new medium.

EXPLORATIONS

#1

The blue and white make a great duo but there was some warmth lacking and so i decided to add yellow which pops out and complements the deep blue as well. The play of the light yellow and dark blue makes the exploration more exuberant. I also personally love the blue and yellow colour duo.

#2

For this next exploration, I learnt my lesson from the previous one, Do not add too much water!! All in all I love this exploration because of the arrangement of the different elements and again the iconic red and green colour duo. The sprightly and bubbly red works well with the rather reserved and fresh green. I can visualise this as some sort of pattern on a kurta or even bedsheets.

Few of my paper explorations:

For this exploration the colours add the vitality and makes the silhouette more appealing in my opinion. The serene blue and fresh green blends so well with the brownish orange. The fresh green against the subdued brownish orange makes it look like a crossover between spring and autumn, a contrast which captures a fresh and lively beginning.

The attention seeking red, blending with the peach gives out the soft pink tone which makes it look like a costume which would be worn in some periodical or fantasy drama! the colours pop out and the usage of thread on the bottom half created an interesting form. I can visualise the red as faux fur with the bottom half being sheer.

Yet another exploration which seems to be much like a costume, I love the purple and yellow colour duo. The eye catching element of the form is the voluminous sleeves which adds a dynamic to the silhouette. The bottom of the costume, i can visualise it to be some translucent fabric while the top is heavy and embellished.

This is a silhouette exploration with 3 colours , blue, orange and yellow. The colours complement each other . The orange and yellow look so playful against the mature blue. This to me looks like a fitted dress with a sheer train in the back. The thread was used to create the sheer texture in the bottom.

To me this activity was literally a festival of colours! The technique was extremely simple yet produced fascinating results. I was happy looking at my work because I could visualise them as different garments or associate different elements with different fabrics/materials. I also enjoyed choosing different colour schemes for each exploration because colours give life to these explorations.

To wrap up everything, don't forget to keep playing with different colours and textures

AND click a ton of pictures of all the work! Meet you all in the next post, until then

Diksha,

(a.k.a the fashion student you live vicariously through:))