Intro to Visual Practice / Fall 2010

by Noelle Suaifan

I fashioned my drawing machine using acrylic paints, a water bottle, and water. First, I burned a hole in the bottom of a standard water bottle using a lighter. Then, I deposited a few dabs of acrylic paint through the new hole, setting the paint on the center of the bottle’s bottom. I held the bottle over a piece of paper and poured some water through the bottle’s regular opening. The water drizzled down into the bottom, where it mixed with the paint and dripped through the hole. I shook the bottle back and forth, holding it about twelve inches over the piece of paper. As a result, the watery paint splattered over the paper, creating a random design each time I performed the process. I found that by adding more water, I received a less defined, more formless drawing. When the paint and water were mixed properly, the drawing was more defined. My machine worked better than I thought it would, and I made three good products out of the process.

Here are some pictures of me performing the process. The last three images in this post are my completed products.