
Library of Congress/Jefferson LJ239/Public Domain The Gargoyle from Gobolinks. Library of Congress/Jefferson LJ239/Public Domain Seaweeds from Gobolinks. Over 84 gobolinks are presented in the book, most accompanied by poems, while a few are simply grouped by their general shapes, into groups like “Seaweeds.” Yet they all share the same slightly creepy form and symmetry for which klecksography is known. Library of Congress/Jefferson LJ239/Public DomainĪs they are presented, the rules are overly complicated, and seem pretty judgmental by modern standards, but the resulting artworks are nonetheless remarkable. As they say, “No game could be more productive of amusement than Gobolink.” The Funny Octopus from Gobolinks. The game of Gobolinks asks players to create ink blots, write a rhyme based on the image, then choose judges among the players to assess which of the blobs are the best, and which is the “booby.” The authors also suggest that people dress up for a Gobolinks party, wearing outfits that are the same on one side as they are on the other, just like an inkblot. The book also outlines a set of rules that gamifies klecksography. “The technique of creating inkblots is one where the ink records a physical action. “One of the characteristics of inkblots is their dynamic and organic nature,” says Kline.
#Ink blot artist free
As defined in the book, a “gobolink” is a “veritable goblin of the ink-bottle,” The idea being that the blobby splotches of spilt ink create unique creatures free from the creator’s influence, but still defined by their interpretation. Stuart and Paine envisioned the creation of inkblot art as an act of chaos and imagination. Undoubtedly inspired by Kerner’s work, released just a few years earlier, two American authors, Ruth McEnery Stuart and Albert Bigelow Paine took his process a step further, when they released their terrifically titled book, Gobolinks, or Shadow Pictures, in 1896. Library of Congress/Jefferson LJ239/Public Domain The image will be read on multiple levels.” The same evocative ambiguity that make inkblots perfect for psychological readings, make them terrific inspiration for artists of any age. “With a lifetime of investigation and study, codes and cyphers can be developed. “The allure for me is that this is a pre-verbal language,” says Tyler Kline, a visual artist who has been incorporating klecksography into his own work for over a decade. Kerner’s artistic work would eventually be published in 1890 in the German language book, Klecksographien. Seeing them as more than just sloppy mistakes, he would fold the paper and create a single mirrored form, which he would then interpret and add to, ending up with illustrations he would then pair with his poetry. German poet and physician Justinus Kerner is generally credited with innovating the form after he began accidentally dropping ink blots on his papers as his eyesight failed. Technically known as klecksography, inkblot art got its start back in the 1700s. But before the “Rorschach Test” became a household term, there was the Victorian game of Gobolinks, which used inkblots to inspire eerily imaginative poems based on the random chaos of ink dripped on paper.

Today inkblots are almost universally seen as psychological diagnostic tools. The gobolinks are loose! Library of Congress/Jefferson LJ239/Public Domain
