This is the start of what I hope will be the first of many Q&As with creatives and producers who are all pushing the boundaries of fountain pen ink and bleach in creative practice. First up is the extremely talented artist, Elle Tennyson, who has recently had her first solo ink art show ‘Tales in Ink’.
Me: Elle, can you reveal a little about yourself?
Elle: After studying Art, Fashion and Textiles for my A-levels, I went on to study Fashion Promotion at Ravensbourne University, with the assumption that I would continue into the fashion industry. But after a few years, I accidentally landed in working for Film and TV, as part of an art department with a focus on graphic design.
But it can be rather restricting working under the parameters of someone else’s imagination and taste and so eventually committed to art full time and discovered a budding local art scene in Gravesend. I began showing my work for the first time in open calls and group exhibitions, and last November became a resident artist at Art is for All, a co-operative of artists who run a shop and shared studio space. I also teamed up with talented illustrators Izzy Tennyson and Grace Chilton to create our collective Household Essentials, and have sold our work at The London Illustration Fair and art markets including Urban Makers and Crafty Fox.
Me: When and where did you first encounter ink and bleach?
Elle: I was briefly introduced to the method of using ink and bleach, while on a fashion illustration workshop, as a way to apply textile design onto garments. I was rather taken by the technique and was able to explore it further during my AS art project centred around the theme of Erasure, a rather fitting concept. I began by creating a series of portraits and continued to use it throughout my A- levels.
Me: What is your approach to the ink and bleach process?
Elle: Fountain pen inks are unpredictable, especially when combined with bleach and salts, as unexpected colours, tones and textures leach out. As a result, it is very much a medium that you have to work with, rather than try to control. There’s almost a collaborative element to it at times, which lends itself well to certain spiritual or alchemical ideologies that I explore in my art.
Me: Do you find ink and bleach addictive?
Elle: Oh absolutely! I often procrastinate over the drawing stage because I’m itching to play around with inks and start bleaching. There’s nothing better than getting a batch of new inks and experimenting, closest I will ever get to feeling like a scientist!
Me: What are your favourite inks?
Elle: As I began with Quink, I am loyal to the cobalt blue which I love using for monochrome portraits or to create pools for koi to swim in. I have you to thank for the endless recommendations on your blog, and am now close to owning most of Diamine’s standard ink. But I do seem to gravitate to Robert Oster’s Graphite and Diamine’s Nutcracker.
Me: Tell us a little about your recent show.
Elle: My recent show, Tales in Ink, was my first solo showcase. An accumulated collection of works that delve into the surreal intricacies of world mythology with the intention of combining elements to create my own narrative. My koi fish have become a recurring motif in my work, a constant companion as I navigated through new practices and developed new ideas. The fish, much like the zodiac sign of Pisces represent the constant struggle of an artist, with the two fish representing the eternal balancing act of the conscious and the unconscious in the quest for inspiration.
Religious imagery such as stained glass design and ecclesiastical women is a recent addition to my lexicon and traces back to my formative years living in Spain, with continuous tours of cathedrals and regular visits to the Thyssen Museum which boasts an impressive collection of precious early renaissance paintings. I was able to combine these elements with more spiritual and folkloric themes and meanings that are at the core of my work.
The exhibition really conveys how impressionable you are during your childhood, how the imagery you absorb will ultimately dictate your tastes and interests which you will spend your adulthood trying to decode.
Me: Who are your favourite artists and influences?
Elle: I’ve always had an eclectic taste, so my artistic influences are endless! My most recent focus has been Marc Chagall, we both share a love of the colour blue and are drawn to the spiritual and surreal. Current favourites also include Leonora Carrington, Gustav Klimt and Edward Byrne-Jones as well as illustrators Aubrey Beardsley, Errol le Cain and Kay Nielsen. Mythology and folklore are themes that run deep – most likely from a childhood love for story telling and history. I have a particular fascination with Japanese imagery, European Gothic Medieval Art, the art of the Tarot, mysticism and alchemy. Dragons also seem to snake their way into my work, could be something to do with my Welsh roots!
Me: What about any future projects?
Elle: I hope to continue to push my ink and bleach processes into new territories, and my dream project would be to illustrate my own book using ink and bleach. I’ve already started on a few drawings, and am hoping to develop the right narrative. I would also love to come full circle and use my fashion and textiles experience to incorporate bleach into textile pattern design. I have a group exhibition at the end of June, which will include some collaborations with fellow Art is for All artists. I hope to continue participating in markets and fairs, which I do as part of the illustration collective Household Essentials.
Me: Any ‘pearls of wisdom’ for interested creatives?
Elle: Be comfortable with being shit at first. So many budding artists stop short through fear of not being good enough, but only things worth while are on the other side of fear and hard work. Everyone has been bad at something at some point, it’s the people who are brave enough to push through who progress. Don’t let insecurity block your creative journey. And always leave time for play and experimenting, you will have times that you will fall out of love with your process, whether it be from the pressure of honing and perfecting the technique or just boredom, so it’s important to revert back to that infantile sense of play, to refuel your passion and drive.
Many thanks to Elle for the interview. Her work is utterly fantastic! If you want to contact and/or follow Elle, her details are below:
Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/tennyson.studio/
Website: https://www.tennysonstudio.co.uk/
AND HEY! If you’re interested to know more about how to use fountain pen inks in more creative ways – whether it’s simply to observe their chromatic behaviours, or, to recreate one of my swatch cards, or, to learn how to use them in watercolour painting, illustration and calligraphy, why not check out my online course ?
FOUNTAIN PEN INK ART 