Celestial Ripples

This did not work out that well.

I decided to start with the cola paper from the staining experiment [link] since it was the worst-looking result and I wasn't sure what I was going to do. Ergo, if I screwed up, there was no real risk taken and I'd still have a coaster failing all else.

The coaster gag from the video was actually what gave me the idea for the basic composition. The black square is supposed to contain the I Ching hexagram "Great Possessing" with Fire over Heaven. Unfortunately, the ink splatter was a little too much and covered the broken middle line in the upper gua. I should have shaken off the excess first or at least diluted the ink so it wouldn't overpower the pencil.

There's a question I didn't quite answer in the video at the end, which was whether or not one should stain the paper before or after applying the ink and line-work. I realized the hard way it should be after. After I drew the rings, I took a sponge and decided to give it a second and very quick layer of cola. While it did help the color and texture significantly, it made the ink run just a little.