by DA
January 3, 2024
Automatism or “Automatic Expression,” including automatic drawing and painting, is the practice of unconscious creation
Developing my Artist Self started with swirls and scribbles. The first memory I have of making art was coloring a picture of a dinosaur in preschool. I picked out my favorite colors and drew swirls and scribbles over the image until I was satisfied with the chaotic rainbow. It was the most beautiful puddle of colors I had ever seen and I made it!
Recently I learned there are many names for this practice, an art form that has been “mastered” and earned a niche in the fine art world. Automatism, including automatic drawing and painting, is the practice of unconscious creation. Automatic expression can be a great tool for initializing a composition, shaping subjects, or beginning a piece with loose forms. Sometimes these creations are developed further, with intention, into abstract or surrealist imagery.
I often use automatism to create non-representational art (or pure abstraction) where color, shape, and form evoke the viewer to determine the subject of the piece. As shown in the process series above, I start with rough lines, smooth them out, then add color and detail until I’m satisfied with the image.
No. 1
This ink drawing is a combination of automatism with intentional elements added.
Heart (or Something Like It)
This piece started out as a doodle, which took a deliberate direction after I perceived the shape of a heart chamber in the image.
Ghosts
This drawing was my first attempt at a larger piece with an automatic element that I developed further. The ghost-like ribbons in this image started out as an automatic drawing of curving, swirling lines.
Sour Leaf Studio 