Stefan Bucher Ink Monsters!

Grade 5 ink monster!

If you haven't yet seen the fantastical ink blot monsters and videos of artist and illustrator Stefan Bucher, you are in store for a wonderful treat! While the approach isn't new- turning a random mark into a thoughtful outcome- the work of Mr. Bucher is fresh and relatable for students.

A crew of artist Stefan Bucher's ink blot monsters.  © Stefan Bucher.

Stefan Bucher is the wacky, creative mastermind of The Daily Monster, and is a designer, writer, and artist living in California. His process is a pleasure to watch, and made for an inspirational starting point to our own creative work. 

 © Stefan Bucher

This year, I have made several instructional videos for days that when there is a guest teacher in the art room. (Fellow art teachers, feel free to use this one I made for our inkblot project! And leave your tables covered in butcher paper so avoid having to scrub the ink or liquid watercolor off afterwards.) The students loved this lesson and were totally engaged the whole time.

Bird monster in progress

We began with watching two of Stefan's monster videos. Here is the first one:

What strikes me the most is the thoughtful line of questioning he poses to his viewer. This line of questioning (e.g. "What noise does it make?") helps students go beyond the simple ink blot to create a creature's details and even an environment. 

Here is the second video students watched:

It felt important to show two ink blots so that students could see the varied places from which artists draw inspiration. In the first video, Stefan Bucher was inspired by the observations of his viewers, and in the second, he was inspired by an exhibit he visited. Inspiration can come from anywhere! Aspects of his approach and process varies as well.

Second grade ink blot monster!

This project has been a great way to end the year, and can also be formatted as a station for choice-based art.

Fourth grade monster

Several students loved this art-making approach so much that they requested doing it a second day. That was perfect for a mellow, student-driven option to add to the last art class!

Later, I discovered that Stefan Bucher has generously shared his own process here, and there's a lot to love about that! The can of compressed air is a game changer. I look forward to sharing it with students next school year. 

A closing quote from Mr. Bucher: "The process of drawing for me has always been a process of failing, where I have an image in my head, and then, as I put it on paper, the shortcomings of my hands become apparent. The monsters are a way of reversing that process, because I don't know what it's going to look like. I don't go into it like 'it's gonna be this character, it's gonna be this thing'... the whole thing is a process of discovery."