Creativity sometimes hides… in an ink blot!

What if a simple ink blot could be the starting point for a character? That was the challenge given to first-year students at MoPA during a fast-paced workshop led by their character design instructor, Amandine GARDIE.

The exercise begins playfully: a marker, a sheet of paper, and one simple instruction – create a filled shape, playing with curves, angles, positive and negative space. Once finished, the abstract shapes are swapped between students to ensure a neutral and unexpected starting point. Then, it all moves quickly: 15 minutes on the clock to imagine a portrait (head and bust) using a fine liner, incorporating the shape into the character design.

No preparatory sketch, no going back – just one rule: let your imagination take over. The challenge is designed to free the mind and show that original faces can be created from almost nothing. And with the clock ticking, there’s no time to overthink: you have to go for it, even if it means improvising along the way. The pressure of time becomes a driving force, pushing students to focus on the essentials.

This type of exercise also encourages students to take a step back from their usual methods. Starting from a given base and embracing the unexpected leads them to explore ideas they might never have thought of otherwise.

This quick yet enriching mini-challenge helped students break free from perfectionism, reconnect with their spontaneity, and explore surprising graphic directions. And it’s often in these kinds of exercises that unexpected ideas emerge — unique characters, and sometimes even… a new style. A creative break that reminds us that sometimes, all it takes is a simple gesture to spark the imagination.