Inspired Ink does not wish to discriminate against artists and artwork or appear as though it favors authors and writing. All forms of artistic expression are appreciated by Inspired Ink, and it should be emphasized that art and writing are not always shown separately from each other.
“Ekphrasis” is one way that art can lend itself to the craft of writing. Traditionally, an author uses an essay format to elaborate on the visual quality and background of a given piece, and might also convey what the art means to them on a personal level. For the purposes of fiction writing, one might imagine a character in the setting of a painting, or striking the pose of a sculpted figure, and creating a story out of that situation. For a poem, just stare at a piece of art and let the words flow. Inspired Ink has published one ekphrastic work, but we would love to have more! If you happen to give this exercise a go, don’t hesitate to submit what you come up with!
Illustration is a more collaborative way that art lends itself to writing and vice versa. Every book cover is a sort of illustration, even if derived from a photograph. An illustrator took the story and pared it down into a single image. Between the covers are imagery that supplement the written work and bring it to life in ways the author cannot. What does “A Cricket in Time Square,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “Bedtime for Frances” and “Little House in the Big Woods” have in common? An artist named Garth Williams did the illustrations for all of them. These books have been adored by readers for well over sixty years thanks to his work, and Inspired Ink aspires to receive similar recognition. If you are an artist who is looking for some new inspiration, please reach out to us, we would love to have an illustrator provide imagery for our short stories and poems.
Comic art is the ultimate mesh of words and pictures. Whether its a graphic novel as thick as a dictionary or a one-panel political cartoon, readers are sucked into comics differently than any other written or visual media. Comics present complex stories and ideas in easily digestible formats, and a simple Peanuts strip is often more memorable than the last book one read for English class. Inspired Ink has only featured one comic- which you can see in our archives!- but we would love to have more. If you are a comic artist of any kind, please send us your panels!
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