Experiments with Color & Animation
I usually stick to the permanence of black and white ink, but sometimes a story needs a splash of color or a little movement to feel complete. These pieces are where I break my own rules to bring my surreal worlds to life.
A compilation of short, hand-drawn digital animations. I enjoy using Procreate to make my symbolic eyes and floral patterns move and transform.
A simple, hypnotic animation of a blinking eye that transitions into a tunnel of concentric circles. Just a fun experiment with digital tools.
A look back at some older pieces, including a vibrant portrait where I used watercolors to fill the face and hair with color, creating a stark contrast with the black ink lines.
This commissioned sunflower piece is one of my most colorful works. The video shows how I carefully apply yellow and orange tones to the petals before adding the dense black ink background.
Adding the final color washes to this illustration of a woman by a golden gate. The watercolor adds a warm, dreamlike quality to the scene.
In this piece, I used a splash of red ink to represent blood, adding a dramatic and visceral element to the black and white drawing. It's a simple but effective way to use color for impact.
A digital animation showing a multi-eyed face cracking and reforming. This was an experiment in bringing my static drawings to life with a sense of unease and movement.
About this collection
I mainly use digital tools and watercolors when the standard ink on paper does not capture the mood I am aiming for. Whether it is a splash of red ink to represent pain or a looping animation of a shifting eye, these additions are about making the surreal elements feel a little more alive and slightly more unsettling.
My creative foundation is always the pencil sketch and the micron pen. However, moving into digital animation and watercolor washes allows me to experiment with the intangibles of my art, like atmosphere and rhythm. When I work with Procreate, I am not trying to create complex cinema, but rather giving my static drawings—tangled roots, searching eyes, and organic vines—a life of their own. It is about making the hypnotic nature of my patterns feel like they are watching you back.
The watercolor pieces in this collection are a different kind of experiment. I do not use color to decorate, but to deepen a narrative. A wash of yellow can turn a cold, botanical sketch into something warm and human, while a drop of red ink can add a visceral, dramatic element to an otherwise monochrome portrait.
This cluster captures that boundary between my traditional, hand-drawn work and these digital explorations. If you are looking for an illustration that has movement, or a portrait that blends my signature heavy ink lines with subtle, dreamlike color washes, this is the style we can explore. My process remains the same—we start with an idea, I sketch it out, and we find the right medium to make it real.
Ankita Bhattacharya
I am Ankita. My work is usually about ink, nature, and the weird symbols that get stuck in my head, but I love pushing those boundaries with color and motion. Whether it is a digital animation or a watercolor-infused portrait, I try to capture things that feel both real and slightly surreal.
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