Make a brush.
Define it as a brush.
Save a brush.
Get real ink, some drinking straws and smaller, hollow coffee stirrers some and poster- or watercolor-board.
Use the ink bottle’s pipette to drop some splats from varying heights, onto the board, held at various angles.
Use the straw and stirrer to blow the ink across the board.
Find something you like? Let it dry, then scan it.
It’s fun…try it, and it’s how I’d do it.
Phosphor –
The straw idea sounds like the best iyet.
The only semi success I’d had was using a paper plate because it isn’t absorbant, placing a little drop down, and pulling out little strands of liquid, then turning the plate around at angles.
Many had suggested a drop from a high place. That produced a large blob but small radials. Angular splatters only got a radial on one side.
I’d wanted a really gothic, spidery totally natural look.
We’ll keep at it.
I’ve used Phosphor’s method, but used an empty airbrush (i.e., no ink in the reservoir) with very low air pressure to spread the ink blob (India ink on hot press illustration board). Make large ink blobs and reduce them after scanning. You can get some pretty good control and nice effects. I expect the low-tech method of the straw works, too, but if you have an airbrush sitting around I find it gives me a better sense of control over the "painting" of the ink strands.
Remember the Photoshop 3.0 filters ‘punk’ and ‘bloat?’ They almost could have had one called ‘splat.’
Back on the Exchange a contributor named Timo Mann did at least 3 series of splat brushes, listed as Tymoes Splat. Download and enjoy!
Actually, if you have the EyeCandy filters you can play with the Jiggle filter to get something pretty close to an ink splat. But actually creating a real splat would look better.
Illustrator also has a basic splat brush (I think 9.0 and up), if you want to expand the art and import into Photoshop.
Illustrator has some ink splats in its collection of brushes. After that add a bit of random white and run plastic wrap on them. to make ’em 3d.
