Ink patterns in water. Close-up of ink spreading in water mixed with droplets of paint. This image was created by dropping a small amount of oil and xylene-based gold paint onto the surface of coloured water. Different inks were then dropped onto the gold paint until the weight of the ink causes the gold paint to dip and allow the inks to burst into the water. The complex colours, shapes and patterns are a result of varying levels of flow rate, ink density and surface tension. This creates eddies and vortices which affect the way light is reflected from the surface.