Learn: An Introduction to Alcohol Inks

Introduction to Alcohol Ink:

the basics

Difficulty: beginner - never used alcohol before.

War Pig, 2018
8x10
alcohol ink — Bateman, Jaide. *War Pig.* 2018. Alcohol ink on paper. 8 in. x 10 in.

Alcohol inks are a wonderfully diverse medium. They are a highly pigmented and vibrant alcohol-based ink. They work on any non-porous surface and are diluted with alcohol to create lovely transparent effects. Many say it reminds them of watercolor, but the vibrancy of the inks are incomparable. If you were a traditional artist working with acrylic or watercolor, put all of those techniques aside and prepare to think a little...backwards. Learn alcohol ink basics to rewire your creative process.

Alcohol ink is what I like to call a "subtractive medium." With basically any other medium, you are usually layering paint layers on top of each other to create depth. With alcohol ink, you are going to be laying down ink, and using alcohol to REMOVE or DILUTE the ink to create depth. There are many ways to do this, which we will get into in the next chapter.

Bateman, Jaide. Two works in progress. 2018. Alcohol ink on paper. 5 in. x 7 in. each.

Here's what this article will cover:

The Shopping List - An extensive list of both required and optional items to start and excel at alcohol ink art.

About the Medium - What exactly IS alcohol ink?

Selecting the Right Alcohol - All about alcohol, the medium we use to extend the inks.

Safety Precautions - This step is crucial to creating a safe, user-friendly product. I will give you a few different options to suit your personal space restrictions, time constraints, and quantity of production.

ALCOHOL INK SHOPPING LIST

Here is a beginning list of materials and their uses to start your projects.

Required Materials:

alcohol ink
isopropyl alcohol
a surface
Krylon Kamar varnish

Please click on any of the materials to read more about each.

ABOUT THE MEDIUM:

Alcohol Ink

Make sure the bottle is specifically ALCOHOL ink.

India ink, acrylic ink, and liquid watercolors are all different types of concentrated water-based pigments, but you want the alcohol based.

Brands

These are my favorite tried and true brands:

Jacquard's Piñata

Ranger's Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink

Copic Inks

T-Rex Inks

There are a few defining characteristics between these major brands.

Piñata inks

have vibrant colors and carry, by far, my favorite metallics because they can break apart and chunk together to create an effect similar to gold leaf. The only exception is Silver and Pearl. They acts the same as the Tim Holtz metallics and integrate into the ink rather than separate from it. Piñata also reacts the best to lower alcohol % so if you are only working with 91% or 97%, I would stick with Piñata.

Tim Holtz (previously known as Ranger)

is known for their vast color palette. They also recently released a pearlescent line that has had mixed reviews. I personally am not a fan of their metallics, but you may find you enjoy them. They have an alloy line coming out in 2020 that has had good reviews. Use them with 99% alcohol for the absolute best results.

Copic Various Ink Markers or Refills

have an absolutely massive color palette. If you are looking at ordering Copics, you can buy either their Copic markers for detail work, or use their Copic refills similar to the ink bottles of other brands.

T-Rex inks

have very vibrant and strong colors. Their black is the truest black I've used. It does have a certain granulation effect that is really interesting to work with. Other brands' blacks tend to display color variations when diluted with alcohol or mixed with other colors.

There have also been quite a few new brands emerging since the rise of alcohol ink popularity such as Brea Reese, Spectrum, Hobby Lobby markers, and others. Regardless of ink bottle or marker, make sure it has an ALCOHOL-BASE. You can even create your own alcohol inks using Sharpies!

I would start with the tried and true brands and experiment to find your favorite color palettes and ink interactions.

For fun: Create your OWN alcohol ink

SELECTING THE RIGHT ALCOHOL:

Isopropyl Alcohol (No less % than 91%)

Why do we use alcohol?

So what exactly is its purpose? We are using it to extend and dilute the ink. This creates the lovely transparent effects. The more alcohol used, the more transparent and lighter color the ink will be. Use less alcohol, and the color will be very rich and saturated.

How does it work?

Alcohol ink is a dye-based pigment that is diluted with alcohol. The alcohol moves and carries the ink, and as the alcohol dries, it creates the interesting textures and patterns we see. We can speed up the drying process by applying heat techniques which creates different effects.

Different percentages of alcohol affect the ink. Do not get anything less than 91%.

The more water content in the isopropyl alcohol, the more gunky your ink will get.

You may need to visit a pharmacy to obtain, as I understand the high percentage bottles are under lock because they are often used for some sort of illicit drug formula (spoiler alert: its meth). If you are in Canada, I know we carry 99% at Costco, and both 97% and 99% behind the pharmacy counter at Walmart.

SURFACES FOR ALCOHOL INK

A surface is the space upon which you are painting. Traditionally, watercolor is painted on watercolor paper, acrylic and oil is painted on canvas, etc. Alcohol ink, being a permanent medium, is interesting because it can be used on many different surfaces effectively.

As a general rule, alcohol ink can be painted on any non-porous surface. Of course, rules were made to be broken, and we all know artists love to break the rules, so we will discuss a couple porous surfaces as well!

Yupo Paper

Yupo is a smooth, waterproof, non-porous "paper." It feels like plastic. It is by far the most popular paper used for alcohol ink because the ink adheres perfectly, but also can be wiped away quite easily. It comes in both opaque and translucent, as well as medium and heavy weight.

Pros:

Amazing surface for 2D fine art
Wipes alcohol ink away fairly easily
Comes in sheet packages and rolls for a variety of possible sizes

Cons:

Does not hold up well against heat applications such as using a blow dryer for extended period of time
Heat guns will warp the medium weight paper
Can be quite expensive

Tips for this substrate: When you are using low-heat application process. If you plan to use any heat, indulge in the heavy weight yupo. Great for both experimentation and finished pieces as it can be wiped fairly clean. Some inks will stain depending on the ink brand. Always try a small piece before tackling a large project on it.If you are using a roll of yupo and you are having trouble flattening it, use a heat gun in long strokes over top to heat the plastic paper back to flat.

Where to buy: art stores, online stores

Photo Paper

Tiles

Ceramics, Porcelain, Plastic

Duralar

Glass

Polypropylene / Duracopy

Canvas / Wood Panels

Metal

Experiment!

Additional Materials:

Drinking Straw: to blow ink around

Vapor Mask: this will keep fumes out of your lungs. Alcohol ink is toxic and should you decide to skip the mask, you will be working at your own risk. There will be a lesson regarding safety in the next slide.

Latex Gloves: again, alcohol ink is toxic and can be absorbed through the skin. Not to mention, the ink is permanent. It will be on you for weeks if you spill.

Paper Towels

Puppy Pads: this will be a lifesaver for your work space. They are super absorbant so you don't have to spend fortunes on endless paper towel.

Krylon Kamar Varnish: the base for sealing any alcohol ink projects. This Kamar is NOT food safe and is not to be the final finish on any surfaces involving food, skin, or mouth contact. I will talk about sealers in my Alcohol Ink Mugs course. If you purchased the master class, we will go over this later. For now, we will stick with the basics. Here is the varnish. Find the Krylon site on Google for your country to find out where you can purchase.

Krylon UV Protectant Spray: to slow the color degradation due to UV exposure. Here is the spray.

Optional Materials:

Blow Dryer: try to find one that has a very low setting. I honestly just use the cheapest one at Walmart.

Heat Gun: these have the same force as a blow dryer, but very high heat, usually used for heat sealing and embossing. I use this brand.

Airbrush Compressor: a great low heat tool. This is the one I purchased from Amazon.

Paint Brushes: synthetic only. Alcohol ink will destroy natural hair bristles. Make sure you don't plan on using them for other mediums.

Water Brush: I load alcohol in these to work details and touch ups. These are the ones I have.

Small bottles: for premixing large quantities of ink.

Palette: for mixing smaller quantities, or testing colors.

Nail Polish Divider Tray: for keeping inks organized. Here is an example.

Tim Holtz Blending Solution or Jacquard Claro Solution: an alternative to isopropyl alcohol to create more blended gradients.

ALCOHOL INK SAFETY

Alcohol ink is flammable, poisonous, and toxic to breathe (MSDS on Tim Holtz alcohol ink).

Isopropyl alcohol can absorb through your skin, it is extremely flammable, and the fumes can be detrimental if precautions are not taken (MSDS on isopropyl alcohol).

Additionally, whatever sealer you are using is probably toxic as well. Check the label of your preferred sealer to read safety precautions.

It is imperative that you protect yourself and those around you while working with alcohol ink.

Do not use when in the same room as pets, children, or during pregnancy!

REQUIRED SAFETY EQUIPMENT

Vapor Mask/Respirator

At the absolute minimum, you want to make sure you are using a respirator. It needs to be rated for VAPORS as we are working with toxic fumes. Those disposable masks will not cut it. The mask on the left is the one I use (see 3M website). It has disposable cartridges that need to be replaced at least every 6 months.

Latex or Rubber Gloves

Both alcohol ink and isopropyl alcohol can be absorbed through the skin. Due to the often messy application processes of alcohol ink, I highly advise wearing gloves to protect your skin. Not to mention, the ink is permanently staining. I've made the mistake of working with red ink without gloves...got a few interesting looks walking around with what appears to be blood stained hands for a week...

If you have tiny hands like me and have trouble finding small gloves, Costco carries them!

Ventilated Room (open windows, fans, HEPA air purifier)

If the option to work outdoors is not available, you will need to ventilate the room you are in. You can do this by opening windows and directing fans to blow the fumes out.

Additionally, if you plan on working large scale or very frequently, buy an air purifier. The air purifier in question must be a HEPA purifier with a CARBON FILTER. the HEPA filter will filter out particles such as dust, but the carbon filter is essential for the chemical fumes. The air purifier you use will be dependent on room size.

This is the beast I have. I literally spilled half a bottle of 99% alcohol by accident and my husband could barely tell because I had it running on Turbo when it happened.

Optional equipment

Apron

Floor mat/tarp

Paper towel

Spray tent

TIPS FOR KEEPING YOURSELF UNHARMED

Work on larger pieces in short stints.

Use any spray sealers exclusively outside.

Immediately take any saturated paper towel, rags etc outside to the garbage to prevent fumes from sticking around.

FOOD SAFETY: USING ALCOHOL INK ON DISHWARE ETC

Do not use any of these techniques on surfaces that you intend to eat off of with utensils.

Any dishware, bowls, etc need to be made with the intention of being purely ornamental. Any hand painted items are always hand wash only.

This is addressed further in Learn: Sealing Alcohol Ink Mugs

If you are feeling lightheaded, nauseous, your vision is blurring, or you are developing a headache, it's time to take a break!