If I told you there was a way to make Alcohol Inks even better, would you be surprised? They’re pretty darn wonderful as it is, but when you pair them with foils, wonderful gets upped to… well, something way more than that. Pick a superlative and it fits.
This technique was shown to me earlier in the year when I was in Montreal, demoing at my friend Natalie’s store. Alcohol Ink was what I was playing with the first day when one of the women attending the event stopped to show me her example. I was stunned. And got goosebumps I was so taken with the look the foils provide. I switched gears and included foils in my demo and everyone was just as enamored. There were lots of oohs and aaahs.
The process is quite simple, requiring mostly some patience to wait for the inks to dry to the sticky stage so the foil can adhere. You know patience is not my gift, but trust me on this… the results are well worth it. This from someone who doesn’t wait well. You KNOW it’s got to be freaking awesome!
Supplies For This Video:
9 Comments
With little sleep last night and feeling upset about things going in our our country (U.S!), I didn’t think anything could wake me up and make me smile – but your video sure did! Just placed an order. Is it here yet!? ; )
Great tutorial, Barb! I taught this technique in a card class recently and I loved hearing the oohs and aahs as the students pulled back the foil. It’s as close to making magic as I’ll ever come, lol. I explained the areas that are “foil-able” by comparing them to the meniscus around water on watercolor paper. It’s a barrier between colors and for some reason it stays tacky for a while instead of drying like the flatter areas. I’ve seen the technique done using the Blending Solution also, but I prefer to mist the Alcohol Inks with isopropyl alcohol to create lots of small circles of ink. When you foil those areas it’s amazing! I did try this technique on glossy photo paper – doesn’t work. The paper is just porous enough that the inks don’t stay on the surface and there’s nothing to attach to foil to. I also tried this using just the Pitch Black by itself. I loved it because the black breaks down into the other colors that it’s made of and that, along with the foil (I usually use gold) is striking. Thanks for your Wednesday inspiration! I always look forward to Wednesdays 🙂
Oh how gorgeous. Thank you for sharing this idea.
I don’t remember now how I found it, I did see a woman demoing this technique and was really amazed. Glad you put this on so now I know to file it.
Thanks for the effort…Dolores
Great tutorial,love this idea!
I had a ” what if” moment a few months ago and then forgot about it… SO HAPPY you showed us how!
I always enjoy your tutorials!
Great job on your “patience”
I can’t wait for my art room remodel to be done so I can make some beautiful pieces myself!
When I follow your technique with alcohol inks on Yupo, the inks dry so quickly that I cannot play with them as long as you do. Is there any way to keep them juicy longer so I can play?
Barbara, when I first saw this, I had to try. The results were beautiful. But the next morning when I showed the family, the ink started to move as I touched it. Can you suggest anything to do? BTW, I could listen to you all day long. Such inspiration and you have quite the since of humor.