Alcohol Inks

Some comments on creating art with alcohol inks by Carol LaGrow

I am a watercolor artist along with graphite and some pen.  But, recently I heard about Alcohol Inks and I found I love working with inks.  They are free flowing and fun. 

Image 1
This is a 4" black ceramic tile, painted with the alcohol inks and letting analgous colors blend and move. 
Alcohol Ink on Tile by Carol LaGrow

Image 2
Alcohol Inks on YUPO paper.  I used a sponge and gently moved the inks to get the sky to have cloud formations.  The "ground" area:  I painted and tilted the paper much as I do for watercolor painting.

Image 3

6" ceramic tile  (needs to be rotated also so that the buildings are upright) I painted the pinks/purples and just let them wander around the tile.  Then I used masking tape to cover this area to mask it and to make buildings as I painted the sky. When dry, I removed the tape and voila buildings appeared.

4" black ceramic tile using only gold and silver alcohol inks.  The frame is made to fit this tile and then I used a larger frame to attach that.

 
Image 5

6" ceramic tiles.  These happen to have a little texture in the tile.  #5 I used canned air to move the inks to form flora.

Image 6

I used an old credit card to sweep across the tile to imitate a sky, and just a little brush work to also help move the inks.

To help the inks move more rubbing alcohol can be used and/or a purchased blending solution (Adirondack Ink product)  This also will completely remove ink if you mess up and want to start over.  I always wear rubber gloves as the inks love to stain hands and nails.  I tend to think I am done painting, remove and wash the gloves and then decide to just do a little more...............I end up with colorful fingers!

Some of the tools I like to use are:

• Ceramic tiles  ( I use all sizes, from the 2" that come in a "sheet", to 10x10.)
• I like the pure white tiles as then I can leave whites in my paintings.  And the ink colors are bright and clear on them.
• The beige/sandy color ones are fun too as are the tiles with a little texture and give more subtle colors. 
• And black tiles are especially dramatic.  I add white inks to make the other colors stand out 
• Yupo paper is great as you can then frame it as you would any other painting. 
•  The ink can have a mind of its' own and flow as you add the blending solution and/or rubbing alcohol.
• Salt adds great texture and as it dries you can gently rub off the granules.
• Inexpensive brushes can also add textures and linear marks and shapes. 
• Combs, credit cards, razor blade, paper towel and tissue and a brayer are great for moving the paint. 

If you want to mask an area to protect the original surface or an area you have painted, automotive tape and masking tape work well.  You may get some uneven lines, but that is okay too. Also you can use hot glue on the tiles for a resist.  Peel off any of these when the ink is dry. 

I usually use gloves when inking, but a bare finger is too fun to resist to move the inks around and dabbing for texture.

One more thing I have found is to frame the tiles for hanging or place on a table.  I use E6000 to glue the tiles to frames. 

Image 7

I like using different sizes, shapes & texure of tiles.  And, I also have broken a larger tile and then painted it for a sculptural style.  Hmmm...  I found these tiles are not meant to break...........which is a good thing unless you want one to break.  I hammer and hammer and never know what the shapes  will be.  Again, fun to do.

Image 8

Image 9

This is a landscape which I painted and then really hammered another tile into tiny bits and painted those and glued them into the painted 6" tile to be a rocky area. Fun to get some texture involved.  The tile is shiny and the rocks are a mat finish for more interest.