Abstract Alcohol Ink Art

Happy Monday, and if you’re in Canada like me – Happy Thanksgiving! Yes, it was our ‘turkey day’ this weekend, with today being a work holiday. Of course, when you work from home, all that’s kinda moot. Except that there’s more people in the house with you, on the long weekend! I’ve been playing again (still) with my alcohol inks, and my husband has convinced me that these tile coasters are good enough to share. Actually,  he said that before I re-did 3 of the 4 of them – now I think I might as well share!  Keep in mind that these are abstract alcohol ink art – they’re not meant to ‘be’ anything. But feel free to interpret & share anything that you might ‘see’ in the ink!

THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

Over the weekend, there was a discussion in a FB alcohol ink art group that I’m in, about how beauty really is, in the eye of the beholder. It started with one artist saying how surprised she is, when pieces that she feels are ‘not good’, always sell. And those she likes the best, don’t sell. Another person pointed out that it could be because the artist has in their minds eye what they wanted the piece to look like. So, if it doesn’t turn out just like what we pictured, to us it’s a ‘failure’. Whereas the purchaser doesn’t have that preconceived idea – they just take it as they see it. At least – that what I’m going with, as I share these with you!

TILE COASTERS

These are created on hexagon tiles, bought from our local Home Depot store. After separating the tiles (they come joined with a mesh backing), clean each of them with alcohol before starting.

The ink colours used are Denim, Limeade and Gold, with Alcohol Blending Solution. Canned compressed air is used to move the inks.  After applying & moving the inks, I then went back and misted 99% isopropyl alcohol, which creates the ‘cells’ in the ink.  The colours are actually more pretty in person; denim is a nice dark blue, and the limeade is quite bright.

The next step is to seal the ink, and then protect them with a UV spray. Alcohol inks are not light-fast, so they fade quite quickly if not protected. Then, I’ll be using a heat-resistant resin to finish them off. That way, they can be used for both cold and hot drinks.

SO MANY COLOURS!

The Ranger website has a great alcohol ink chart, so you can keep track of the colours you have. I printed it off, and made swatches of each colour, as I purchased it. For swatching, I cut up 1″ squares of Yupo, as that’s the surface I most commonly use with these inks. Next, I write the name of the ink colour on the back. Each square is then covered with the corresponding ink colour. The second to last step is to add a bit of Blending Solution to one corner of the swatch. Doing this allows you to see the applied colour, plus the colour as it’s affected/lightened by the Blending Solution. Finally, I attach each of the squares to the colour chart.. Here’s a picture of my chart to date, below.

When I look at my collection of bottles, I think ‘wow – I have some many!’  And then when I look at the chart, I realize just what colours I tend to favour! I have about 9 of the Pearl colours as well; I need to download that chart, and add those.

BE BRAVE – SHARE!

So there’s one of my latest alcohol ink abstract art  pieces! I’m working on a 6″ x 6″ tile right now; I may share it with you later this week! It’s different from these coasters. I hope that by sharing my new, latest pieces that you’re inspired to be brave, and share your art as well. Even if it didn’t turn out like you originally planned!

In the meantime, I’d love to hear what you think about these coasters! I’m open to constructive criticism! And if you want to start or add to your own stash of alcohol inks, I’ve added some shopping links for you, below.