Page 78 - The Decorative Painter Fall 2016

ALCOHOL INK
COLOR PALETTE
Sunshine Pink Sherbet Raspberry Yellow
Citrus Meadow
Poppyfield
Bottle Purple Twilight
Indigo Sailboat Blue Mermaid
Mixative Gold Mixative Silver
INFORMATION ABOUT ALCOHOL INK
n Alcohol ink is a permanent dye in an alcohol base. The colors are transparent but some have a stronger pig- ment than others.
n Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Ink brand is what I use but there are others that work in the same way. It is personal preference.
n There are 54 colors in the palette of Tim Holtz Adiron- dack Alcohol Ink. They are sold in packages of three (and are also available online as singles) under the headings of:
Earthtone – colors that have stronger pigment.
Lights – more like pastel; very transparent, light and delicate.
Brights – more intense colors but not necessarily stronger pigments.
Fixatives – white, pearl, silver, gold, and bronze; use in small increments as accent colors. They do not have the same blending qualities as the inks.
n Alcohol ink can only be used on non-porous surfaces. This mean tiles, glass, plastic, high glaze pottery and ce- ramic, and high gloss metal. All surfaces should be white.
n The Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Blending Solution is used to move the ink more rapidly and cover the surface more. It is like watercolor painting – if the paper is thor- oughly wet and paint is applied, it will spread out quickly.
n To protect the ink, spray with DecoArt Americana Spray Acrylic Sealer/Finisher or Krylon Kamar Varnish. These are the only products I have found that work as all other spray sealers and varnishes have some sort of alcohol and will cause the inks to run. Then you can use spray varnish or spray paint over the ink design.
n If used on glass (usually painted on the back of plates) and you do not want it to be transparent then you can spray white over the ink design (after using the Deco- Art or Kyrlon sealers). This makes the unpainted side safe for food.
n If used on glass (usually painted on the back of plates) you can spray with Krylon Shimmer Silver paint to create an interesting effect and the surface will be translucent.
n On a non-white surface you can spray the surface with a glossy white and use the ink over this surface. Be aware that the ink will slightly stain the paint.
n The Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Ink Applicator (re- ferred to as “applicator stamp” throughout) has a piece of white felt attached to its Velcro surface. You can buy these packaged, pre-cut, or buy a large square and cut your own!
n Use the small cups for the ink when you use a brush. To reconstitute dried ink, add a bit more of the color, some Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Blending Solution or 91% alcohol. Never clean out these cups as the ink can always live again!
n Clean brushes in alcohol between colors. If excess color is in brush just wipe on paper towel.
n I use the Dust-Off Electronics Duster to blow the ink to create textural effects and designs.
n Because the ink is alcohol-based, clean up is with alco- hol, not water. To protect your hands you should wear gloves. I like to keep a bottle of hand sanitizer nearby as it will help get it off the skin if you forget the gloves.
n Keep your finished piece out of prolonged direct sun- light as the ink might fade.
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The Decorative Painter • ISSUE NO. 3, 2016
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