Well well well – I’ve finally done it! I’ve been working on this for a couple months, and it’s all ready for you now! And it’s on sale through the end of April in case you need to wait for the government checks to start arriving.

WARNING! Alcohol inks are smelly to work with and can be toxic if ingested. Be careful and work in a ventilated area.

I started down the rabbit hole of alcohol inks late one night when I couldn’t sleep – and found a few alcohol ink videos that led me to more, and more, and more – and people were using them in crazy beautiful ways!

I ordered in a bunch of supplies; what I was finding was that many of the artists making fine art with these inks didn’t really provide tutorials and links like craft reviews did – so I ended up doing all the shopping so you won’t have to. Oy! (Note to self, teach artists how to do voiceovers and explain stuff, ha!) Anyway……

I began to do my own exploration after trying what I could learn from viewing these artists’ videos…applying my own understanding of color theory, pigment movement, papers, and more.

Check out the video complete with demos – and be sure to read through the info below too for more details and context.

Class

At long last, I have an introductory Ethereal Alcohol Ink class available! I made it a mini class, so be prepared for just a dip of your toes in the water…errr the alcohol! I kept it a mini class due to the times we’re in…and as encouragement to perhaps consider some of the blowy tools that might feel pricey. If you think you’ll get into this, they’ll be worth it. In the text below, you’ll see LOTS more info on each product and my recommendations.

Alcohol Inks

After testing, two of the inks I looked at – Ranger and Pinata Inks – these are basically equivalent in performance with a few differences. Scroll to the end of this post for swatches of all the inks I own.

1. some of the Pinata colors are more “staining” than others (meaning they’re harder to lighten to white with alcohol) but are otherwise the same in performance.
2. bottle nibs are different, with Ranger’s being more of a narrow needle-type point, but that doesn’t make any difference in use.
3. Pinata inks have a smell to them even beyond what you’d expect from alcohol inks. Not illness-inducing or anything, but it’s different.

Noddway are most cost-effective, however the quality is not high – but they WILL provide decent results. Some colors are not as the name describes, though that doesn’t make them ugly, just makes them poorly named! A few colors are quite pale, but that can also be beautiful.

Cost comparison:

• Ranger Inks, 18 colors about $55 (You can get them in singles, 3packs, full sets – so do some searching around)
• Pinata inks, 17 colors about $69
• Noddway inks, 18 colors about $26

Storage

Shoeboxes work – just don’t leave them with loose lids. Don’t ask how I know! But there are some storage for them:

• Ranger tin, holds 30 bottles
• Zipper case, holds 60 bottles
• Zipper case, holds 30 bottles

Swatching

My recommendation for swatching – cut up some paper to swatch each color you have, including some WHITE open space on the sample, as well as part of it being very heavy with pigment, so you get a full picture of what that color can do. I swatched mine on transparent Yupo since I didn’t want to make art on it – and just put a little slip of computer paper behind it so I could see it against white. Then I put them all in pages. The Yupo folks make a fun pack of tiny pads that are almost perfect for this – they’re just a tiny bit tall and need trimmed to fit.

• Set of tiny Yupo pads
• Plastic pages

Alcohol solutions to create flow

For my type of application on paper, alcohol seems to work best; the Ranger solution, I am finding, is better for using on metal, glass, etcetera. Some artists mix them.

• Ranger Alcohol Blending Solution
• 99% Isopropyl Alcohol
• 91% Isopropyl Alcohol is also just fine!

Pipettes

Any kind of dropper can work, but this packet of 200 pipettes will last you…a century. LOL. Share with a friend.

• Pipettes, 200 pc

Papers

For beginners – by all means get a big pack of inexpensive photo paper! The HP used throughout this class is cheap paper that came with toner, and the back side works wonderfully aside from having little tinted logos on it.

• $8-$10 for 100 sheets of 4×6 = 8-10 cents per sheet (Epson photo paper or other brands)

Yupo is an artist-quality paper; once you’re feeling confident it’s an excellent paper to move up to. It comes in medium weight or heavy weight, priced accordingly of course.

• Medium weight, 9 x 12 pad of 10 sheets (4 small paintings per sheet=40) = $13 = 32 cents per sheet
• Heavy weight, 9 x 12 pad of 10 sheets (4 small paintings per sheet = 40) = $19 = 47 cents per sheet

Terra Slate works very nicely too. For the price it should! It comes in larger sizes than the 5 x 7, too.

• Terra Slate, 5 x 7, 25 sheets, $24 – $1.00 per sheet

Ranger Glossy Cardstock – this one was a big fail for ethereal alcohol ink art – but try it out with other techniques if you’ve got some, it just doesn’t move like what you’ll see in this class.

If you’re really wanting to play on something cheap – lay out a huge sheet of freezer paper, slick side up! You can get a roll on Amazon, or check your grocery store for a smaller roll.

Blowy tools

Straws are the lowest cost, of course! “Bipple” straws have the bendy part that allows you to guide the air the best. However – be VERY CAREFUL not to inhale at all through the straw while it’s pointed at the paper. You’ll taste the ink! (Don’t ask how I know.) You’ll also possibly find your own saliva exiting the straw at some point, affecting your painting. You’ll also find out if you’re truly full of hot air. (Credit: my dad for the dad joke!)

• “Bipple” or “Bendy” straws (no links)

Canned air did not work at all in my tests, but other brands of canned air might be fine. Test out what you have; can you control the exiting of air? Does liquid drip out after the air is used for a few minutes? Does it spit and sputter? If you find a good brand please do let me know and I’lll share it here for others to try.

• No recommendation.

Ranger Blower Tool is awkward for ethereal color movement, as it has short bursts of expiration of air that doesn’t lead to elegant lines. With practice, puffs of air can create some nice effects though, and paired with gravity and a lot of alcohol, you can get some pretty results. Not recommended for those with arthritis; the hand motion becomes difficult over time.

• Ranger Blower Tool

A Handheld Airbrush is a reasonable option for mechanically-generated air. It comes WITH its compressor. There are MANY options available so do check around. The Gocheer shown in the video and used in class has a USB power cord – very convenient! It seems to stay charged for a lot of artwork. It’s not terribly powerful, but paired with gravity can produce decent results. It can also be used with other inks to spray as airbrush, so a dual use makes it a better value than first impression!

• Gocheer Handheld Airbrush $50

The Copic Airbrush system has both power and control – the high pressure of an air compressor, and the fine motor control and sensitive touch, make it the perfect tool to achieve the results I get. You can find other ways to do it, and I’ll show you some tips to try them with other tools in class – but for the most part those do take much more time and effort than this airbrush system.

1. Compressor – I’ve seen these in-store at Harbor Freight for about $69 without the full kit.
2. Cord, $8
3. Airbrush gun – Either of these will work, it depends if you want to use it with Copic markers or ink in additioin to alcohol inks:
   1. Copic airbrush gun, ABS3: • EH • AMZ • Blick $35
   2. a regular airbrush gun $19

Samples

The samples of each of the colors I own – note that I don’t own them all, this is just a smattering of what’s available out there. Have fun!

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