My art work over the last few days has gone in two very different directions. With my oil-painting project on index cards, I’m having to work in a very controlled fashion with tiny little brushes. It’s about learning to see and then create detail in my painting.
At the same time, I’m exploring fluid art projects, too. It’s a good counter-balance. Instead of being tight and controlled, fluid art — such as acrylic pouring and alcohol inks — allow me to just let go of any and all pre-conceived notions about what I’m creating and quite literally go with the flow.
I liked the possibilities I saw in my recent “Pink Poppy” alcohol ink painting, so I happily followed along with another project from Alcohol Ink Art: How to Create Stunning Colorful Artwork and Projects with Alcohol Ink. This one was titled “Explosion of Colors” and it really consists of nothing more than putting inks on the paper and playing with them in one way or another.
That’s exactly what I did here.
I dropped different colors onto the paper. I spritzed with alcohol. I used a brush dipped in alcohol to move the ink around a bit. I picked up the paper, tilted it, scraped places with a palette knife, and tried to think of what other things I might do or use to manipulate the ink.
In the end, it’s not an especially pretty piece of art, but as with my Pink Poppies, I see possibilities here. Alcohol ink is colorful. Creating with alcohol ink is fun and exciting. And right now, it’s been an excellent way for me to unwind and enjoy the artistic freedom it brings. While I don’t plan to do a lot with these inks, I will be playing with them from time to time.
Do you play with alcohol inks too?
No I cannot cope with messy. I would probably get more on me than the paper, I do with gel pens.
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I definitely make messes. I have gloves I wear now when I’m playing with inks or acrylics. That’s helped a lot. 🙂
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I really like the harmony of colors.
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I love the colors of my alcohol inks, and I’m having fun playing with them. Each ink is a bit different in how it acts on the paper and how it reacts to other inks. It’s like a crazy science experiment. LOL 🙂
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Now I think I must try it!
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Oh, do have fun!
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Your Explosion of Colours is very good in that it is wide open to interpretation as an abstract however, with a change of colours and more clearly defined subjects, it could easily become an excellent “Pond Lilies”. Keep going! 🙂
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It’s just fun to see how the inks act and react, and fun to experiment with different ways of manipulating the inks. It’s “studio playtime” where having fun is the sole purpose. 🙂
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Hi Judith, I have never used alcohol inks but have always loved the look. I have seen it used on silk scarves and it turns out so beautiful. What a fun way to spend some time exploring!
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I was reading about using the inks for dye… it sounds like something that would be fun to try!
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Never tried alcohol inks but it seems fun. And Iguess it can be also very expressive. You got it right !
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Thanks. I’m not sure how expressive any of my alcohol ink art is, but it’s certainly fun. 🙂
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So much fun! I just love the vivid hues that alcohol inks provide, I love how loose and free they are to play with! You might want to check out some of the instructional videos by Askari Art on YouTube, he has a bunch, I always learn something or at least get inspired!
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Thanks! I will definitely check out the videos. The book I had gave me some good information about the inks… but no way could anyone follow the “projects” without illustrations. 😦
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What fun!!
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Yep. Alcohol inks are fun to play with. 🙂
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Thank you for sharing!! I love the loose, spontaneous effects.
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Alcohol ink is interesting. It can be fun to play with, but it can also be a bit frustrating. In time, I hope to learn more and be able to do different techniques.
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