Art Techniques - Alcohol Inks
The Beauty of Alcohol Inks
What can I really say but Wow! This material hold its own and takes you on a journey not the other way around.
I was 1st drawn to Alcohol inks because of their absolutely brilliant tones and deep saturated colours. I was looking for a material that felt light on the page, something that held its own when completely washed out but still could be used in super pigmented applications.
I was coming from a background in Oil paint and so wanted something lighter in application but still bright, vibrant and lucious when used.
Why use Alcohol Inks?
Before we can get into application, you have to understand what Alcohol Inks are. This is the type of ink you will find in Sharpie or Copic pens.
An ink that is deeply pigmented, transparent and can only be diluted with Isopropyl Alcohol.
I loved doing drawings with Alcohol Ink pens and markers, but found that the nib of the tool as well as the colour mixing was really restrictive.
Once I found out you could buy the ink in bottles and dilute with Isopropyl Alcohol, it all changed for me. I was Intrigued!
What if I could be freer with my marks? Would I be able to create shapes and blends without a hard edge?
These questions began filling my head and made me excited to just give it a go.
Where to use Alcohol Inks?
Alcohol Inks are just pigment emulsified with Isopropyl Alcohol. Once we know this we can begin to understand how they might behave.
When using Alcohol Inks as a pure pigment, we have to consider the surfaces we can use them with, safely. Alcohol is very corrosive and will melt, tear and destroy traditional types of paper and canvas.
You may be able to create an artwork with traditional Copic and Sharpie pens on these surfaces, but not with the material as a pure pigment (Ink in a dropper bottle).
Alcohol Inks are best used on surfaces that have been primed or coated in plastic. Yupo Paper, has been specifically designed for Alcohol Ink Paintings and Drawings.
Yupo Paper is lightweight, comes in a basic white and has a fine coating of plastic to ensure that the Alcohol does not seep into the paper fibers.
The result is a painting/drawing that sits on the surface, rather than within the surface (like traditional inks of cotton/wood pulp papers).
How to use Alcohol Inks?
Now that we have an understanding of the best type of surface to work with Alcohol Inks, we can have a play.
These Inks are vibrant to say the least. Working without the boundaries of a pen nib, allows you to create expansive and fluid shapes and forms, abstractly. You gain the power of liquid colour with no control on where it may flow.
Working in this manner does come with some difficulties. I would say, you need to experiment a fair bit and come to terms with how your inks flow and dry.
Humidity, the amount of Alcohol dilution; even pigment to pigment, all affect Alcohol Ink application.
Blues, Greens and Violets are the most pigmented. They will hold their colour for a long time, a little goes a long way.
Reds, Oranges and Yellows are deeply gorgeous tones. They hold their colour well and will flow towards near transparency easily.
For all colours, the more Isopropyl Alcohol you add, the further your pool of pigment will go and the smoother transitions you will gain.
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My style when working with Alcohol Inks.
I have been working with Alcohol Inks for about 4+ years now. I have found it to be the most unruly but utterly satisfying material to work with.
When I visualize my Abstract Art, I rarely ever see shapes. I visualise tones frolicking and blending, moving into and then away from themselves, uniting and then splitting in a multitude of chaos and harmony.
I work with premixed and bespoke mixed tones as well as unique blending directly on the surface. I rarely have a set direction to how my Ink Abstractions are going to go.
Usually, I choose 1-3 tones and an overall directional line for the work. The rest is up to the Inks. My 1st floods never influence the end result, however, every mark made is preserved in each of my Abstraction.
I use Isopropyl Alcohol very liberally in my Abstractions. I flood each pool with a mixture of 1-4 colours at a time, and allow the inks to move organically before I manually manipulate them.
I use a small hair dryer to push my pool of colour across the page till the ink dries, leaving an “EtchMark” of colour and texture. These “Etch Marks” help me to create direction, narration and thought into my Ink Abstractions.
The result is a multitude of line, colour, shape, texture. A playful dance of imagery that carries a feeling rather than a Subject.
ARTIST SAABIRA RAZAC | INK ABSTRACTION | BEGINNINGS | 2024