Irises and blue

I am enjoying teaching a batch of Alcohol Ink classes at present and we have been having so much fun. The depth and impact of alcohol ink colour is quite something. I chose to use these two similar colour panels as background for iris stamps from the Love Art transparent set.

I blended a few blue alcohol inks on photo paper for these two panels. The circle pattern on the one below was achieved using a stencil. I dabbed through the stencil with blending solution to remove colour but also printed the stencil back onto the paper once it was covered in pale blue ink.

The sentiments and flowers are stamped in jet black archival ink.

I am just going to squeak this stencilled card into the second challenge at CAS Mix Up; there are twelve whole hours left to participate. The challenge this month is below; I used alcohol inks as my choice.

Supplies:

Stamps: Love Art, Special Thoughts, Snippets(PB)
Inks: Jet Black Archival (Ranger)
Alcohol Ink: pool, denim, indigo, alcohol blending solution (Ranger)
Paper: Kirkland photo paper, Neenah SolarWhite 110lb cardstock, Blue cardstock

Happy

Posted: March 17, 2016 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Alcohol Ink, CAS | Tags: CAS, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Alcohol Ink | 15 Comments

This new sentiment has appeared on a few of my cards already and will likely continue to do so. It is such a nice message and one I should send more often. This is one of my first alcohol ink experiments. I was just playing with the inks and ended up with an odd shape which did not immediately inspire me until I remembered this layout which is no doubt familiar to you; it is always popping up around the interwebs. I have been wanting to use if ever since I first saw it. I don’t know who first came up with the clever offset panel but I hope they feel proud whenever they see it on a card!

The inks I used were willow, pesto, poppyfield and honeycomb along with the blending fluid which lightened some of the colours. You can see both the pale and dark auras which appear around some of the inks. I am still using yupo paper for my creating, mainly because that is what I have and it works beautifully. I will get some glossy and photo paper to try out at some point. I have tried some doodling with my micron pens but nothing share-worthy yet.

Supplies:

Stamps: Sentiment Collection(PB)
Inks: Versafine Spanish Moss (Tsukineko)
Alcohol Ink: willow, pesto, poppyfield and honeycomb, alcohol blending solution (Ranger)
Paper: Yupo, Neenah Avon Brilliant White 110lb cardstock, green cardstock

Well Done

Posted: March 10, 2016 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Alcohol Ink | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Ranger Alcohol Ink | 9 Comments

I am flitting back and forth between poppies and alcohol inks at present; I hope you don’t mind. Jane Clempson is continuing to create inspiring alcohol ink projects over on her blog so I have a list of techniques yet to try.

This one started out the same way many of my panels have with me dropping three colours randomly over the whole surface of the yupo paper. Once the colours settled and stopped jostling each other I started dropping blending solution here, there and everywhere. It made some pretty patterns but nothing I hadn’t tried before so I switched to splattering blending fluid over the panel with an old paintbrush. The droplets were smaller and more numerous and achieved the bubbly look you see here.

I was inspired to position my sentiment front and centre after seeing this card by Jane. I die cut the sentiment from both the patterned panel and a piece of pink fun foam (both with stick-it adhesive on the back) so I could position the fun foam in the space left by the die cut and then the inked die cut back on top of the fun foam. Looks simple described in print but in reality it drove me crazy working those fiddly little words into the fiddly little spaces with a fiddly little pair of tweezers! Cute effect though, don’t you think?

Supplies:

Dies: Well Done (PB)
Alcohol Ink: Stonewashed, Raspberry, Raisin & alcohol blending solution (Ranger)
Paper: Yupo, Neenah Solar White 110lb cardstock, Pink cardstock
Also: stick it adhesive, fun foam

You Rock

Posted: March 8, 2016 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Alcohol Ink | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Ranger Alcohol Ink | 7 Comments

Oh these alcohol inks are so much fun! During an experimental session the other day I discovered I could blend over the top of a panel I did not like with blending solution which would not remove all the colour but would make it a soft blended background on which I could start a new design. The possibilities are seemingly endless.

This panel was done in two steps. I began by dropping two blues and a red on the yupo paper to create large circles. When the big circles had stopped mingling I used a Q-tip and some blending solution to add little circles over the top of it all. The finished effect reminds me of bokeh.

Although they might look black, the die cut sentiment and the mat are actually navy blue and the sentiment is embossed in clear powder to give it a glossy finish. I wouldn’t say I have settled on a favourite but I am liking these blues.

Supplies:

Dies: Well Done (PB)
Alcohol Ink: Denim, Stonewashed, Poppyfield, alcohol blending solution (Ranger)
Paper: Yupo, Neenah Solar White 110lb cardstock, Neenah patriot blue 100lb cardstock

Standing Ovation

Posted: March 7, 2016 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Alcohol Ink, Standing Ovation | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Alcohol Ink | 13 Comments

More alcohol ink fun to share today. The technique is similar to the one I shared last week but I mixed up the order a little on this one. You can see I have some pale colours in the background and bolder green circles in the foreground. I created the muted background first but putting a few drops of yellow and rust coloured alcohol ink on a felt applicator then dotting it all over the yupo panel. I then dropped the green ink to make larger circles; the green has a brown aura which matched nicely with my background. Once the green had stopped expanding I put some blending solution on a felt applicator and applied it all over the panel. The blending solution muted the background and created the cool blobby patterns on the green circles (you know, the ones that look like cells under a microscope!)

At this point I thought it looked a bit like a mass of flowers in a garden so I used the new ‘Standing Ovation’ stamp to add black silhouette images to the foreground. I matted in black and added a little sentiment on the white card base.

Supplies:

Stamps: Standing Ovation, Snippets (PB)
Inks: Archival jet black ink (Ranger) Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko)
Alcohol Ink: Rust, Willow, Honeycomb, alcohol blending solution (Ranger)
Paper: Yupo, Neenah Avon Brilliant White 110lb cardstock, Neenah epic black 100lb cardstock

Under the microscope

Posted: March 3, 2016 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Alcohol Ink, Flower Festival, Sunny Wishes | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Alcohol Ink, Yupo Paper | 12 Comments

I have a new medium to play with and it is so much fun! I have been impressed by alcohol ink projects in the past but Jane Clempson has recently posted a wealth of wonderful inspiration on her blog so last time I was at Crop A While I picked up a few colours to get me started. Oh dear, Jane, I may need all the colours!

I created this pattern with two blues and a yellow then had fun adding all the little blots with blending solution. Once it was finished it looked a little like a microscope slide of a rare tropical disease! Add the dragonflies and I am wondering whether flies and disease is really something I want to feature on a card?? What do you think; does it say pretty patterns or tropical disease to you?

Microscopes aside, I like the colour mix, the pattern of blurry blots and just watching the magic happen. I have half a dozen more ‘experiments’ waiting to be turned into cards so stay tuned for more dots, blots, squirts and squiggles.

Supplies:

Stamps: Sunny Wishes, Flower Festival, Special Wishes (PB)
Inks: Archival jet black ink(Ranger)
Alcohol Ink: Denim, Stonewashed, Honeycomb, alcohol blending solution (Ranger)
Paper: Yupo, Neenah Avon Brilliant White 110lb cardstock, yellow cardstock