Alcohol ink is one of the most commonly used paints for arts and crafts. It is brightly coloured and dye-based, making it perfect for almost any kind of craft. Alcohol inks are commonly used in creating free flowing patterns and prints because it easily disperses on a surface and absorbs into it as it dries.
This type of ink is used in a lot of art projects – from painting, pottery, printing fabrics, and many more. If alcohol ink is one of your favourite colouring mediums for your crafts, here are some of the best surfaces that work perfectly with it.
Fabric
Fabric is one of the best canvases for alcohol ink paints. It works like dyeing the fabric since the ink absorbs into the fibres, creating beautiful designs and patterns that you like. You could use a concentrated ink for richer and stronger colours but you could also opt to dilute it for a more subtle design.
Tie-dyeing is one of the popular uses of alcohol ink on fabric. On the other hand, you can still apply it on fabrics like how you do with a regular watercolour. There are plenty of crafts you could create with this technique – from shirts, pillowcases, bed sheets, and many more.
Metal
Metal is another great canvas for alcohol ink. This is typically used when making jewelleries and accessories using metals as a base material. There are plenty of metal types that work well with alcohol ink and the most common are aluminium, copper, stainless steel, and many more. Since metal in non-porous, the paint just sits on its surface and is prone to scratches. You can prevent it by sealing the colours into the metal surface when it dries.
Yupo Paper
Yupo paper is the most popular canvas for those who want to create ink paintings. It is water-resistant, making it perfect for dyes and inks. Alcohol ink works perfectly great with yupo paper. It glides smoothly into the surface creating crisp edges on your artwork. You could also overlap different colours or spray some alcohol on the surface for a more artistic design. Since yupo paper is water resistant, your paint and inks won’t actually absorb into it. It would take some time for the paint to dry through natural evaporation process.
Ceramics and Clay board
Another great canvass for alcohol inks is clay board and ceramics. The clay board looks like a canvass but its surface is coated in clay. Since clay board is not absorbent, it won’t absorb the paint making it easier to retain the shape and edges as you apply the paint. Ceramics also work similarly with clay board and looks great with abstract designs made from alcohol ink.
Alcohol ink can be used on a lot of surfaces and each one has its own unique look when it dries. If you’re looking for a nice canvas for your alcohol ink artwork, try out those canvases mentioned above and see which one suits your style.
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