Alcohol Ink meets Mixed Media

Step 1: "Warm up"

When working with Alcohol Inks, it is recommended to wear protective clothing. At the beginning, prepare the work surface and fix the paper sheet with tape on a stable base to avoid the possible ripples. Suitable craft accessories are chipboard elements, wooden rings or punched snowflakes, which you can tint in advance with pearlescent acrylic paint or Alcohol Ink in "Silver Mine" and "Gold Rush". This works best on plain copy film. Then allow to dry sufficiently.

Step 2: "Let's start"

Soak the fixed paper sheet with enough isopropanol so that a film can be seen on the surface. Drizzle "Lagoon", "Hot Pink" as well as "Sparkler" on this pool and let the Alcohol Ink flow over the entire sheet with sweeping motions. If necessary, add a little isopropanol to dissolve any unwanted deposits. Use a hair dryer to push the ink over the paper until fine edges form and the ink has dried thoroughly. To darken the lower part of the background, repeat the procedure again only on the side edges as well as corners using a spray bottle.

Step 3: "The show must go on"

For stamping on the Alcohol Inks, put a few drops on the copying foil and spread them out. To ensure that the impressions are clean, press the wetted stamp briefly on a piece of paper in between and then gently press it onto the tinted sheet. Arrange the chipboard elements, the wooden rings as well as the snowflakes, with the Heavy Body Gel. Use a spatula to spread crackling paste in the gaps and around the edges and use stencils as desired. Press 3D Balls sporadically into the still wet paste and drizzle Alcohol Ink over them. If necessary, accelerate the drying process of the crackling paste with a hair dryer. Allow the image to dry well overnight.

Step 4: "Et voilà!"

Carefully remove the tape at the edges and detach the fixed sheet from the backing. Carefully trim any protruding chipboard elements along the edge of the paper. Finally, work out the structures of the crackle effect as well as the outer edges with Metallic Wax using a soft brush and, as a topping, apply "Silver Mine" to the raised areas of the 3D Balls as well as the chipboard elements using your fingertip. Seal the artwork as desired with alcohol-free UV varnish.