  The Wonderful World Of Alcohol Inks! By Trish Bayley
I’ve only just recently opened my packs of Alcohol Inks; Id been resisting the urge because I knew once I opened them I wouldn’t be able to STOP using them! And boy was I ever right! These babies are mighty addictive! So what EXACTLY are they? They are alcohol based inks put out by Ranger – the best thing about the inks for me is that they come in the same beautiful colours which the Adirondack Inkpads come in – gorgeous yummy leaf and earthy tones which are a must have for a resident leaf, nature and vintage freak like me. Alcohol inks are acid free transparent inks; they are perfect for going on any surface which is nice and slick! Glass, plastic, dominos, metal, ceramic, acetate, glossy card and Cds all look fantabalous with the alcohol ink treatment! At present there are 4 packs to choose from (12 new colours are being released very soon!) If you haven’t got them already then trust me you NEED these babies! Having problems which ones to choose? That’s easy…..GET THEM ALL! The current list of kits available is:
In addition to the inks you can buy a bottle of blending solution – now this in my opinion is an ABSOLUTE MUST HAVE! This stuff is fantastic – it really takes the edge off the darker inks and allows them blend together with ease! And also makes for some lovely background effects! It can also be used to clean your hands too if you’re worried about going to work with cranberry fingers :D Looking to buy the inks or blending solution? Then I highly recommend Hearts In Touch: http://www.heartsintouch.com/ Alcohol Ink Tools:
See the pix opposite to see what type of pom poms I mean. Pom Poms are a perfect tool as they soak up the blending medium and allow you to work with more ink and blender at once and also softer for applying the inks with. That’s the intro over…now lets jump right in at the DEEP END and PLAY with these beauties! Read on for details……. Background Techniques With Alcohol Inks By Trish Bayley
Art and Words By Trish Bayley 2004 |
Adirondack® Alcohol Inks
Cranberry 
Lettuce
Eggplant 
Espresso 
Pesto 
Raisin 
Butterscotch
Stream 
Wild Plum 
Bottle 
Terra Cotta 
Denim 
Adirondack® Alcohol Blending Solution 
You can buy a special ‘tool’ for applying with ink with; it’s a wooden stamp handle on which you mount a piece of felt. The felt itself is used to tap and dab the ink over the surface. I’ve never tried this so I can’t review it and let you know how it works..but I tell you what I DO use….POM POMS!