Thank-you card on Yupo with alcohol ink

Alcohol Ink on Yupo Paper

4-individual yupo paper cards with Alcohol Ink

Alcohol Inks

Alcohol Ink on Yupo paper is an effortless mixed media technique that makes a beautiful background.  Some people shy away from alcohol inks because they work best on glassy or slick surfaces and you have little control over where the ink runs.  However, when using Yupo paper for a background, you can easily create precise control over where the ink pools.  When using this background the ink dries instantly.  You can use a paint brush for vivid colors or drop it straight from the bottle like I did on the above example.

Yupo Paper

This is a glossy paper that resembles a glass or tile surface similar to a photo paper without the sheen.  I bought “do it on YUPO” off of amazon and it comes in 11″X14″ paper.  I cut it down to smaller sizes that are easier to work with and use a basic Fiskars paper cutter to tackle the trimming.

yupo paper

Technique

Once you get your Yupo paper trimmed to smaller working canvas’s you can start inking the card stock.  There are many techniques that you can use but I typically focus on the simple drop method.  I also have a stock of pre-prepared containers that contain dried alcohol ink.  Basically you just put 15-20 drops of alcohol ink in small containers, I use lip balm containers, and let them dry.  then you can go back with a paint brush dipped in alcohol blending solution and use them like regular paint or watercolor paints.  If you want to invest in a water brush, they are approximately 7-9 dollars, you can put the blending solution directly into the water brush and it works perfectly for your dried alcohol inks.  I did use this method to finish my card in the referenced video at the end of my blog.

You can get very creative with alcohol ink.  When using the drop method, the ink dries very fast on this back ground so you can see where your art work is moving very quickly.  You continue dropping color onto your background until the majority of the card stock is covered then you can go in and fill in your small blank spots with the brush and blending solution.

I like to blow on the color as it is drying and you can figure out timing as you go.  When you blow on the blending solution that you are adding with the paint brush it makes a very smooth visual image.

Finishing up

Once you complete the image and are happy with your result there are several ways that you can seal your image.  The easiest way that I have found is spray sealer.  I prefer KRYLON Crystal Clear Acrylic Coating 1303A.  It will leave a few very small droplet like marks to the background but I like the finish that it gives the background.

crystal clear spray coating

With this card, I finished with a stamped “Thank-you” on white cardstock with the edges rubbed with a black faber castle marker.  I adhered the tag with mounting squares to give the card dimension.

Low Cost Project

When pricing alcohol inks, please note this project only used 3 colors.  Alcohol inks are sold in 3 color packs and all of the color pack sold are in the same family so they always blend well together.  Yupo paper is pricey, however if your enjoy the calming effect of making alcohol ink backgrounds it is an awesome investment.  It has limitless possibilities.  Cheap tiles from your local hardware store or glass picture frames are cheaper alternatives.

Supplies

Alcohol Ink

Alcohol Blending Solution

Yupo Paper

Crystal Clear Acrylic Coating

Paint brush or water pen

Alcohol Ink on Yupo Cardstock

Alcohol ink on Yupo cardstock