Monoprinting with Alcohol Inks
By Bridget Larsen
Supply List:
- Alcohol inks - any brand/any color combination you choose, or a single color
- Krylon pen complimentary to your ink choice, e.g. gold Krylon used with yellow, red or pink inks
- Acetate sheet or overheard projector sheets or any plastic sheet stronger than Glad Wrap (Saran Wrap), can try and use wax paper as well
- Gloves unless you want stained fingers for the next 3 days
- Blending solution from Ranger or Pinata brand inks
- Black pigment ink or black Stazon ink pads
- Clear embossing powder if you are using the pigment ink
- White gloss card cut down to card size
- scrap paper to protect your working surface
- Heat gun
- Cutter
- Any background cardstock or paper to match your ink colors
- Glue or double sided tape
Directions:
Step 1:
Choose a place you don’t mind if ink sprays as you may not be able to get rid of the ink off any surface as I have found out on the kitchen tiles.
Lay your scrap paper to protect your working surface.
Place the acetate down on scrap paper.
You may choose to use the blending solution in the bottle as it is or put it into a spray bottle as I do which makes it go further.
Step 2:
Place dots of Krylon pen, not too much or the Krylon will overpower the ink on the acetate, about the size of the area of your gloss card. Squeeze your chosen inks onto the Krylon pen area, remember to use more of lighter colors than dark or you won’t be able to stamp on the darker colors well. Squeeze or spray the blending solution over the inks until you see it spreading, this will mix the colors and give a nice smooth coverage.
Place your gloss card stock gloss side down onto the ink and smoosh it around to cover the cardstock, lift it up and if some spots are still bare wipe that area on the ink still left on the acetate, sometimes small white areas are nice.
Place your inked card stock on some scrap paper to dry or you can heat set it.
Step 3:
Ink up your stamp with Stazon or any other ink that can work on non porous surfaces. Stamp on the dried alcohol background and heat set that again.
Cut it to size and mount.
You may choose to cover your image in O’So sticky sheets and cover in mini micro or ultra fine beads at this point as in my sample, the Dance with the Butterflies image is covered in ultra fine clear micro beads.
Step 1:
Choose a place you don’t mind if ink sprays as you may not be able to get rid of the ink off any surface as I have found out on the kitchen tiles.
Lay your scrap paper to protect your working surface.
Place the acetate down on scrap paper.
You may choose to use the blending solution in the bottle as it is or put it into a spray bottle as I do which makes it go further.
Step 2:
Place dots of Krylon pen, not too much or the Krylon will overpower the ink on the acetate, about the size of the area of your gloss card. Squeeze your chosen inks onto the Krylon pen area, remember to use more of lighter colors than dark or you won’t be able to stamp on the darker colors well. Squeeze or spray the blending solution over the inks until you see it spreading, this will mix the colors and give a nice smooth coverage.
Place your gloss card stock gloss side down onto the ink and smoosh it around to cover the cardstock, lift it up and if some spots are still bare wipe that area on the ink still left on the acetate, sometimes small white areas are nice.
Place your inked card stock on some scrap paper to dry or you can heat set it.
Step 3:
Ink up your stamp with Stazon or any other ink that can work on non porous surfaces. Stamp on the dried alcohol background and heat set that again.
Cut it to size and mount.
You may choose to cover your image in O’So sticky sheets and cover in mini micro or ultra fine beads at this point as in my sample, the Dance with the Butterflies image is covered in ultra fine clear micro beads.
Examples
Jean Butner
Stephanie Loomis
Bridget Larsen
Bridget Larsen
Jean Butner
Pam Fuda
Lisa Heusler
Marianne Colschen
Suzanne Glazier
Beth Ullman