Alcohol Inks To Make BEAUTIFUL Necklaces

Out of Washers.

Inspiration for art comes from everywhere…and this is one technique that just keeps on giving (ideas…for me:). First of all, if you have never used alcohol inks, they LOVE surfaces that are non-porous. So, we are talking glass, plastic, ceramic, metal, etc. The inks themselves are highly concentrated which makes the possibilities endless on what you can use them for.

Washers have been my obsession for the last few months, just because they are SO inexpensive, and can yield such beautiful results. I love to make washer necklaces and, rear-view mirror decorations (cars), and sun-catchers or dream-catchers.

The MUST-HAVES for working with alcohol inks is a full bottle of just regular ol' rubbing alcohol. This is going to thin and mix your mix your colors.

SIDE NOTE– some colors will stain on wood floors more than others, and the Mr.Clean Magic Erasers will take the color out, no matter what surface you are on. I had a horrible RED dye stain on a wooden floor, would not come out with tea soaking, vinegar, baking soda- NOTHING…except this:)

Below I have the “ingredients” I needed to make the washers come to life with alcohol inks. The necessities are really just a bottle of rubbing alcohol and the alcohol inks (you CAN make them out of old markers, but I like the vibrancy of new ones)…everything else is really for mixture and texture.

What I am going to share with you is the exact way that I did it, so bare with me, simply sharing my experience and little extras that helped…

Felt is going to be a GREAT source of texture. You can buy the perfectly cut felt squares and applicator, or try to replicate yourself. I have tried to do it myself and realized the $10 for simply buying it was easier for me, and SO WORTH IT.

Felt is at the local dollar store or craft store, but you can use just about anything to create cool textures with alcohol inks…

Straw to blow the inks once you drop them
sponge
stamps
material
lace, etc.

Once you drop the ink, you have about 3 seconds before they dry and set.

For the photo above, what I did was choose 3-5 colors and squeeze a drop or 3 randomly on the felt (with applicator), then the next color, then the next.

It doesn't even matter if the colors overlap, don't worry about that. They will set NEXT to each other (unless you vigorously mix them) so you can create some really cool mixes.

Once I have a design and color mix that I love, I wait for it to totally dry (which is about ten seconds) and then I apply the Dimensional Magic. There are other brands, but just find some type of gloss enhancement.

This gloss enhancement will enhance and almost magnify the colors that you have on your washer. Bubbles are a common and universal problem with one or two-step resins. If you warm up the bottle in a hot cup or mug of water before using it, it will highly decrease the amount of bubbles.

You can also have a razor blade or needle on hand and check on your piece a couple of hours in. If there are bubbles, just try to pierce them out. For some pieces of art, the bubbles might just blend in, but for some it can really suck to have to correct.

I have always heard that if you get bubbles that the piece is ruined, NOT THE CASE. If that happens, you can take an extremely sharp (razor blade or clay working tool) to pierce the gloss cover. You will see the whole layer kind of “respond” to your stab, and you will see that you can almost just lift it off and then try to seal it again. Maybe trying the heat method. That seems to work the best.

Related: Affiliates For Artists

Anyway, don't freak out, your work is not ruined, you just have to peel off the gloss layer and do it again. Just go for it, and try again:)