Alcohol inks have a mind of their own, especially when you use them to paint on wax paper.
I discovered several 5″x7″ pieces of wax paper that I had rolled up and stashed in the back of a drawer. They were the perfect size to make mini paintings that will fit inside standard glass postcard frames. Alcohol inks blend beautifully on smooth surfaces, like a coated paperboard box, or even a plastic CD – but the natural, fibrous fogginess of wax paper gives the colors a more organic, transparent feel.
Because wax paper has a tendency to curl into a roll, I pinned it to a sheet of Smoothfoam. Alcohol inks are the most fun when different colors can interact with each other. One way to start is with several drops of different colors and then gently brush and swirl them together for an allover blended background.
I brushed broad stripes of yellow, blue and green instead – if you tap the brush against the color as it dries, you can get a marbled effect. Then I played with dripping and dropping small amounts of inks in random spots on tops of the broad stripes. When two inks come together, they move and spread in interesting patterns all on their own. Try dropping a lighter color like yellow on top of a darker color to see how the yellow pushes the darker color away. It’s also fun to tap through the colors with the tip of a stiff stencil brush. Blow on a drop of ink to make it splay out.
Once I liked my final painting, I cut out a black mat from cardstock and applied paper-backed tape around the inside edge on the back. When the wax paper is dry, carefully remove the pins and press it against the adhesive (remove the paper liners first). The ink scratches off the wax paper fairly easily, so handle it carefully. Adhere the matted painting to a piece of white cardstock so the colors pop. Once matted, place your new work of art inside a glass postcard frame to display.
Painting wax paper with alcohol inks is unpredictable and fun! The best part is using blending solution to remove color and start over if an area gets too muddy. No rules, no mistakes!
