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So I think by and large people use acrylics to paint their PYOs. But has anybody ever tried using alcohol inks at all? I’m thinking probably not due to how fast they dry and difficulty controlling (plus I would think the surface would pull that in very fast) BUT I’m curious because I have a ton of them from some other projects in the past and can’t help but wonder if they’d be any good for one of the PYOs I’ve had sitting in my closet for forever…
I’ve used alcohol inks. They can bleed between each other and through to acrylic paints. When I used alcohol inks I would varnish them as I went to minimize that bleeding. I wouldn’t use them for detail work.
I’ve used them to paint directly onto a figure… However, I’ve heard they’re not lightfast & will degrade over time. :<
My alcohol inks used were copies, and I found out after the fact that they wouldn’t be archival quality.
[url]https://www.vanillaarts.com/blog/prevent-copic-fade#:~:text=Copic%20inks%20are%20not%20forever,true%20in%20the%20art%20world.[url]
I’m not sure if there are other alcohol inks of higher qualities/lightfast. Just my two cents.Maybe there are others that have had actual experience using them and cam show how they’ve aged/not. X)
*edit to share fresh alcohol inks on a hip I was working on
Member Type/Orientation: Chaotic Creative/ Occasional Freelance/40hrDayJob
Wishlisty~Old Warrior/Stone::Rising Spectral/Violet Flame::
ANY Peacock or White~I only have a white fledgling and several white PYO 😅 ::
** Matching pair of sun & moon oriental dragons**
**test paint/Grab-bag ki-rin or gryphons**
Grail: March 2023 raffle piece (a girl can dream!)@mika yeah I figured with the way they are by nature they’d have problems mixing with acrylics and bleeding, the latter of which could have interesting effects when correctly applied but maybe only on something with really smooth surfaces (like the shop cats). Thank you for letting me know I was on the right track.
@Jillian oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that. The alcohol inks I have been thinking on are Tim Holtz and Jacquard brands mostly with some Marabu. My understanding is that they are not lightfast under direct sun for extended periods of time (within a few weeks the color would begin to break down) and UV resistant sealers wouldn’t help much. However indoors the colors should be lightfast, and I imagine most of us don’t want our prized Windstones to go out in the elements. So maybe the colors will stay unchanged longer than you’re afraid. (They’re lovely, by the way!)
From my understanding, alcohol inks are dyes. Dyes are problematic because they will bleed through paint and can migrate around. They also aren’t archival. I painted a Secret Keeper in the Ruby automotive paint that turned out to be unstable, so I covered the red paint with gold. The red bled right through the gold! This SK looked gorgeous for a year or so, ( this is what inspired the violet flame color) but the color continued to change! Now the red has faded and she is kinda dingy colored. That’s what dyes do. We don’t recommend using dyes on our pyos.
Wow! Violet flame is one of my favorite colors in the Windstone line and had no idea it was inspired by a happy(?) accident.
It’s also good to hear more about what can happen while using alcohol inks- particularly in use with windstone figures. I’d been debating taking anther shot using them to dye a base coat, but think I’ll resist. :’)
Member Type/Orientation: Chaotic Creative/ Occasional Freelance/40hrDayJob
Wishlisty~Old Warrior/Stone::Rising Spectral/Violet Flame::
ANY Peacock or White~I only have a white fledgling and several white PYO 😅 ::
** Matching pair of sun & moon oriental dragons**
**test paint/Grab-bag ki-rin or gryphons**
Grail: March 2023 raffle piece (a girl can dream!)Thank you for your input Melody! I hadn’t really thought in too hard of detail how that color changing over time would effect when blended together. I think sticking with acrylics is probably the right call, then.
I don’t believe there are any lightfast alcohol inks. It might be impossible due to their composition. I love my copics, but I never considered using them on a pyo.
On that note, some acrylic paints (and in general, all other art supplies) aren’t lightfast. It depends on the companies, though most “artists grade” supplies tend to have a ranking system you can easily find if that’s a concern. The best way to help ensure less fading is to coat the pyo in a uv resistant clear coat.In any case, other than acrylic paint, other’s on the forum have used various items. Watercolor, colored pencil, etc. I personally like to use pastels.
I don’t believe there are any lightfast alcohol inks. It might be impossible due to their composition. I love my copics, but I never considered using them on a pyo.
On that note, some acrylic paints (and in general, all other art supplies) aren’t lightfast. It depends on the companies, though most “artists grade” supplies tend to have a ranking system you can easily find if that’s a concern. The best way to help ensure less fading is to coat the pyo in a uv resistant clear coat.In any case, other than acrylic paint, other’s on the forum have used various items. Watercolor, colored pencil, etc. I personally like to use pastels.
You use pastels? Now you’ve piqued my curiosity; I have a very nice set of soft pastels I haven’t used in a long time and deserves to be given a purpose. Do you use hard or soft pastels? Do you apply by drawing directly or do you wet a brush and use them that way?
I use soft. I use a blade to shave the pastels into a dust and apply them with a dry brush. The only downside of this way of painting is it takes many layers to build up the colors, so it is time intensive.
I use soft. I use a blade to shave the pastels into a dust and apply them with a dry brush. The only downside of this way of painting is it takes many layers to build up the colors, so it is time intensive.
Now [i]that[/i] is a cool idea. I’ll bet you could get some beautiful subtle shifts. Do you use anything as a fixative for it? I know soft pastels easily create a mess and I’m wondering how much it might move around after being applied or if there’s a way to reduce how many layers you need to apply.
On a side note, just to explain, I didn’t use my copics directly on the figure. I have lots of refill/ink vessels, so I just used a brush to apply. I can’t imagine how beat the pen tip might get being used on gypsum. X) I love the effects you can get, almost like watercolor. REALLY wish there was a way to keep things colorfast. :’)
Member Type/Orientation: Chaotic Creative/ Occasional Freelance/40hrDayJob
Wishlisty~Old Warrior/Stone::Rising Spectral/Violet Flame::
ANY Peacock or White~I only have a white fledgling and several white PYO 😅 ::
** Matching pair of sun & moon oriental dragons**
**test paint/Grab-bag ki-rin or gryphons**
Grail: March 2023 raffle piece (a girl can dream!)I use soft. I use a blade to shave the pastels into a dust and apply them with a dry brush. The only downside of this way of painting is it takes many layers to build up the colors, so it is time intensive.
Now [i]that[/i] is a cool idea. I’ll bet you could get some beautiful subtle shifts. Do you use anything as a fixative for it? I know soft pastels easily create a mess and I’m wondering how much it might move around after being applied or if there’s a way to reduce how many layers you need to apply.
On a side note, just to explain, I didn’t use my copics directly on the figure. I have lots of refill/ink vessels, so I just used a brush to apply. I can’t imagine how beat the pen tip might get being used on gypsum. X) I love the effects you can get, almost like watercolor. REALLY wish there was a way to keep things colorfast. :’)
Kujackers pastel pieces are quite beautiful.
I believe other forum members have done similar work using Pearl Ex pigment powders. To equally stunning results.
You can check out my work on dA & Redbubble!
https://prezaurian.deviantart.com/
https://www.redbubble.com/people/prezaurian?ref=artist_title_nameThanks Prezaurian 😀
Yes, you have to use clear coats between each layer of the pastels (spray, not brush on, clear coats). Otherwise, you’ll just be rubbing the pigment off. Even then, pigment will come off a little bit with each layer of clear coat.
I also do use the pearl ex powders occasionally. Same deal.Thanks Prezaurian 😀
Yes, you have to use clear coats between each layer of the pastels (spray, not brush on, clear coats). Otherwise, you’ll just be rubbing the pigment off. Even then, pigment will come off a little bit with each layer of clear coat.
I also do use the pearl ex powders occasionally. Same deal.Do you have any issues with applying the pastel and smearing it? Paint dries so it’s easier to move and tilt the piece as you go without worrying; do you rely heavily on a lazy susan and/or spray coats as you go along so body parts don’t get messed up?
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