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Media: Alcohol Ink?

Home Forums Windstone Editions Paint-Your-Own Windstone Media: Alcohol Ink?

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  • #1672561
    Lauren
    Participant

      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…

      #1672563
      Mika
      Participant

        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.

        #1672564
        Jillian
        Participant

          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

          22hippocampus

          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!)

          #1672586
          Lauren
          Participant

            @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!)

            #1672602
            Melody
            Keymaster

              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.

              #1672624
              Jillian
              Participant

                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!)

                #1672640
                Lauren
                Participant

                  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.

                  #1672668
                  Kujacker
                  Participant

                    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.

                    #1672673
                    Lauren
                    Participant

                      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?

                      #1672674
                      Kujacker
                      Participant

                        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.

                        #1672677
                        Jillian
                        Participant

                          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!)

                          #1672678
                          Prezaurian
                          Participant

                            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.

                            #1672699
                            Kujacker
                            Participant

                              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.

                              #1672702
                              Lauren
                              Participant

                                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?

                                #1672739
                                Kujacker
                                Participant

                                  I always meant to buy a lazy susan, but never did. I just hold the figure with my hand and am careful to know where I’m grabbing. I don’t have any issues with smudging.

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