Let Go and Play
Do you know that you can create awesome art work without thinking hard or even trying?
You only need two simple ingredients to start off:
- Let go of your inhibitions
- Be playful.
(Of course, you’ll need materials to make this project possible.)
I’ll show you.
It’s a super easy and highly-doable creative project that I did as part of Kelly McCausey’s 2020 Stretch Yourself Challenge.
Last week, Kelly invited each of the over 100 challengers to find at least 90 minutes of free time to do something new.
Some ideas that she suggested were…
- Try a new food.
- Listen to new music.
- Walk/hike a new path.
- Try a new guided meditation.
- Do a chair yoga class on YouTube.
- Learn a silly dance on TikTok.
To go with it were points to reflect on:
- Why did you choose what you chose?
- How did it feel?
- Why haven’t you tried it sooner?
- What would you have loved to do instead if it were possible?
- What would make that possible?
I had two quick options in mind: Explore a new cuisine or tackle an art project I’ve never done.
I went with the latter, which is alcohol ink painting.
Your Alcohol Ink Painting Instruments: Achieve Great Results
I learned about alcohol ink painting last year when our family went to a local art show. Someone posted at the community board about a paid course on drawing flowers with alcohol ink. For some reason, I didn’t go.
Dang!
I really wanted to attend that but I guess I chickened out or just got plain lazy or didn’t want to pay the fee.
To address my fear of missing out, I scoured YouTube and Skillshare for how-to videos.
I then bought and collected all the materials needed to create art from alcohol ink:
- Yupo paper (or alternative like Brea Reese )
- Alcohol ink
- Alcohol 91% or 99% for blending
- Mister
- Stamper for textures
- Straw
- Hair dryer
- Improvised dropper
- Paint brush
- Container.
Almost a year later, I was still thinking about doing it until Kelly’s invitation to take a break.
Have a look at my results…
All I did were the following steps:
- Drop alcohol ink on Yupo or Brea Rees paper
- Blow on the ink using a straw to drive it to the direction that I wanted the paint to go.
- Spray or drop alcohol over the ink and paper to spread easily or create droplet effects.
- Use the hair dryer to dry the liquid (although I stopped after getting a dull result).
- Do the same steps until you get your desired results.
(Here’s a tip: Start out with two colors that blend well. Each one gives you various shades from dark to light, and the combo can give you another color.)
That’s about it.
A Whole New World with Alcohol Ink Painting
My first experimentation with alcohol ink painting led me to discover a brand new possibility.
Here are my takeaway from that brief encounter with alcohol ink…
- Alcohol ink together with Yupo paper has a mind of its own, it does the work for you!
- At the minimum, you just need to know what colors blend in nicely to avoid muddy results but you’ll know that later while experimenting.
- Anyone regardless of age, skills, or background can do it.
- Zero experience is totally fine.
- Alcohol ink painting is fun, therapeutic and so easy to get sucked in.
- Create various products for personal use or to sell!
Overall, you’ll be amazed with the stress-relief experience and gorgeous results that you get.
Alcohol Ink Painting: Take It to the Next Level
If you want to learn about alcohol ink painting, I recommend creating a premium account at Skillshare for a 2-month free access (and, yes, cancel anytime).
Check these alcohol ink painting courses, a few of over 42 related courses available:
- Creative Painting: Alcohol Inks and Yupo Paper
- Alcohol Ink Fluid Art for Beginners
- The Basics of Alcohol Ink: Learning How to Create an Abstract Painting
- Simple and Fun Alcohol Ink Flower Painting You Have to Try!
- Alcohol Ink Painting (Air Brush, Straw and Canned)
Try YouTube, too.
I’m not done with alcohol ink painting yet. It’s fun and addictive. I’ll create more art work and circle back once I implement my next steps to take it to a new level.
If you’re curious about the 2020 Stretch Yourself Challenge, read about it in my recent blog post HERE.
Yes, you can still take part in it in a unique way.
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