Technique Tuesday for December
Wowzers, it’s December already and that means we have completed a whole year of Technique Tuesdays, thank you all for your support, it means the world that you have been with me.
So this month my theme is Floral Design, a loose title created purposefully so that I could deviate from the normal flower painting tradition. Are you looking to infuse your floral artwork with an explosion of vibrant colours? Then you might want to experiment with alcohol inks. Known for their intense hues, flowing movement, and unpredictable patterns, alcohol inks offer a unique and exciting medium for artists to explore.
Unlike traditional watercolours or acrylics, alcohol inks are composed of fast-drying, highly concentrated pigments that are dissolved in an alcohol base. This composition allows the inks to behave in fascinating ways when applied on various surfaces, including Yupo paper, tile, glass, and even synthetic materials like plastic.
One of the reasons alcohol inks are so beloved by artists is their ability to create organic and unpredictable patterns. As the inks interact with each other and move across the surface of your chosen medium, they create stunning blooms and billows of colour — reminiscent of nature's own artistry. This spontaneous nature adds an intriguing element to your floral paintings, ensuring that each piece is truly one of a kind.
To make the most of alcohol inks for painting flowers, it's important to explore different techniques and tools. Using brushes, blending solutions, and even air blowing techniques can help you achieve specific effects, such as soft washes, sharp lines, or ethereal blends. The key is to experiment, embrace the fluidity of the medium, and let the inks guide your creative process.
So grab your materials, unleash your creativity, and let's embark on an exciting artistic adventure amidst the drama of flowers, don’t forget to leave me a comment either here or on YouTube and if you share your work on social media, please include the tag @aliboardartist.
See you again very soon, don’t forget I will be with you on December 25th and good luck with all your creative experiments, Ali.
The equipment Ali will use in her demo:
In previous Technique Tuesdays, Ali has provided affiliate links to the equipment she uses, she would receive a very small amount of money if you purchased via these links but she has now decided to do something a little different. You will still find all of the equipment listed below but now, if you have enjoyed Ali’s tutorial and would like to make sure that they stay free in the future (they take approximately six hours to prepare and deliver), then you are very welcome to ‘Buy her a Coffee’ or as we prefer to say ‘Buy the hens some corn’. The button below will take your donation through to our checkout system BUT if you are on a tight budget, please keep your money for more important things, we are, after all, a community where we look out for each other and we want you to enjoy our content.
The equipment Ali uses in this demonstration:
Drawing Board on a slight slope
Ali’s board is covered in a magnetic sheet with a sticky backed plastic cover to make it more attractive
Magnetic push pins to hold down the paper
Yupo paper
Rubber Dust blower
Straw
Paper clip
Heat Gun
Pinata Alcohol Inks
Isopropanol
Pipettes/needle point bottle
Posca pens
Microfibre cloth