Expanding the Alcohol Ink Horizon
August 7, 2012
Supplies & other fun stuff, Tips and Tricks
I am an avid user of alcohol inks. I love the range of subtle to bright watercolor textures you can add to polymer. I use both Pinata and Adriondacks just to have a wider range of color options. The problem with buying alchohol inks is that you are just guessing at the colors from what you seen in the bottles or packaging, which is not very helpful.
So I was rather excitedt to find this page all about alcohol inks on Kimberly Crick’s online craft store site.
The page has a great chart of all the Adriondack inks as well as samples of what the 3 pack color sets look like together.
The page also goes over adding alcohol inks to a variety of materials. There is a section for polymer clay that still needs to be filled out. But as usual, it would be fairly easy to adapt some of the techniques such as the ones listed for stamping and mixing inks into sealants.
And while you are on the site, you might want to explore her stamp, mold, jewelry supply and polymer clay offerings.
Working on the Edge
May 29, 2012
Inspirational Art
Centering or working inside the edge or frame of a piece is a common approach for applying imagery and pattern. This will help to convey a feeling of calm and/or restraint. But what if you want something more dynamic?
Try working on or off the edge. It adds excitement and movement by bringing into question the boundary of the piece. In these lockets by the Philippines’ Jennifer Cruz, the artist situates her antique looking flower canes so they sit just at the edge or break off the surface’s boundaries. It gives you the feeling of something that continues on beyond the confines of the form, that the images you see are only part of a larger picture. This translate into a feeling that there is much more to the piece than what you are seeing. Touching or running off the edge creates tension (the good, exciting kind) and draws you to examine the teetering or incomplete imagery further.
You don’t actually have to stop at the edge though. Playing with the boundary of a form by continuing into the outside space can also make the work more dynamic. This Layered Fragment brooch by Kathleen Dustin is a wonderful example. The internal imagery itself doesn’t run off the edge but the line does as it is visually continued with the use of wire.
How often do you work with or beyond the boundary of your pieces?
Jennifer Cruz was also featured on the lead page of the “Polymer to the Rescue” article in the present Summer 2012 issue of The Polymer Arts magazine. Go here to get your copy: www.thepolymerarts.com/Subscribe.html
I am an avid user of alcohol inks. I love the range of subtle to bright watercolor textures you can add to polymer. I use both Pinata and Adriondacks just to have a wider range of color options. The problem with buying alchohol inks is that you are just guessing at the colors from what you seen in the bottles or packaging, which is not very helpful.
So I was rather excitedt to find this page all about alcohol inks on Kimberly Crick’s online craft store site.
The page has a great chart of all the Adriondack inks as well as samples of what the 3 pack color sets look like together.
The page also goes over adding alcohol inks to a variety of materials. There is a section for polymer clay that still needs to be filled out. But as usual, it would be fairly easy to adapt some of the techniques such as the ones listed for stamping and mixing inks into sealants.
And while you are on the site, you might want to explore her stamp, mold, jewelry supply and polymer clay offerings.
Read More
Centering or working inside the edge or frame of a piece is a common approach for applying imagery and pattern. This will help to convey a feeling of calm and/or restraint. But what if you want something more dynamic?
Try working on or off the edge. It adds excitement and movement by bringing into question the boundary of the piece. In these lockets by the Philippines’ Jennifer Cruz, the artist situates her antique looking flower canes so they sit just at the edge or break off the surface’s boundaries. It gives you the feeling of something that continues on beyond the confines of the form, that the images you see are only part of a larger picture. This translate into a feeling that there is much more to the piece than what you are seeing. Touching or running off the edge creates tension (the good, exciting kind) and draws you to examine the teetering or incomplete imagery further.
You don’t actually have to stop at the edge though. Playing with the boundary of a form by continuing into the outside space can also make the work more dynamic. This Layered Fragment brooch by Kathleen Dustin is a wonderful example. The internal imagery itself doesn’t run off the edge but the line does as it is visually continued with the use of wire.
How often do you work with or beyond the boundary of your pieces?
Jennifer Cruz was also featured on the lead page of the “Polymer to the Rescue” article in the present Summer 2012 issue of The Polymer Arts magazine. Go here to get your copy: www.thepolymerarts.com/Subscribe.html
Read More