You might ask yourself, “Am I here to make art or just make a mess?” when you walk into your first 鉒精潀疫課程. You will do both, and you will be glad you did. In the last ten years, alcohol ink painting has become very famous. There are a lot of bright, ethereal abstracts on social media, and students all over the world are looking for those hard-to-find “magic” methods. Check this out for more information!
Let’s open the curtain. What will you really learn from your first class in ink painting? To begin, your guide will talk about the most important things. You will work with alcohol inks, the wonderful colored ones that come in bottles. Most classes come with a basic set that includes bright primary colors, black, and at least one metallic color to step things up a notch. It is likely that you will learn how Yupo paper is different from standard cardstock. Don’t do this on grandma’s tablecloth, just so you know. That color leaves stains.
The real adventure starts when you blend. You will discover how alcohol ink grows in waves and swirls, as if it had its own mind. Moving the colors around is fun and sometimes random. All you need is a straw or a quick puff of air (but not after eating garlic fries!). If you let go of power, magic can happen.
Also, safety comes up quickly. Because they have isopropyl alcohol in them, these paints smell strong. It is important to have air flow. A lot of beginners are shocked to feel a little dizzy after an afternoon session, so open a window or bring a fan. Gloves? They’ll be useful. It’s a badge of honor to have ink on your fingers, but the smell can last for days.
There are a lot of techniques. You will be able to use a brush or even a cotton swab to change the colors by the second lesson. When you drop alcohol on paint that is almost dry, it makes crazy, ringed “cells” that look like trippy tree rings. Some teachers show how to use a hair dryer to move color across the surface to make ribbons and masks. The brush won’t be the hero here; air and gravity will do most of the work.