Faux Alcohol Ink Background using Bold Inks
Good morning! If you've been to my blog recently you know that I'm on a bit of an alcohol ink kick these days. But I've gotten a few comments from people who aren't quite ready to make the commitment to purchase alcohol inks and were wondering if there was a way to achieve a similar look. So I did a little experimenting and discovered that you can create a faux alcohol ink background using hybrid inks on yupo paper! Today's card pairs my background with the beautifully intricate new City Skyline Fancy die!
Of course it's not quite the same...but it's a great way to try out some basic alcohol ink techniques without alcohol inks! ;) To start I took a 5x7 piece of yupo paper and placed it on my craft mat. I started by swiping my Rose Madder Bold ink pad over the paper from left to right until it covered the paper. Then I used the short edge of the ink pad and swiped Strawberry and Crimson Bold inks in thick lines across the yupo paper. Since yupo paper is technically plastic the ink sits on top of the paper rather than soaking in and it gives me a little more time to work. First I tilted the yupo paper and squirted rubbing alcohol across the top of the paper to allow the inks to blend and flow across the paper. Then I took the blending felt and swiped it across the paper to keep the ink moving. It created an ombre look that looked to me like a hot summer sunset! I let the paper sit for about an hour to give the ink time to dry and then trimmed it down to an A2 card base. Once it was totally dry I didn't have any problems with the ink smearing. Honestly, I'm not quite sure how it dried but it did! :)
While the background was drying I worked on the rest of the card. First I die-cut the City Skyline Fancy Die from black cardstock and shimmery gold cardstock. I reserved the bottom of the black die-cut and stamped the sentiment from Enjoy the Journey across the bottom with versamark and heat-embossed it with white embossing powder. I adhered that to the bottom of the ombre background and then puzzle-pieced the gold cardstock above it. Next I applied foam mounting tape to the black cardstock, slightly offset it, and adhered it above the gold cardstock to create a shadow effect. I finished the card with a few Champagne sequins!
I really love how the background turned out...I'll have to do a few more experiments using hybrid inks in place of alcohol inks and I'll make sure to share my discoveries with you! ;) Thanks so much for visiting and have a fabulous day!
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15 Responses
Michelle P.
January 28, 2018
Absolutely beautiful!! I can’t stop looking at this card! WOW! Fantastic job, with your fake alcohol ink technique. I never would have thought to do this. Thank you so much for sharing.
Julie Macpherson
January 06, 2018
I just loved the whole total effect on the card I
thought it looked just great. We’ll done
Marjorie DUMONTIER
December 15, 2017
That’s such an incredible background ! margessw@icloud.com
Traci
December 13, 2017
Inspired!
Celeste Goff
December 12, 2017
Such a stunningly beautiful background Jess!
MelissaF
December 12, 2017
Love this background for your beautiful card! Thanks for sharing this technique with hybrid inks.
paperpicnic
December 12, 2017
Beautiful, Jess! Such a lovely sky for this skyline, love the offset gold layer behind the black.
Helen
December 12, 2017
This looks beautiful. Will definitely have a go using shiney paper i have.
Jackie P
December 12, 2017
Wow! Who knew hybrid inks on Yupo paper would look so gorgeous?! That card is beautiful and I"d love to see more examples using ink and yupo paper, maybe a video?
Leanne in Cali
December 12, 2017
Oh this is pretty! Love the way the background turned out and the city skyline looks beautiful with the black and gold. Thanks for sharing with us!!
Henriëtte
December 12, 2017
Wow, I love your background. The whole card is gorgeous!
Thanks for experimenting for us.
Andrea Hastilow
December 12, 2017
This is a fantastic idea, a sort of trial run to see if you want to invest in inks, great look, almost as stunning. Do love the effect you have got on this card, makes a great change from just blue/ black skies, thanks x
Helen
December 12, 2017
Thanks for sharing this great way to use ink pads with yupo paper. You created a stunning background for your scene.
Karthikha Uday
December 12, 2017
What a beautiful background!! Lovely card :)
Patt H.
December 12, 2017
Beautiful card! Love the colors & that awesome die. Thanks for all the tips. I’ll be trying that one as soon as I get all the Christmas cards mailed.