The New Tim Holtz Alcohol Pearls and Alloy

Hello there!

Happy Saturday… How are you today? I hope that you are doing well.

I’m back today to share a couple of backgrounds that I created using the new Alcohol Pearls and Alloy that Tim Holtz announced today on his Youtube LIVE. Did you catch the LIVE today? If not, you can check out the replay on Tim’s Youtube Channel. CLICK HERE to check it out.

They are BEAUTIFUL and a brilliant addition to the Alcohol Ink line. The new colors are divided into a warm palette that includes, Radiant, Scorch, and Intense and a cool one that includes, Elixir, Divine and Opulent.

The new Rose Alloy has a beautiful Rosey finish, a slight touch of platinum mixed with a light hue of pink.. just right!

I played with the colors and decided to try an “alcohol ink watercoloring” technique. I stamped images onto Yupo Paper using Black Soot Archival Ink, then used Alcohol Blending Solution as the water for the “watercoloring” with the inks.

Here are the backgrounds I created…

The first was created using the Floral Outline Stamp Set CMS430. It’s one of my new favorite sets, as many of you know..any way you color these flowers is going to turn out perfectly, every single time! I just love them!

The next was made using the Specimen Stamp Set CMS410, this is a pretty cool set too!

The bugs are GIANT and a fun set to create and color with. I went in a very eclectic and loose watercoloring direction..I love how it turned out…and those pearls and the blend that they created are just fabulous. Check out the bottom right corner of the piece. A little grunginess YUM!

Let’s get to it…I gathered my supplies which included the new Alcohol Ink Pearls and Rose Alloy, Alcohol Blending Solution, 91% Isopropyl Alcohol (filled in a glass jar with a dropper), a couple tiny plastic cups or bowls for both the blending solution and alcohol (don’t fill up the cups, just a few drops is enough), an Alcohol Ink Brush for coloring, a couple colors of Alcohol Ink that included Mushroom, Pebble and Lettuce, Yupo Paper, Alcohol Ink Air Blower, Black Soot Archival Ink, stamps and Media Mat.

I stamped the images onto my piece of Yupo Paper then let it air-dry a bit.

I dripped a little Blending Solution and Alcohol onto the stamped paper in the blank areas, then dripped Mushroom and Pebble Alcohol Ink onto the paper and blended them out using the air blower tool. If there was some ink that ran over into the stamped area that I didn’t want, I simply used a paper towel to dab it up.

I dripped some of the pearls over onto the white space of my Media Mat…this became my palette to pick up colors to paint with. I dipped my brush into a cup that contained a bit of blending solution, then picked up color from the mat to paint the images. I started with the leaves using Elixir Pearl and Lettuce, then went on to painting the flowers.

Scorch is a GORGEOUS new alcohol pearl, and was perfect for flowers! The centers of the flowers were colored using the new Radiant Pearl which was perfect for the stamens of the flowers.

I layered the colors by thinning them out using the blending solution on my palette (media mat), then added a more concentrated area of color as it dried. It takes some play to see how the alcohol inks distribute the color, but after seeing how they work, you’ll get the hang of it lickety split.

The Black Soot Archival Ink that was used to stamp the images blends in a little with the inks and adds to the watercolor effect.

Once I had the images colored, I dripped a little bit of blending solution and alcohol into the background, being careful not to go crazy with it, I didn’t want to remove all those lovely flowers that I colored. While the solutions were still wet, I dripped on some of the Rose Alloy and used the ink blower to move the ink around.

To finish the piece, I flicked a little alcohol and ink into the background, using the brush that still contained some alcohol and Scorch Pearl. This created a little more interest and added drips and splatter.

Can you see that pearl shimmer? Delicious!!

The bug background…

Using a stamp platform, I stamped 2 of the Specimen bug images onto a piece of Yupo Paper with Black Soot Archival Ink.

I dripped alcohol and blending solution, Mushroom and Pebble Alcohol Ink, into the blank areas of the background, then using the Air Blower, moved the ink and dried it. Can you see it? Some of the ink ran into the bugs, but that added to the eclectic look and I loved it…now on to the pearls!

Next, I dripped more alcohol and blending solution, then dripped a variety of the pearls then used the Air Blower again, moved the ink around and dried it.

Yummo, check out those color blends…I LOVE it!

Once I had the background set, I dipped my brush into the alcohol or blending solution, and blended some of the inks to color random areas of the bugs and created a very organic look.

With that, my backgrounds were complete! The biggest thing with the Alcohol inks, pearls and alloys? Play, Play, play…you never know what you’re gonna get, but once you experiment, you might just find a new way to use them.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you give this technique a try and check out the new colors of Alcohol Ink Pearls and Alloy.

See you soon!

Creatively yours,

Stacy

Products used to create these backgrounds… Click HERE to shop at Simon Says Stamp

Alcohol Ink Pearls Sets, Rose Alloy, Yupo Paper, Alcohol Ink Air Blower, Alcohol Ink Brushes, Alcohol Inks, Floral Outlines Stamp Set, Specimen Stamp Set, Alcohol Blending Solution, 91% Isopropyl Alcohol, Black Soot Archival Ink

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