When I began painting, I used an awful lot of paper, ink and isopropyl alcohol and created a big pile of useless paintings.
However, while I did not like what I was creating, every single one of these paintings helped me get closer to discover what colour combinations, compositions and styles I liked. Furthermore, I was so fascinated with the movement of the ink and the blending of colours, that the outcome became less important.
While I love working on yupo paper, I have recently discovered that all of the paper I used to practise could have been saved and I could have instead practised on ceramic tiles. This is not to say that it is not a good idea to practise on yupo paper, but using tiles have an advantage: you can wipe them completely clean if you do not like the result.
To start your own alcohol ink experimentation, this is what you will need:
95% Isopropyl Alcohol
Alcohol Ink: (I use Ranger Alcohol Inks and Copic Ink Refills)
Yupo Paper or Nara paper
Ceramic Tiles
Heat Gun
Now you just need some time to experiment. Drop a few drops of ink on the tile, add isopropyl alcohol and use the heat gun to move it around.
Try to set your heat gun on different heat settings and see what happens. If you do not like the result you can simply wipe it clean with some isopropyl alcohol and start over.
Practising on tiles is a great way to get familiar with the unpredictability of the ink before painting on yupo.
When you have experimented on the tiles, you can try to paint on Yupo or Nara paper. Both Yupo and Nara paper are made of plastic. Nara paper is more adaptable, as it is possible to wipe the surface (almost) clean if you are not happy with the result.
You can use the same technique as with the tiles, however be careful with how much heat you apply. As Yupo and Nara paper is made of plastic, it can not take the same amount of heat as the tile. If you use too much heat, the paper will melt.
Happy creating.
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