25 Ways to use Alcohol Inks

Alcohol Inks are highly-pigmented, acid-free, and fast drying inks that work on non-porous surfaces. They mix well and create vivid marble-like effects on many unique mediums. The ways you can use alcohol inks are pretty endless, but we have narrowed it down to 25 ideas for you today. Before we get into that, let’s breakdown some of the supplies you’ll need for your project.

Alcohol Ink

We like the Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink by Ranger and the Jacquard Pinata Alcohol Ink. Both are available at our stores and come in a large array of colors.

Applicator

A felt applicator is great to use when you are using the Blot or Dab Method. The Tim Holtz Applicator is a great size and comes with extra pads so you can keep them with like colors.

Blending Solution

The Blending Solution from Ranger is used to lighten the colors and to enhance the movement of the colors. It also works great at removing color from hands, slick surfaces, and tools.

There are so many ways you can use Alcohol Inks. We are showing you just a handful of ideas. Each of our locations has this Alcohol Ink board to showcase different ideas for using alcohol inks. One of the things that makes these inks really useful is that you can have something in a basic white or clear color (for example sequins or glitter) and then make it whatever color you want with the alcohol inks – no need to buy the item in every color.

Here are 25 Ways to Use Alcohol Inks

Crystal Fiber
Acrylic Gems
Large Pearls (real or fake)
Geodes
Marbles
Wood (wood is a porous material, as is fabric, but Alcohol Inks still work on it as you can see. You would want to use it for small projects as it takes more ink.)
Sequins
Acrylic or Glass Knobs
Adhesive Pearls
Metal
Glass – see framed glass project >
Mirror
Glitter
Sand – see a video here >
Adhesive Gems
Plastic
Fabric
Plastic Letters
Glitter Paper
Glossy Paper
Yupo Paper
Foil
Acetate
Shrinky Dink Film
Ceramic – see ceramic tile project >