What’s in the box:
- 3 x Pinata or Ranger alcohol inks depending on colours chosen
- 1 x Pinata Extender
- 2 x aluminium, tlle or acrylic bases
- 1 x cork backing sufficient for 2 tiles. The cork isn’t necessary for aluminium or acrylic coasters.
- 1 x Storage box
- 2 x pairs of gloves
- 2 x bendy straws. Yes, I know they’re plastic but they do work the best in the absence of a paper alternative.
- 1 x baby wipes. The best thing to clean sticky hands!
- 6 x small cups to use to lift your coasters off your work area
- 1 x rubbish bag
- 1 x paint-on sealer/varnish
- 1 x paint brush for sealer
- 1 x Yupo paper
Optional:
You can have these included in your kit, or you can purchase them yourself. Even though you don’t have to have them, I can pretty much guarantee you will use them!
- 100% Isopropyl alcohol and needle tip bottle
- Gloss or matt spray sealer. It’s tempting to buy the cheapest, but you will get a better result with a higher quality product. I use Dulux Dura Max (mid-range for price) or Krylon Gloss (can be expensive).
- Gold or colour acrylic paint pen. Completely optional but you can use these to finish off the edges of your tile. I love the Krylon leafing metallic pens, and you can find a good range of other brands locally at Premier Art and Framing (Crethars) in Magellan Street.
From the kitchen
- A plastic sheet. I’ve used the cheap plastic painting drop sheets, and even old shower curtains (not the icky bits though). What you want is something to protect your work surface.
- Silicon baking sheets can be used as a smaller surface protector, but if you do use one of these you can’t use them for food prep if you spill ink on it.
- Baking paper is super useful if you want extra protection and nothing sticks! I have used baking paper by itself but if you spill a lot of ink or isopropyl on it, it could possibly soak through (although it usually doesn’t). A remarkably useful table protector.
- Paper towel is also useful to have close by.
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Let’s get started …
Your work area
The plastic box your kit is packed in can be used as a useful work space – it will give you a place to unleash your creativity, and to protect your coasters while they’re drying, but you do need to protect a slightly larger area as well. You can use anything that’s plastic, and you’ve probably got one of these at your place.
You need to make sure you have a clear work space in an area that is well ventilated and relatively free of dust and debris. The inks generally don’t smell, but if you’re sensitive at all, please wear a mask. I didn’t include one in the kit because at the moment everybody has a mask handy!
Surfaces
You can use alcohol inks on a variety of surfaces but they work best on non porous ones such as glass, metal, some plastics, and ceramic tiles. I have used inks successfully on acrylic surfaces as well and they work well with a spray sealer, but I often finish acrylic pieces with art resin (a two-part epoxy) as a top coat. More about that later!
I’ve included a piece of Yupo paper in your kit which you can use to make a finished piece of artwork that you could then use to make a greeting card, or to frame, but for now, it’s a great way to test out what you’re doing and explore the versatility of the inks.
Yupo is a synthetic paper – 100% polypropylene. It is waterproof, stain-resistant and extremely strong and durable. It can be used for so much more than what we’re doing the moment! Yupo’s non-absorbent surface resists tearing and buckling and stays flat. If you put sticky fingers on the paper or it gets dirty for whatever reason you should wipe it down with isopropyl or soap and water before use because dirt and oils affect the end result – it would be like trying to paint on a dirty window. Yupo is pH neutral, beautifully smooth and it’s recyclable. I love using it! You just need to remember that it needs a sealant of some kind if you want to keep it as a permanent piece. Yupo, like any other non-porous surface that you could use with alcohol inks can be cleaned off with isopropyl alcohol and used again.
I have used alcohol inks on porous surfaces too just because I wanted to see what happened! Watercolour paper soaks up the ink as you would expect, unglazed ceramics sort of look OK, but they don’t have the lustre you get on a glazed tile. The last set of unglazed ceramic Christmas baubles have now been transformed with an acrylic paint pour!! I’ve also tried on ridged mugs and tiles and generally they do work, but you don’t get the smooth finish that is part of the appeal of using inks on shiny surfaces! the ink just doesn’t stick as well.
About the things
Alcohol inks
They can be very messy! They can stain your hands, and they can certainly stain your table top. Spills can be cleaned off surfaces provided you quickly clean up with a good cleaner (or the isopropyl alcohol that may be in your kit). Just take care with what you use on a timber surface. My poor old dining table is looking very beaten around but then again, it is an old (100 years+) kitchen table so a few more knocks and scratches just add character!!
Once inks are dry, they can be reactivated with water or alcohol or say, if you got some bench cleaner on it and they will need to seal your work once finished. A little bit of ink goes a long way, so the set you have in your kit might just become the start of a new ‘collection’!!
Isopropyl alcohol
Basically a cleaner which I’m sure is used for more than crafting. It’s smelly, andyou don’t really want to get too much of it on your hands – another reason to wear gloves, but it’s the thing you use to DILUTE AND SPREAD your inks.
Your isopropyl needs to be as close to 100% pure as possible. You *could* use rubbing alcohol but there are additives in these that can react and mess things up. Trust me, I tried it last year (at the beginning of the pandemic) when supplies of isopropyl were hard to come by and I was pretty much hoarding my supplies. I actually buy this stuff in litre bottles because I use it for a lot of different crafts, but for the kits you may have chosen include Diggers Isopropyl Alcohol that you can get from a major hardware retailer. You could probably find it at a chemist as well.
Isopropyl can be used instead of the extender (see below) in your kit – it’s certainly cheaper, but you do get different results. I use a combination depending on the project.
Extender
This is used to keep it inks shiny or to make them more transparent. Extender won’t change the ink colour but if you have one or two colours, you can use the extender to give you a different intensity of colour either by mixing and pouring or dropping it literally drop by drop onto your inks. When dropped or brushed on top of dry ink extender will make the ink spread and can create marble/stone-like textures. Depending on the project and what you’re using, extender helps bond pearl and metal (mica) powders to to your surface but that’s for the next lesson!
Sealer
For a paint-on sealer, I’ve included some Mod Podge – a brand that’s used for oh so many craft applications. It’s a sealer and glue and is fabulous for (almost) waterproofing all manner of items. The one in the kit is the standard variety which is very robust but isn’t dishwasher safe (although you can get one that is).
While it’s not essential, I finish off my alcohol ink coasters with a final coat of an acrylic spray sealer. You can get lots of varieties of these, but I’ve found that it’s better to get a good quality variety. I like the Dulux Dura Max for a mid-range cost (it comes in gloss and matt finishes) and also use the Krylon brand which is more expensive but still great value. A can of spray sealer lasts quite a while, so it’s a good investment if you’re planning on doing more craft projects!
Let’s get creative and make your coasters
Set up
TIP: You can do all of these steps with your Yupo paper if you want to test things out before you do your coasters. Remember that you can clean off the ink and start over which ever base you use.
TIP: If you are using the aluminium coasters you can use either side, ie black or white. Entirely your choice but I will say that some colours can get ‘lost’ on the black and look much clearer on the white. Metallics work best on the black but you can test this out, and go with the one you like the best or you could do one of each! Make sure you keep the plastic protector sheet on whichever side you don’t use. Inks can be harder to clean off aluminium if they’re dry.
TIP: If you’re using tiles, you *could* put painters tape on the back to protect from drips but as we’re going to cover this with cork, you don’t need to worry too much about it.
Wipe down your coasters with some of the isopropyl or other household cleaner. You need to make sure they’re clean, free of dirt and oils from your hands.
Put your coasters on the little cups – you just need to raise the coasters off your work surface to make easier it to turn the coasters as you work. Check to make sure they as level as possible.
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Adding Ink
TIP: If you’re using isopropyl, decant a small amount into the needle tip bottle. You can also just spray onto your coasters, but it is harder to control.
Drop some isopropyl or extender onto your coaster – you don’t want to flood it, but you do need a bit of volume. What you’re aiming for here is enough to help spread the colour around. If you think you’ve added too much, just absorb some with a piece of paper towel.
Without waiting too long, literally drop one drop of ink at a time (not the metallic just yet) and watch it spread. You could also drop the ink first and then drop the isopropyl or extender onto it. Mesmerising! Try different colours together for different effects.
TIP: If you don’t use any isopropyl or extender, the ink can become thick, less fluid and harder to move as it dries.
Take one of your straws and blow gently on the ink – you can do this pointing directly down, or at an angle (the bendy helps control this) and see how the ink reacts. You could also pick up your coaster and tip or move it around.
TIP: If you just blow on the ink without a straw, the stream of air isn’t as directed so you won’t get a good result. By all means try it, but it just doesn’t work so well! You could also use a hair dryer to move your ink around, but you need a low heat (almost cold) because heat will make the ink dry before it moves. That said, using a hair dryer is a specific technique but more successful on a much larger canvas.
Layering Colors
Layering colours is for you to experiment with. Add one color and wait until its dry then add another. Use the extender or isopropyl to dilute, let dry then add another drop of the same colour. They all give you different effects.
The ink dries quite quickly, so while it may be touch-dry, adding alcohol or ink reactivates it so you can start to move it around again. You can keep experimenting until you’re happy with your coaster.
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Different Techniques
Try each one separately or combine to create your own unique designs – the possibilities are endless!
Straw technique – Blow an ink puddle around with the included straw.
Tilting – Tilt the coaster around! Add more ink (or not!).
Using a hair dryer – keeping about 4-6″ away from your tile and moving your dryer in slow, steady motions move the ink around. Don’t forget that you can’t have the dryer on a high heat – the ink will just dry. Keep it cooler if you try this, but you will make interesting patterns. Having a nozzle on your hair dryer will direct the flow of air. If you don’t have a nozzle, the ink will just splosh around.
Using a paintbrush – dip your paintbrush into some ink, or the isopropyl or extender and pull it across your tile.
Adding metallics
TIP: Make sure you shake the bottle to mix it properly. Once you hear the beads moving freely in the bottle you’re good to go! You may have to give the bottle a shake several times during the process.
Once you’ve laid down your colours you’re ready to layer in your metallics. These behave a bit differently than plain colours and there are any number of ways you can use them for for now, add 4-6 drops of alcohol where you want to place the ink, then add 1-2 drops into the puddle.
Blow on the puddle with your straw, or tilt the tile to spread the gold out. Metallics can dilute the colours under it or produce some marble type effects.
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Wait for ink to dry!
Now you literally have to wait! Put your coasters where they won’t be disturbed, and leave them alone so the ink can fully dry. It might *look* dry, but if you don’t leave it alone for minimum 24 hours but preferably 72 hours, you won’t get as good a result.
Sealing your coasters
Get the container of paint-on sealer and our paintbrush and add a light coat all over your coaster. Use light strokes, in both directions, ie up and down and side to side. Leave for half an hour (test by touching lightly) and then do another light coat.
TIP: If your ink isn’t completely dry, this step could reactivate the inks and that’s not what you want.
You could skip this step and just go straight to the spray sealer if you have it in your kit. But … the spray can sometimes reactivate your ink if it isn’t completely dry. I prefer to do the sealer, then the spray. If you don’t have an acrylic spray, you can add a third (or more) light coat of sealer instead.
A bit more waiting!
Now you literally have to wait … put your tiles somewhere they won’t be disturbed (again), and leave them alone so the sealer cures well. I usually leave these alone for 24 hours but if I’m patient, I’ll wait 72 hours (it’s really not that long!).
Tidying and finishing
Spray sealer: The last step is to add a couple of coats of acrylic spray sealer if you’re using it. Make sure you’re outside, and clear of windows/doors and any pet fish. Seriously, you need to make sure you’re in a clear area to do this. It’s better to do 2 or 3 light coats rather than one heavy one – so do a first coat. Leave for 15-30 minutes and then another. Useful to read the instructions on the can!
TIP: I use a large cardboard box as a DIY ‘paint booth’ for smaller items, and that will contain the spray. Don’t spray if it’s windy, and I would suggest wearing your mask.
If you’re using tiles and have taped the bottom to stop drips, you can remove it. Then peel the adhesive off your cork sheet and press the tiles firmly onto it. Trim around with a sharp blade, eg Stanley knife or craft knife, or scissors. Be careful! You can also paint around the edges of your tile with a metallic pain pen or a plain colour. Entirely optional – it’s sometimes the drips that make your work interesting!
If you have the aluminium coasters, remove the plastic protective piece from the reverse side and you’re good to go!
Voila and well done!
And to finish up?
Send me a photo or tag @madeinlismore on Fb or Insta – I would love to see your work!
You can read the care instructions for alcohol ink work here.