I tried to work on my Christmas card but I am soooo uninspired. Not because I don't have the Christmas spirit…I do, I do!!!! But because I made the painting for the card 8 1/2 " X 11" thinking that I would scan it and then shrink it to card size. Well…..when I shrunk the card down, it lost a lot of detail and color intensity. I guess that it is back to the drawing board on that one!!!
In the mean time….an artist friend of mine made the most beautiful cards using yupo paper and alcohol inks. I thought that I would give it a try! She used the originals to make her cards where I decided to use prints from my new laser printer (more about that in a future post) and use those instead. After all, I may find another use for the originals later.
Some of you may not think that these cards are too Christmasy but I'll make it work. Also, I plan to give these as gifts.
This is how I made them:
1. Cut the yupo paper to 5 1/2" x 4"
2. Lightly mist the yupo paper with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol. You can find this at any Drug Store.
3. Drop the lightest background color onto the misted yupo and brush evenly using a paint brush. I covered the entire sheet but if you wish to have some white show…just slap it on!!! Also, don't worry about streaks…they will even out on their own as the alcohol flows.
4. While the background is still wet, place the stencil over it. It is best to use the very thin plastic stencils as you want them to grab or stick to the background. If the background dries before positioning the stencil, mist either the back of the stencil or very lightly mist the background with the 91% alcohol.
5. Drop two to three different colors onto the page….making sure to drop through the openings in the stencil. I sometimes coaxed the ink with a brush. Do not use complimentary colors or they will turn to mud. Try colors in the same family. Pinks, reds. purples and yellows or Blues, greens and yellow.
6. Set aside to dry. Tip: if you push on the stencil and you see ink move…it is not dry. I left mine to dry overnight just to be sure. I am very impatient and often tempted to pull the stencil back to look under it but be warned….this will cause the inks to flow into each other and loose detail.
7. Once dry, pull the stencil off and admire your work!!!
Now, most importantly…CLEAN YOUR STENCILS! You can clean them by misting them with alcohol and gently wiping with a paper towel. Also, if you are making several of these and switch colors...clean your stencil and brush between use or the colors may turn to mud when the alcohol on the stencil or brush is reactivated.
There you have it!!! Alcohol ink and Yupo 101!
Until next time,
Hugs,
Ginny