Altenew Academy – Magic Marker Techniques

I actually did get out my plastic tablecloth, no poncho though.  I love alcohol inks and the “idea” of working with them.  Being a messy crafter and having a product that stains terrifies me to no end!!  

Instead of making one card, I ended up making three.  I thought if I was going to have the supplies out, I might as well make multiples.  Actually, unless for a specific purpose I don’t know that I have ever only made one card!  But I digress.  I used three different methods to make the three different backgrounds you see in the finished cards.  They were all inspired by different parts of the lessons from Sara.  

I’m certain it will come as no surprise I was sure this was going to be my favorite card and in the end, it wasn’t!  I started with an alcohol ink background in Altenew Olive.  I put the alcohol ink down generously onto yupo paper and sprayed it with 70% alcohol.  I kept spraying it until I was pleased with the aesthetic.  I let the card front dry overnight.  I then took a branch from the Beauty Within stamp set and stamped with Altenew embossing ink onto the panel.  I then sprinkled on Altenew Translucent Pearl embossing powder and heat it carefully with my heat tool.  While I had that out, I also embossed a sentiment from Beauty Within onto some vellum using Altenew embossing ink and Altenew White embossing powder.  I cut the piece of vellum at 6″ and simply adhered the sides to the back of the panel, that way avoiding where to apply the adhesive.  When I was done with all of this I felt it was still missing something.  I turned to my favorite Antique Gold ink spray.  I think if I may have used the Iridescent spray it may have still been my favorite. 

My runner-up for favorite card would be the friend card.  For this alcohol background, I used the smooshing technique.  I laid down some ink, sprayed with alcohol, and then smooshed my paper into it.  I would lift the paper to make sure I had good coverage and push the cardstock back in where color was missing.  I love the delicate look this gave me.  I had a different vision for how the friend would die-cut into the cardstock but decided to roll with it.  I cut the friend out of some Altenew Gold Foil cardstock and slid it into the cut out areas.  I stamped Hello There with Altenew Obsidian ink from Build A Flower: Primrose stamp set.  I then added a few jewels in a dark navy color to round out the design.  

In the end, this was my favorite card.  For this alcohol ink panel, I dropped ink directly onto the Yupo paper along with 70% alcohol and used an air blower to move the ink around.  I then took the Pressed Leaf die and cut it from craft foam. I attached the foam to a block and then sprayed with more of the 70% alcohol.  I would stamp in certain areas, thereby lifting the ink.  Some areas I pressed for a longer period of time, others it was quick.  I love how I got the different shades of green and how you can see the silhouette on the panel.  I wanted to keep this simple and let this technique shine through.  I decided to stamp a sentiment from the Beauty Within stamp set in Altenew Obsidian ink and add a few jewels for a simple touch. 

Although I did ruin my shirt I was wearing, I am super happy with the outcome.  My advice is to plan to be messy!  Make sure you wear old clothes, work on a glass surface, and allow yourself plenty of time to play.  You don’t need a fancy glass mat, you could work on a glass plate that you can find at a thrift store.  Supplies don’t have to be expensive and you can stretch them in many ways if you are creative.  I was super happy with the plastic tablecloth I got on Amazon to know my office workspace is safe!  I can be very dangerous in the craft room!!

Thank you so much for sharing your time with me today.  Until next time, stay safe and happy crafting!