Alcohol Ink on Wood

Alcohol Ink makes a colorful vibrant wood stain. Use it in wood working or wood burning artworks to dye wood. Easy to use and will not warp or swell the wood. In this video I am using Pinata Color alcohol inks and 91% isopropyl alcohol on an unsealed but sanded wood board.

[@t10claytempered16]

I am dying a bare wood, Samurai "Shirasaya Katana", and your video was a confirmation of my technique idea. I have an M.A. in Art, Watercolor as a main medium and will use a "wet on wet. flowing, followed by "hard line" detail rendering, going from full strength and then followed with varied dilutions and blotting, texture rendering techniques. I have been inspired many times by common space shuttle photos from earth orbit, showing the African Delta, etc, etc with the vast, inter-twining rivers, cutting through the sand and jungle plains. You've probably seen them and the land and water texture, details and colors are just unbelievable eye candy. Thank You for adding to my pallet, great attitude and confirming my vision. This Samurai Katana will hopefully be a game changer when I exhibit all my customized swords in the spring. I have over 40 Samurai swords and re-work most of them in many different ways. Wish me luck. I'll be back to watch more inspiring videos and maybe send a pic or two of the Alcohol dye Katana--if you're curious. Good stuff and good luck Lynn. Overcome and Carry On!!

[@artminwithlynn]

Thank you so much for sharing. My personal work is also very much inspired by lines, patterns and textures seen from aerial perspectives and I am very much interested to see how your works turn out. What a fantastic application! This is what it's all about, sharing info to get the gears turning. Good luck to you as well!

[@KerryThomas-in5nm]

I work with wood cookies, burl off cuts, flitches and drift wood - YOU ........ have made me one happy little vegemite! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou 😊❤

[@artminwithlynn]

Wonderful!

[@bettiepowers8320]

Could you please tell me the name of the vat basic dye . I need to make a lot

[@Reneesfun]

I also “celebrate “ when something I make comes out right 🎉!!!! Cheering, dancing, yay!!!

[@MissyandTonycat]

I LOVE how the alcohol inks look on wood!

[@SacredHeart0520]

So just a lil technique used on hardwood floors that can make your dies go on darker. . Its called water popping you put a even coat of water with like a damp paper towel let it dry . It opens up the pores of the wood and allows the ink to absorb l maki g it darker . Its cool cause yoh could do waterdrops and you would see it

[@pamkriner5945]

Love the happy dance!

[@kristinebrousseau8626]

this is fantastic, how gorgeous, i cannot wait to try it on my raw edge shelves, Ive seen it done with acrylics which was amazing, but this is another level of beauty. Thank you for share, subscribed!

[@artminwithlynn]

Thank you so much!

[@colleenlovesbolan]

I love your passion!

[@Eric19401]

Great tutorial! I've never considered using alcohol ink for wood. I'll have to consider how to utilize this.

[@artminwithlynn]

Thank you so much for the kind words! Happy creating!

[@sharisloma595]

I'm having some fun with alcohol inks! Do you put any kind of clear coat on top of your wood design?

[@artminwithlynn]

I have not sealed any of the wood grain works I have done. I have sealed an inked gourd with cold wax. Sealers will work just fine, just make sure to test first. The wood really soaks in the ink so if the sealer does have a solvent and the ink re activates, I doubt it will go far or even be very detectable. I use art resin to seal other ink works and would expect it to work well on wood as long as it is sanded smooth (before ink).

[@sharisloma595]

@@artminwithlynn I tried resin and my uv light and it worked great.

[@laurenmatesich2249]

Hi ! I am going to try and do this to create a headboard piece behind my bed - any advice on what the best sealant would be?

[@artminwithlynn]

Awesome! I personally have only used ones that would probably not be the best choice for a headboard (Kamar, Cold Wax, and Resin). I would recommend avoiding ones with a lot of solvent, as that can reactivate and move the inks. Just be sure to test first:)

[@j1m3by]

Awesome vid! It begs the question is it possible to have too much fun?

[@sebnemk2596]

😍😍 thank you watching your video is fun..you cute..😊

[@artminwithlynn]

You are so kind. Thank you:)

[@1976-wolverines]

What would your recommend for dying a skateboard? Do you think the alcohol ink will hold up better than stain? Is there a benefit over this ink vs wood stain? Thanks

[@artminwithlynn]

The benefit of the ink/dye over stain would be a larger color selection and control. If you are doing a bunch of wood, I would recommend Basic Dye from Jacquard products. If you are just doing one or two, the Alcohol Inks will work just fine. Most blank decks come sealed, so you will need to remove that by sanding first to really get the dye into the wood fibers, otherwise it won't saturate and the color will come off quickly. Roll on!

[@Ladysmyth]

How long will the colour hold? I know with epoxies, the dyes in alcohol inks fade in months. Does it hold better on wood?

[@artminwithlynn]

I'll start by saying all dyes will fade most especially in direct UV exposure, dye is simply not lightfast. How much it fades will depend on the color you have used (some colors are more fugitive), how much you have diluted the color/dye, the quality of the dye, and how much UV the work will get over time. Using the inks on wood will be more lasting than in resin because the pigments are less fully exposed to UV. In this case they are all snugged up in the wood fiber. I like Pinata because of how concentrated they are. However, thin or diluted applications would fade more quickly across the board. There are UV protectors that you can apply to help as well. With that in mind, I would still not recommend putting these in direct sun and expect them to hold color over the years. Reds and any color that uses red ex: Pink...will fade quicker than any others.

[@pamkriner5945]

AI has a tendency to fade. Do you protect the finish with a UV protectant?

[@artminwithlynn]

Yes, all dyes will fade over time and AI will too as a result, most especially the pink, red, violet range. I certainly would recommend a UV protectant for fine art application. I use one made by Krylon but there are others out there as well. Of course, it depends on your project. I have shelves with AI that I did not use UV spray on and they are holding up very well with no fading over a few years time. The way the wood holds the dye in with it being so pourous really seems to mitigate fade.

[@susanstern6303]

What about acrylic paint over inks? What happens?

[@artminwithlynn]

Once the alcohol from the dye based ink has evaporated you are left with raw wood that has been dyed. You can absolutely paint acrylics over this!

[@Reneesfun]

Wow! Who knew?

[@i8dpie]

What finish/sealant would you recommend?

[@artminwithlynn]

Depends on the project. The inks are impervious to water, so that helps if you want to avoid sealing. If you do want to seal, I really like working with ArtResin for a high gloss finish. Cold Wax will give a nice muted finish. Some sprays sealers have propellants that can reactivate the inks but on wood they really don't move much and I haven't had any issues. I definitely recommend giving it a test before going all in on a special work.

[@Rockysbeats]

unicorn spit does the same thing :)