Alcohol Ink Bookmarks


Well, I'm finally moved all downstairs. So my first project in the basement craft room is with alcohol inks (of course it is). I loaded up my homemade applicator with a piece of felt and dripped some dots of ink onto it.
Next I set up a transparency film (overhead projector film which I actually picked up at the pay by weight thrift store) with the piece of tissue paper it comes with underneath it so I could see what I was doing.


Next I just started stamping away.  I added and changed colors in sections so that the sheet would change color and mix together throughout, and I would end up with very different colors once I cut the sheet up into bookmarks.


Below is the sheet after I stamped and stamped my little heart out.  As you can see from the photo above, the ink will look water-colorish sometimes.  If you want it to look blended like that, stamp it less.  If you want it to be more stippled as it is below--keep stamping.  It changes as you go.  Just stop when you like what you see.  If you don't like it, keep stamping.  If the ink is starting to dry, just load up some different colors and go right over it.  It's a very forgiving process.


When I was all done, I waited a few minutes for it to dry and then sliced and diced my sheet up with my paper cutter.  I cut the sheet in half the long way (5 1/2 inches) then cut it in two inch strips after that.


After they were all cut up, I searched through my bag of paper scraps and found some different colored cardstock that I could use to make the film stiffer and provide contrast behind the ink.  I just laid each strip on top of the different colors and picked the ones I liked the best, then I cut the cardstock the same size as the transparency film.


Then I matched up the film and the cardstock pieces and put them between the layers of my transparency pouches. You could also cover these with some contact paper if you don't have a laminator.


I was a bit worried that the transparency film might melt and do who knows what in the laminator, but they came out perfect.  I just trimmed around the bookmarks and they are ready to go!  They would make great little gifts to anyone you know who loves to read.


Comments

  1. UnknownAugust 6, 2018 at 3:44 AM

    Hello, Ms. Sarah Jane I'm a college student and I am hoping that you could answer some questions for this project since this is an inspiration for a thesis proposal. What ink brand did you use for this project ( and what other brands you could recommend)? and how long will it take for the ink to dry? Does the ink Stay permanently on the transparency sheet even in contact with water? and Btw thanks thanks for sharing these ideas :)

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    Replies
    1. Sarah JaneSeptember 8, 2018 at 10:31 AM

      I used Ranger Adirondack Ink for this project. It's available at most craft stores. The other major brands are Pinata by Jacquard and Art-C. You can also use the ink refills for alcohol based marks--Copic is the most well-known brand. These inks all behave like permanent markers--once they are dry, a little water won't hurt them--a lot of water might (I've never tried soaking them), but even a little bit of alcohol will dissolve the ink.

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