Tuesday 6 April 2021

2021 Topic 4 Free to Fly with EAB {by Nikki Acton}

  2021 Topic 4: Free to Fly


Watching gel prints emerge from a gel plate is mesmerising enough, but adding in alcohol inks and stencils has taken Nikki's master boards to a new height. You'll be as intrigued as I am with this technique that's resulted in such beautiful cards that are harmonious in every way.
~ Keren

Hi, Nikki here from Addicted to Art sharing some 'Free to Fly' cards today, featuring quotes from 'The Happiness Edition'.

For these designs I have used alcohol inks on a gel plate to create some master boards. I was inspired by a Facebook Live on Stampers Grove Facebook page by Kate Crane. Kate demonstrated her technique for combining the alcohol inks with paint to pull prints. You can find Kate's technique here. I loved the grungy and slightly unpredictable nature of the results so just had to give it a go!
Alcohol ink and PaperArtsy Fresco Acrylics on Gel Plate


I love the organic feel of these prints, that have a matt quality (thanks to the Fresco paint!). I did a set in blues and a set in red/oranges.

 
Alcohol ink and PaperArtsy Fresco Acrylics on Gel Plate

My alcohol ink supplies are limited and old - so I just used what I had. I used PaperArtsy Fresco Acrylic Paint in Vanilla, along with 2 stencils PS102 (Sara Naumann) and PS147 (JOFY).



Alcohol ink and PaperArtsy Fresco Acrylics on Gel Plate


When I had all my prints (including the 'Ghost' Prints - ie the second print off the plate), I created by designs using ovals and layers to create two similar but different designs. I stamped the butterflies from ESC23 (Scrapcosy) onto the lighter, but coordinating ghost prints.



 
Alcohol ink and PaperArtsy Fresco Acrylics on Gel Plate

The quotes are from Alison Bomber's 'The Happiness Edition' EAB14. I wanted these to be quite dominant in the composition so mounted them on foam tape to create added dimension to the cards. 

Alcohol ink and PaperArtsy Fresco Acrylics on Gel Plate

If you have alcohol inks give them a go with Fresco Acrylics on your gel plate - the results are rewarding and fun! If not, any gel prints or other master boards could be used in the same way to create these coordinated cards. 

Enjoy!
Nikki x

Instagram: a2a.craft
Pinterest: nikacton

4 comments:

Miriam said...

Beautiful project Nikki

Words and Pictures said...

Such magical effects with the paint/alcohol inks - and your use of contrasting colour palettes is perfect, as always. I love the composition of the final cards, and the dimensional pop you gave the words. We could all do with a bit of happiness and magic right now, I think!
Alison x

SewPaperPaint said...

WOW Nikki! This is so amazing. I am a huge fan of this color combo. I too watched the FB live and wanted to play, but was nervous about cleanup since we can't get biotex in the US. But this post makes me want to try to find an alternative and dive in. I have the same old Adirondack inks. Those were my favorite colors/ink pads back in the day. He he. I just love how you've layered these colors together. Brilliant inspiration today, thank you! Hugs, Autumn

Raquel Burillo said...

These are stunning Nikki! I love them!! The colour selection is so striking and powerful! I'm mesmerized... Really! Thanks for sharing these.
Big hug!
Raquel