Piñata Alcohol Inks – Fun Times by Steve Gould

As an artist who loves being spontaneous – well, don’t we all? – and enjoys his artistic play time, this exciting new product really gets the creative juices flowing. That feeling you get, while first discovering the potential of these incredible inks, when you just can’t wait to get started, is how I feel every time I open a bottle of Piñata Alcohol Ink. I am driven by the need to be wild and free and to unleash a spectacle of gorgeous, luscious colour.  “Wow” is the word that springs to mind to describe the freedom of expression this never fails to deliver with each drop that you distribute onto the paper. As an artist, I am constantly seeking new ideas and products to use at my Splash of Gold Art Workshops.  I am keen to share my enthusiasm in allowing  others to release their artistic inhibitions.

First of all I utilised Brusho, a fantastic product with a huge range of colours and such versatility. Piñata Alcohol inks offer a whole plethora of fresh possibilities to explore. Yupo paper, which has a high gloss finish is used predominantly in the printing trade. But thanks to the interaction between the sheen  and the alcohol based inks we can all have  enormous fun and embark on a voyage of wondrous discovery.  A  riot of colour emerges right before your very eyes. Rich vibrant hues mingle and dazzle. It’s like that Queen song, you know the one, “It’s A Kind Of Magic” it genuinely is.  Watching the murmuration of colour twist around, shape shifting in an abstract myriad of patterns is inspirational.

I have found you can take random forms and semi-control where to place the inks so you can create a more traditional style painting. Play time always starts with just putting down as little as three or four colours, usually enough to get things flowing. Watch while the colours merge  and begin to take on the form of recognisable shapes. Call it what you will but I liken it to cloud-watching  as pictures and shapes form right there in front of you. Sometimes this can be advantageous in achieving something surprising, yes even unexpected. Then tell people, “Yes, it was all planned” meanwhile  you know it’s all about allowing your inner child to come out to play!

We as artists do not allow ourselves often enough to view creativity in such an unabashed way.  An opportunity to do so should be embraced wholeheartedly.  Re-discover the sheer joy that creativity can evoke and relinquish those expectations of our own art and whether it is good enough for a show? Can I sell it?  Ultimately the fun factor can become over shadowed and lost, so please take some time out to be playful. You can use a flow agent to slow down and increase the surface area of ink coverage on the paper. This agent can be applied many times. So each time it will change and lighten the composition. This is extremely helpful in achieving depth of field.