Orange Oil Alchol Wash Technique

Woo Hooo...

Happy Friday everyone :)
I hope you've all had a great week.

Sorry I didn't get here yesterday...I was working on this new technique and lost track of time.  By the time I realized it was so late it was time to bbq so I had to save it till today.

Last week I talked about the orange oil image transfer technique and the orange oil has been on my desk ever since...I've been messing with various ways to incorporate it into some techniques and today's technique is one of those.

Orange Oil Alcohol Wash Technique

This is a very inexpensive technique that uses 3 basic products in most of our stashes... The orange oil cleaner, alcohol inks and glossy cardstock. 

Supplies:

Orange Oil Cleaner
Alcohol Inks
Glossy Cardstock
Paint Brush (natural bristles if possible)
Temporary Adhesive (optional)
Heat Tool (optional)

Instructions:

1.  Optional - Since I'm using quite a bit of the Orange Oil for this technique the paper sometimes tends to curl up while working on it.  I like to use a bit of my ATG tape (or temporary adhesive) to stick my glossy cardstock down to my non-stick craft mat.  It holds it in place and I don't have to fight to keep my paper where I want it.  Totally optional but I find it really helps in the end.

2. Mist the glossy cardstock with the orange oil cleaner.  More or less...totally up to you.  I have experimented with various amounts of the cleaner and they each produce cool results.

 

3. Start adding your alcohol inks.  I limit my color palette to 3 but you can use more or less as desired.   You'll notice that the inks react differently than they do on their own or paired with the Ink Blending Solution.   It's a great unique look you get with the orange oil.

4. Next I spritz a bit of the orange oil onto my non-stick craft mat.  I then dip a plain old paint brush in the orange oil then begin pulling the inks where desired.  I usually try not to mix the inks up too much so I don't create mud.  A bit of mixing naturally is o.k. and to be expected as you can see.

I just keep going until I am satisfied with the look.  

5. At this point you can let the inks dry naturally for a darker look or you can dab away the excess ink with a dry cloth for a more muted finish as I did below.

When you dab away the excess inks the results are a beautiful watercolor effect that is soft and flowing.....

This is an example that I made where I left the inks and oil to dry naturally...you can see the colors are much more vibrant and intense especially where I let the inks pool and dry.

One of the variations I discovered with this technique yields a much more intense textured feel to the finished look. 

I start off the exact same as the original but when I move onto the blending stage (step #4) I use my heat tool to quickly dry the inks/oils as I am blending with the paint brush. 

NOTE: This is where the natural bristles come into play.  If you are using synthetic bristles they tend to melt when you implement the heat tool. 

As you blend the inks and heat it at the same time it almost looks like the colors are frozen in time creating a stunning look.....

As I've been playing with this technique I realized that there are so many variations you can achieve starting with the basic technique.  

The possibilities are endless! 

I hope you give this a try and see what fun results you can come up with!