New Mixed Media Postcards, Free Classes and Alcohol Inks

I have been having a blast lately making my own alcohol inks for much less that what they cost when you buy them already made! You probably already know the "recipe", but I got a bunch of empty 8 oz. spray bottles from Amazon, some 91% alcohol from the pharmacy, and some old, drying up Sharpies and other permanent markers that I destroyed with pliers to get to the inky fiber thing in the center of the marker. I just dropped the fiber thing into the bottle, then filled the bottle with alcohol, gave it a good shaking, and poof! I had my own alcohol inks in much larger amounts than what you can normally buy over the counter! If any of them were not dark enough to suit me, I just found another old marker in the same or near color and added another of the inside fiber things to the mixture! I now have red, orange, green, purple, teal, blue, and iridescent shimmer, so far...I am going to get some more bottles and make some more colors soon, because I have a large amount of permanent felt tip markers, and this is a great way to recycee them and get all of the "goody" out of them! Here are some postcards I made using the spray inks for backgrounds. The scans aren't as clear as I would like, but you can get the general idea...

The colors are much richer in normal light...my scanner just didn't do a very good job with these for some reason.

I found this ad for the 4oz. bottles, but the ones I got on Amazon are the 8oz size (6 to a case) and I love them....I would actually suggest using those if you can't find any locally that you like. I like them because they spray a fine mist.

Also, I have been back to painting again finally, and also developing a new class that I am planning to start around the first of March that will be called "Alter Me Silly". It will be an altered book class, and we will do everything from painting a fabric cover and recovering our book, to making windows and shadow boxes and all kinds of fun stuff within the book! You can read more about the class by following this link here....http://lthykesonsmixedmediauniques.ning.com/video/altered-book-workshop-video-for-alter-me-silly-wmv?xg_source=activity
There is a short video, as well as a written explanation of what all the class will involve. It should be a lot of fun, and is only going to be around $15.00 or so for the entire class which will last from 6-10 weeks at the most. Just get the biggest book you can find, and get ready for a great time!

This is the book I am planning on using. As you can see it is rather large, but I got it at a Half Price book store for only $3.00! It has glossy pages, and I will show you how to deal with altering those as well. Below is a book that I am altering that is smaller, and I painted a fabric cover and recovered the book, and I love how it turned out!

So, it looks like I have some fun things planned for the winter and spring months, and you b=never know what else I will come up with for us to do! The "Discovering Myself" spontaneous collage and writing class is going great, and there is still time to join that class and it is free! It is a great exercise for getting those creative juices flowing, and getting in the "groove" for more creative endeavors. So, come and join us at http://lthykesonsmixedmediauniques.ning.com/ and join in the fun with the rest of us. There is even a group for Expressive Art and Poetry! So there is something for everyone, and you should be able to find something fun to do and/or learn! Besides, it is free to join!!

Until later,
Happy Creating!

Laura Thykeson
Expressive Arts Facilitator