Alcohol Inks have become a popular trend over the past few years and quite a pricy one. Ive been using alcohol markers for years and while there are many, many brands of alcohol markers with hundreds of colors to choose from, Sharpies will always be my favorite. (I'm not great at blending them anyway) They are not however, refillable like Copics are and most them have a ton of ink left in them even after they quit on you. I made my own alcohol ink with my 'retired' markers and was able to get a ton of ink in a bottle from even just one marker.

I must note that the standard alcohol inks you can buy from Tim Holtz for example do have a small amount of resin in their chemical makeup which makes them not dry out as quickly and are more archival than our homemade ones we're going to endeavor in making. If you want to try out alcohol ink with out going all in- then make your own to see how you like them. I've had a blast using them!

SUPPLIES:

• Waterbased markers (Crayola, kids markers, highlighters) NOT Sharpies
• Water- distilled is best if you plan to store it for long periods of time
• Pliers
• Scissors / Xacto Knife
• Several plastic cups (one for each color)
• Storage containers with lids (one for each color)

We've all had ink pens to die out on us- even the most expensive and "best there is" pens will eventually give up. I think I've only ever used one entire pen up with its entirety of ink. ONE. What happens with the pens that don't write anymore but still have almost a full barrel of ink? We see that all the time don't we?

If you're like me, then you don't want to see something that can be used go to waste (especially if you paid for it.) I have a video tutorial on how we can take that all that ink and make our own alcohol type ink that can be used for painting, drawing, writing and spraying backgrounds. 

SUPPLIES:

• Ink pens- any color, any size, any kind EXCEPT pigment gel pens (the ones you use on dark paper)
• Isopropyl alcohol- any percentage
• Pliers
• Scissors
• Disposable plastic cup- do not use paper!
• Storage container with lid- I recommend something glass, like a mason jar, but you can use whatever you have. Ink will stain the container and it will not be suitable for reuse for any other mediums. You may also want to use a small spray bottle, dropper bottle and any other kind of sturdy bottle- it all depends on how you want to use the ink.
• Gloves if you don't want inky fingers