DIY Recycled Alcohol INK

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:

• Alcohol based markers- Sharpies, Copics, Expos....
  
• Isopropyl alcohol- any percentage (highest is best)
  
• Pliers
  
• Scissors / Xacto Knife
  
• 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

LINKS:

• San Jamar 8 oz Squeeze Bottles with caps
• Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer
• Ink Dropper Bottles
• Tonic Studios Tim Holtz Glass Media Mat
• Art Example of Ink color on transparency
• TerraCyle Zero Waste Box
• Brea Reese 3 Pack Refillable Dropper Bottles

Support a fellow artist! Donate used pens and markers to the Pen Guy! 
https://penguyart.com