Creative Alcohol Ink Flowers: A Step-by-Step Guide to 20 Stunning Floral Designs

Dutch artist Smink debuts with a colorful guide to painting floral patterns with alcohol ink, a mix of alcohol and dyes. Once they’re applied to a smooth, nonporous surface, like synthetic paper, the inks can be manipulated into various designs using a squeezable air blower, heat, or paint brushes. Crafters will also need isopropyl alcohol to enhance and dilute the fluidity of the inks (“What water is to watercolor paint,” Smink explains, “isopropyl alcohol is to alcohol inks”). Since the materials release fumes, Smink recommends wearing protective gear like a respirator and safety goggles. Step-by-step instructions are included for creating 20 different flower designs, including poppies, wildflowers, hydrangeas, and daisies. They range in difficulty from beginner to advanced, so crafters can work their way up from a simple rose to a detailed bouquet. Smink urges consistent practice and patience, as the inks can be difficult to control and often seem to have “a mind of their own.” Throughout, photos elucidate the steps in each project. The book’s most eye-catching patterns are its most surprising, as when quick strokes of color, splatters of bright pink ink, and a paper towel unite to form a dizzying field of blooms. Flower lovers will relish this beautiful volume. (Nov.)