Alcohol Ink FAQ'S

What Is Alcohol Ink?

Alcohol inks are fast-drying, highly pigmented, alcohol-based inks that are great to use on any hard, non-porous surface. Once the ink is applied, the alcohol evaporates, leaving the dye behind. Once alcohol ink dries, it can be re-wet with rubbing alcohol (91% Isopropyl Alcohol), allowing for unique and versatile effects that cannot be achieved with water-based products like acrylic paint. Alcohol ink is waterproof, adding to its durable properties.

Do Alcohol Inks Fade?

Unfortunately, yes, alcohol inks are dye-based and not very light-fast, so the art will fade away and get dull over time even after sealing with sprays and resin. I do not have very old pieces with me, so I don't know the exact rate at which they get faded. But as I've read in communities, inks do fade, some colors more than the others. All the top alcohol ink manufactures are trying to make them more lightfast. They are innovating and hopefully, soon we'll have a better quality of inks. 

How Long Will It Take For Alcohol Ink Art To Fade?

The medium is so new that nobody has the perfect answer for this. The oldest ones I have are about one year old. Some have faded a bit even after spraying, and some have not faded at all. The lightest transparencies seem to fade faster. If you are selling original art, please inform your customer about fading.

So, What's The Best Way To Keep Your Alcohol Ink Paintings Safe?

Always keep your art away from direct sunlight or bright light. To take extra precautions on this topic each piece is varnished and sealed with epoxy resin.

How Long Does It Take To Make?

Completion time has many variables per piece so its case by case. I will give a time estimate of completion within your quote that you will receive. 

How hard is resin once cured?

Epoxy resin is very firm and hard once cured and is heat resistant and scratch resistant.

Is cured resin waterproof?

Yes, epoxy resin is a permanent application that seals in whatever it is poured over top of and protects the work underneath from water. 

Can Resin Art Be Hung Outside?

Epoxy resin contains advanced UV and Hindered Amine Light Stabilizers to protect it from degradation (i.e., yellowing) caused by UV light, however exposing it deliberately to UV light is still not recommended to be safe.

What's The Cure Time Of Epoxy Resin?

Cure time refers to the amount of time it takes for the resin mixture to finish its chemical reaction and become its hardest state. The epoxy resin cure time is 24 hours (hard cure); however you can touch the surface after about 8 hours without it feeling sticky. It reaches its full cure at 72 hours.

How To Clean Cured Resin?

Keeping Your Epoxy Resin Pieces Clean and Beautiful

Keeping epoxy resin pieces clean is amazingly simple: just treat it like glass. Use a gentle glass cleaner and a soft cloth and polish as you would glass.