It’s still magic even if you know how it’s done  ― Terry Pratchett

Altenew Artist Markers

Alcohol based markers have been on the market for crafters for quite some time now. I remember becoming obsessed with them after I took my first class on the specific coloring techniques more than 15 years ago and they still remain my ‘go to’ medium for coloring images. I recently purchased the Altenew brand of alcohol markers so that I could enjoy my favorite medium in my favorite Altenew colors. What a treat!

The Altenew class called ‘Magical Markers’ takes using alcohol markers beyond the usual coloring process you’d expect into less charted territory – building subtle, textured backgrounds. The marker/alcohol ink was used more like a watercolor or acrylic medium incorporating painting, spraying, ink smooshing and brayering techniques to create unique looks.

Hand ‘Crafted’ Paper

I decided to use a combination of the techniques demonstrated in the class to create my own ‘patterned’ paper. Starting with a brayering process I laid down a light color blocking pattern making sure to leave open areas creating texture. Then I applied additional layers with different colors some contrasting, others complementary. The final layers were built with an ink smooshing technique to add a dappled effect. All color layers were achieved by laying down ink from marker onto a craft sheet and then spraying with Isopropyl alcohol to loosen up the ink before using the described technique. The resulting paper was subtle yet very interesting reminding me of the batik fabric so often used by quilters.

Batik Floral

To make the card the batik papers were die cut using Altenew’s ‘Wild Rose 3D’ die – a layering die that creates added depth and dimension, and really showcases the batik papers. Three flowers and two leaf groupings were used to build the flower cluster.  A traditional A2 card base was matted with light gray paper and two nested fishtail frames in a white, mildly sparkled, paper were added to ground the floral cluster. Note that floral cluster is multi-dimensional courtesy of selectively applied foam mounting adhesive.  A sentiment stamped in black and clear dew drops completed this card.