Blending Solution or Alkohol

Many users ask themselves these questions when they start working with alcohol inks. And yes, the application possibilities of Blending Solution (Extender) and alcohol - or more precisely isopropanol - are similar at first glance.

With both you can mix your alcohol inks, dilute them, make them more transparent, dissolve them again after drying and much more. The Octopus Fluids Blending Solution can do much more than isopropanol, because it contains, just like the alcohol ink itself, protective resins and special additives, which provide for the special colour brilliance and gloss and protect the finished Alcohol Ink artwork from external influences.

The alcohol contained in the Alcohol Inks evaporates quickly. By adding isopropanol the original consistency of the Alcohol Inks can be restored. Even alcohol ink that has completely dried on the mixing pallet can be liquefied again.

If you want to dilute your Alcohol Ink inks to increase their flowability and spread them on your surface with a hairdryer, then isopropanol is the product of choice. 

If you want to create smooth colour transitions or blend different colours together, use our Alcohol Ink Extender. 

But pictures say more than words:

We have given three alcohol ink colors next to each other. In the upper area we put a drop of Blending Solution between the colors, in the lower area a drop of Isopropanol.

The Blending Solution spreads out in a circle and combines with the already applied Alcohol Ink colours. This way you can create smooth colour gradients.

The Isopropanol also spreads out in a circle, but displaces the Alcohol Ink colours applied before, so that a white circle is formed with little or no colour gradient.

With Blending Solution as well as with Isopropanol you can lighten your Alcohol Inks and increase their transparency according to your preferences. 
If you use isopropanol, please note that this will reduce the amount of protective resins contained in the Alcohol Inks. Your artwork is not so well protected against external influences and the color is not abrasion resistant but appears powdery and matt instead of shiny. To fix your Alcohol Ink Artwork, in these cases a clear coat for spraying is very suitable. Please make sure that your varnish does not contain any alcohol, as this would dissolve the Alcohol Inks again.

We have developed our Alcohol Ink Extender to have the same properties as our Fluids Alcohol Ink and to protect the paint on your artwork under the forming protective layer against light, water and abrasion.

For more information on the UV resistance of our Alcohol Inks, please see our related article.