...or nebula!
When we think of colouring with alcohol markers the first thing that comes in mind is using them the way they are supposed to be used, by carefully staying within the lines and blending to perfection. But there's much more to them and in time I will try to present as many techniques as i can.
Pouring alcohol marker refill directly on the paper or causing discoloration in an already coloured area with clear alcohol are among the most interesting ways to use that medium. One other very popular example of the many techniques artists use, is pouring alcohol based colours along other mediums on boards to create beautiful otherworldly shapes.
In this video I'm trying out an alcohol marker technique I love using when I want to add a creative background in my artwork. The discoloration effect that some times resembles tie dye or water shapes is by far the easiest to use! So have a look at the video.
How not to waste your blender refill
This time I chose to create the discoloration effect by pouring the blender marker refill. However this is far from cost effective. So the solution to this problem for me was using plain rubbing alcohol! Remember just like the name suggests, alcohol markers are an either dye or pigment medium that is alcohol based. So the reason the blender marker refill is causing the discoloration is because it consists of only the base, which is mainly alcohol.
However I found out that the only rubbing alcohol strong enough to cause that effect was 93° or higher. The price for a bottle of that compared to an alcohol marker refill is considerably lower and for the use I've personally needed it so far, it worked perfectly fine!
That being said:
1) I wouldn't refill a blender marker with rubbing alcohol
2) ALWAYS use a mask, keep a window open and use ventilation when using any kind of toxic materials.
3) depending on which country you buy rubbing alcohol, it could be either Isopropyl alcohol or ethanol. I have only tried it with ethanol and since I'm a chemistry idiot I don't know if isopropyl alcohol would work. I assume it would.
(same discoloration technique used in the video above. Here it's part of a background that was covered with several different materials on the foreground.)
Will any paper do?
As mentioned in my article about the kinds of paper you can use for alcohol markers, there are several kinds depending on your needs and taste. Pouring alcohol directly on the paper though will make it bend. Usually when it dries out it goes back to normal but different papers offer different reactions. Since Bristol paper is my personal choice I don't have too much of that issue because its fairly durable and heavy (350gr). Furthermore, I lately experimented with even heavier Bristol which was unquestionably more satisfying experience.