Alcohol Ink Flower Garden: Expressive Florals
Whimsical flowers created by Engelbelle in her on-line class.
I’ve been working with alcohol inks for over a decade, and like many artists, I started by using them to create colourful backgrounds for handmade cards. The vibrant, unpredictable nature of the inks grabbed me immediately—and honestly, they still do.
Over the years, my curiosity led me to experiment far beyond backgrounds. I took floral painting classes where we blew ink with air to create loose, flowing shapes. I explored alcohol inks in mixed media work, layering them with texture and mark-making. I even used alcohol inks to create the cover art for Creative Scrapbooker magazine—a moment that still makes me smile.
Creating this alcohol ink layout for the cover of Creative Scrapbooker Magazine was an honor.
All of that experimenting eventually led to something unexpected: a whimsical alcohol ink flower garden. The playful shapes and bold colours reminded me a little of a Dr. Seuss illustration—loose, expressive, and full of personality.
Samples of cards made using the alcohol ink flower garden technique taught in my on-line class.
That flower garden became the foundation for a class I’ve been teaching for nearly six years, and it’s been my most popular in-person workshop by far.
The Materials (and a Love Letter to Colour)
When I teach, I primarily use Ranger Ink Alcohol Inks, which are reliable and widely available. About a year and a half ago, I also discovered Kamenskaya alcohol inks from Ukraine, and I was instantly smitten. Their richness and unique colour range opened up new possibilities in my work.
That said—let’s be honest.
Alcohol inks can be frustrating.
Some colours are just plain bossy. Creating a harmonious colour palette takes practice, and when too many colours merge, things can quickly turn into a dark, muddy mess. (We’ve all been there.)
Taking the Guesswork Out of Alcohol Ink Colour
One of the biggest challenges artists face with alcohol inks is choosing colours that work well together. To help remove some of that guesswork, I created a series of Alcohol Ink Colour Palette Inspiration Guides.
These guides are designed to:
Help you build pleasing colour combinations
Reduce muddy mixes
Encourage confident experimentation
👉 Subscribe to my newsletter and I’ll send them straight to your inbox.
New to alcohol inks?Take the guess work out of colour.
Alcohol Ink, flower garden, colour palette inspiration.
New Class Alert: Alcohol Ink Flower Garden (Online!)
I’m excited to share that my much-loved in-person workshop is now available as a self-paced online class.
Alcohol Ink Flower Garden is an expressive, confidence-building workshop where I invite you into my studio to explore:
Colour
Movement
Organic, intuitive mark-making
This is not a rigid, “paint this exact flower” class.
Instead, you’ll learn approaches and techniques you can return to again and again—so you can develop your own floral language using alcohol inks.
You’ll have lifetime access, can move through the lessons at your own pace, and revisit them whenever you need a creative refresh.
What You’ll Learn in the Alcohol Ink Flower Garden Class
Work confidently with alcohol inks and essential tools
Develop loose floral shapes inspired by real garden forms
Build depth through layering and transparency
Create harmonious colour palettes for flowers and foliage
Add movement, stems, and negative space
Troubleshoot common alcohol ink challenges
Finish and protect your work when painting on ceramic tile
🌸 Learn more and join the class here:
