Alcoholink

Touch to pour ink

Alcoholink is a free alcohol ink art simulator: drop inks on Yupo paper, tile, glass or coasters, bloom them with alcohol, blow and tilt them, and add gold, silver and mica. It needs JavaScript and WebGL 2. Read the alcohol ink guides.

About Alcoholink

Alcoholink is a free alcohol ink art simulator. Make flowing, glowing alcohol ink paintings on your phone or computer, with no inks, no Yupo, no fumes and no mess.

What is alcohol ink art?

Alcohol inks are vivid, fast-drying dyes in an alcohol base. On non-porous surfaces like Yupo synthetic paper, ceramic tiles, glass and coasters they spread, mix and pool instead of soaking in. Adding more alcohol pushes the ink into soft blooms and cells, and as each puddle dries its pigment gathers at the edge into the dark rims and lacy veins the style is known for. Metallic mixatives add gold, silver, copper and pearl mica.

How to use it

Ink: tap to drop. The arrow above Ink opens the inks and metallics, and lets you choose Drops, Spray or Pour.
Alcohol: drop it on wet or dry ink to push it into blooms and cells.
Metallics: pick gold, silver, copper, rose gold or pearl mica in the Ink menu. They pool in the veins as the ink dries.
Blow: drag across wet ink, like a straw or a hair dryer.
Tilt: on a phone, tap Tilt to switch it on, then tip the phone and wet ink runs downhill while you keep painting. On a computer, drag to tip the surface.
Colour: in the Ink menu, tap a swatch to choose it, or its tab for colour, opacity, strength and flow.
Surface: paint on Yupo paper, ceramic tile, glass on dark, or a round coaster.
Settings: set how long the ink takes to dry.
Save: save your art as an image or share it straight to Instagram, Photos or Messages.

Tips for great alcohol ink art

Pour two or three colours side by side and let them meet while wet.
Drop alcohol into dried ink for crisp white cells with dark rims.
Blow gently across a wet pour to drag out long veins.
Add a little gold to the edges just before the ink dries.
Set a longer drying time (Settings) for more time to work.
Try white ink on glass on dark for a striking contrast.

Questions

Is it free?: Yes. Alcoholink is free to play. Pro tools (alcohol spray and splatter, sealing, metallic mixes and 4K/8K saves) are coming soon.
Do I need an account?: No. Open the page and start painting. Your colour settings are remembered on your device.
Can I use it as an app?: Yes. Add it to your home screen (Install, or Share then Add to Home Screen on iPhone) and it opens full-screen, even offline.
Is it real alcohol ink?: It's a simulation of how alcohol ink spreads, blooms, dries and shimmers, made to feel like the real thing.

Guides

Follow Alcoholink

Share your art and tag @alcoholink.gahjel. Questions or ideas? Email hello@artsim.seenseven.com.