Comparing Two Top Alcohol Ink Brands: Ranger Ink and Jacquard Piñata Ink

Hi friends! Today I will be comparing two of my favorite ink producers—Ranger Ink and Jacquard Piñata Ink.

First, let me start off by saying that both products are incredibly vibrant and beautiful. They can create deep dimensions and evoke emotion. I personally love creating my paintings with a mixture of brands. Ranger and Jacquard have been so beneficial in helping me create paintings that stir up thoughts and emotions, which I am proud to share with the world.

I cannot express enough how much Brass from Jacquard Piñata Ink has changed the way I paint. I have used gold tones from Jacquard and other brands, but nothing shines and creates a more intense shimmer than their Brass. It is something I rarely paint without and it truly makes me happy every time I use it. I also find that it beautifies any color you add it to!

My personal favorite ink combos are any blues or teals. Rangers Inks’ Stream, Agate, Laguna, Mermaid paired with Brass, or pastels such as Rangers Inks’ Pink Sherbet, Peach Bellini and Cool Peri paired with Brass. When I feel like going more intense with my colors, I use Jacquards Passion Purple, Blue-Violet or Teal…with Brass of course!

Ranger Alcohol Inks

Ranger Industries was founded in 1929 and originally manufactured an exclusive line of commercial ink products for the U.S. banking industry. In 1979, Ranger developed the first art stamp pads in unique, vibrant colors. Until 1998, Ranger’s primary business was private label products for stamp manufacturers. Ranger then began marketing product lines of its own beginning with inks and eventually moving in to additional mediums.

The Color Catalogue of Ranger Ink

What sets Ranger Ink apart from most other ink producers is that it has an exceptional variety of colors.

The following is a list of all the inks they offer, including Alloys, Pearls, Mixitives and Regular Colors.

Ranger Alloys:

Foundry, Gilded, Mined, Sterling

Ranger Pearls:

Villainous, Tranquil, Celestial, Enchanted, Intrigue, Alchemy, Sublime, Splendor, Envy, Deception, Smolder, Mineral

Ranger Pearl sets

1:Deception, Splendor and Alchemy, 2: Sublime, Tranquil and Intrigue, 3: Enchanted, Envy and Villainous, 4: Celestial, Mineral and Smolder

Ranger Mixatives

Snowcap, rose gold, pearl, gunmetal, silver, copper, gold

 

My personal experience with the pearls is that they are beautiful but would probably be best for resin or paintings on black paper. They add a faint shimmer and can enhance the colors they pair with. Most of the pearls and metallics are not easily seen if you look straight on but rather when you tilt the painting or look at it from an angle. The metallics from Ranger tend to be less “glittery” or “sparkly” than the metallics from Jacquard.

Ranger Regular colors:

*NEW* Boysenberry, Gumball, Cobalt, Dijon, Ember, Everglades, Glacier, Laguna, Fiesta, Mojito, Monsoon, Moss, Rosewood, Sienna, Vineyard

Crimson, Teakwood, Pitch Blank, Dandelion, Flamingo, Coral, Espresso, Turquoise, Raspberry, Sepia, Latte, Stonewashed, Caramel, Slate, Cloudy Blue, Butterscotch, Purple Twilight, Limeade, Pistachio, Aquamarine, Denim, Botanical, Pink Sherbet, Pebble, Aqua, Honeycomb, Lemonade, Sunshine Yellow, Ginger, Valencia, Salmon, Red Pepper, Pool, Sunset Orange, Indigo, Shell Pink, Sailboat Blue, Stream, Mermaid, Clover, Poppyfield, Peach Bellini, Patina, Sandal, Rust, Meadow, Currant, Cranberry, Mushroom, Eggplant, Citrus, Lettuce, Willow, Watermelon, Bottle, Terra Cotta, Oregano, Amethyst, Cool Peri, Wild plum

I have a lot of favorites when it comes to Ranger Ink, and there is not one color I could choose over another. What is special about these inks (intentional or not) is that when introduced to isopropyl alcohol, they bleed into  various beautiful undertones.

For instance, Pitch Black fades out into blues, peaches, and sometimes purple tones. What’s cool about this is that you can choose colors to pair with the undertones created by Pitch Black rather than just pairing with standard black. Currant has a subtle peach bleed, and Cool Peri is a light bluish purple with pink highlights. See how Currant and Cool Peri pair together with Jacquard Brass below!

Learn how to create that fade effect here: Alcohol Inks and the Fade Effect

Ranger Inks also sell sets of inks that have been carefully paired to help artists create stunning works of art. These sets cover essentially every artistic aesthetic so they’re a great way to explore new color choices.

Ranger Special trio sets:

Pink/Red Spectrum: Gumball, Fiesta, and Rosewood
Orange/Yellow spectrum: Ember, Sienna, and Dijon
Mint/Green spectrum: Moss, Mojito, and Everglades
Teal/Blue spectrum: Laguna, Glacier, and Monsoon
Indigo/Violet spectrum: Cobalt, Boysenberry, and Vineyard
Primary Colors trio: Crimson, Sunshine Yellow, and Indigo

Ranger Designer color sets:

Beach Deco: Flamingo, Patina, and Amethyst
Conservatory: Honeycomb, Botanical, and Poppyfield
Cottage path: Slate, Currant, and Meadow
Countryside: Shell Pink, Willow, and Cloudy
Dockside Picnic: Watermelon, Citrus, and Sail Boat Blue
Farmers Market: Cranberry, Lettuce, and Eggplant
Key West: Dandelion, Coral, and Pistachio
Lakeshore: Sandal, Salmon, and Aqua
Mariner: Indigo, Mermaid, and Teakwood
Miners Lantern: Rust, Stonewashed, and Pitch Black
Nature Walk: Wild Plum, Butterscotch, and Stream
Retro Café: Espresso, Pool, and Pink Sherbet
Rodeo: Crimson, Aquamarine, and Sepia
Rustic Lodge: Bottle, Terra Cotta, and Denim
Spring Break: Valencia, Limeade, and Turquoise
Summit View: Sunshine Yellow, Sunset Orange, and Purple Twilight
Cupboard: Caramel, Ginger, and Latte
Tuscan Garden: Red Pepper, Mushroom, and Oregano
Valley Trail: Raspberry, Pebble, and Clover
Wildflowers: Lemonade, Peach Bellini, and Cool Peri

Ranger Inks is a great brand for beginners. Not just because of the rich colors and vibrant pieces they create but also for their comprehensive starter kit!The kit includes: six (6) alcohol Ink colors, one (1) silver mixitive, 2 oz blending solution, one (1) applicator tool with replacement felts, alcohol ink cardstock and the alcohol ink storage tin.

The colors include: Flamingo, Crimson, Valencia, Dandelion, Limeade, and Aquamarine

This is a cheaper and more effective way to find out if Alcohol Ink is the medium for you! If you like it then you can start to spend more on other colors and heat distribution tools to find the technique that makes your heart happy!

Not sure where to start, technique-wise? We’ve got an article for you! Some of Our Favorite Alcohol Ink Techniques
 

Jacquard Alcohol Inks

Jacquard has a long history of manufacturing materials for artists. Those products include Inkjet Fabric Systems, Silks, and Inks, which are Jacquard Products sister companies. They also host artists websites on how to turn photographs into film negatives for Cyanotype processing and SolarFast processing. Starting in the late 80’s, Jacquard has grown from helping people silk paint, to now helping emerging alcohol ink artists find their passion.

Jacquard Regular Colors

Sunbright Yellow, Tangerine, Golden Yellow, Calabaza Orange, Pink, Sante Fe Red, Coral, Chili Pepper, Señorita Magenta, Passion Purple, Blue-violet, Sapphire Blue, Baja Blue, Teal, Lime green, Rainforest Green, Burro Brown, Havana Brown, Shadow Grey, Blanco, Mantilla Black

Jacquard Metallics:

Rich Gold, Silver, Copper, Brass, Pearl

All of Jacquard Piñata Inks are intense and I only ever need a few drops to create a vibrant piece that stands out. Jacquard Inks don’t tend to have other colors pop out when added to alcohol, but they make up for that with bright colors! And as I mentioned before, Brass is a color that I hardly ever paint without! Señorita Magenta is an energetic pink and Lime Green is so vivid and bright! Lime Green paired with Sunbright Yellow would be perfect for a fluorescent piece! See their swatches below!

These inks also come in an “Exciter Pack” that includes the colors: Sunbright Yellow, Calabaza Orange, Señorita Magenta, Passion Purple, Baja Blue, Rainforest Green, Blanco, Mantilla Black, and Rich Gold

And they offer the “Overtones Exciter Packs” including: Golden yellow, Pink, Coral, Blue-Violet, Teal, Blanco, Copper, Brass, and Pearl

Friends, let me tell you—Blue-Violet is absolutely stunning! The packaging says “alcohol-based, transparent colors” but to me, they are still quite lively!

You can also purchase a “Class Pack” which includes:
30—.5 oz/14.79 ml bottles of Piñata Alcohol Ink
Four (4) each of Sunbright Yellow, Señorita Magenta, Passion Purple, Baja Blue, Blanco, and Rich Gold
Three (3) each of Calabaza Orangeand Rainforest Green
One (1) 4 fl oz/118.29 ml bottle of Piñata Clean Up Solution, 60 sheets of Yupo synthetic paper (5×7), 30 black sponges, three (3) straws, five (5) transfer pipettes, 100ct box of gloves and printed instructions.

Finding Your Price Point for Alcohol Inks

When I started painting, I was very concerned at the prices of ink. Price-wise these products are similar. When it comes down to it— you really don’t pay a lot for how much you get. Especially with Jacquard Inks because they are so saturated. Some paintings only have a few drops of several different bottles and I did not go through them as fast as I thought I would.

Besides Amazon, you might find good prices at Blick Art Materials and Joggles.  One pro for shopping with Amazon is that they care these amazing “full sets” of inks from Ranger, such as a 50 pack of various colors.

For .5 oz bottles of Ranger Ink (depending on where you get them) prices can range from $3.22-$3.99. Alloys and Pearls are more expensive and tend to be about $4.99-$5.49. Spectrum and trio sets can be purchased for as low as $8.19-$11.99. Sites like Joggles and Blick Art Materials seem to be less expensive than purchasing direct from Ranger— though you can qualify for free shipping and a certain percent off (first time order only) if you sign up for emails.

Jacquard does not sell directly from their website as of now. They tend to be around the same price ranging for .5 oz bottles as Ranger. You can purchase 4 oz bottles for $12.49-$14.00 on most art supply websites. I have found that retail stores like Hobby Lobby do not carry Jacquard, and they have a limited supply of Ranger Inks.

I would encourage you to shop around. You never know what deals you can find!

Final Thoughts

In summary, both inks are great options for both beginners and advanced artists. These inks can be used on multiple surfaces, making crafting so easy and fun! I personally could not choose one over the other, however; I absolutely could not paint without Jacquard’s Brass. Ranger Ink has so many colors to choose from that the possible combinations are endless!

Here is all my research compiled into an easy to read pros and cons list!

Ranger Alcohol Ink Pros & Cons
Pros	Cons
·  Large range of colors	· Colors can stain depending on saturation level
· Relatively low cost for amount of ink	· Produces some amount of oil or “gel” texture
· Works on Synthetic paper with resin and on canvas and other surfaces
·  Blendable
·  Great quality
·  Can be bought direct from manufacturer
·  Great for beginners or advanced artists/crafters
·  Easy to find

 

Jacquard Pinãta Alcohol Ink Pros & Cons
Pros	Cons
·   High color saturation,	·  Cannot be bought directly from Jacquard
·   Excellent metallic “colors” with high shine	·  Colors can stain due to high saturation
·   Colors can stain due to high saturation,	·  Small Variety of colors
·   Great for beginners or advanced	·  Hard to find if you don’t know where to look
·   Small variety of colors artists/crafters
·   Works on Synthetic paper with resin and on canvas and other surfaces
·   Relatively low cost

 

Please remember to have fun, don’t be too hard on yourself and let your creativity shine! These products will give you great results on canvas, Yupo paper, and other creative projects including resin molds, ceramics, and tie dye!

Make sure you have everything you need for this artistic journey by checking these off your list: Alcohol Ink Supplies – Essential Materials for Alcohol Ink Art

Pick up Some of the Products Discussed Today!

• Jacquard Piñata Ink
• Jacquard Piñata Ink Exciter Pack
• Ranger Ink
• Ranger Ink, Farmers Market trio
• Jacquard Piñata Ink Metallic Bundle