A Beautiful Day to watercolor

We decided to cancel stamp club today, so I used the card I had prepared for everyone to make swaps instead.  My goal with this card was to show watercoloring only certain areas of a card.

You'll need watercolor paper, an aqua painter/water brush, ink pads, and a clear block.

First off, notice the card on the left - the color washes are left-side, right-side, then left-side....kind of a Z.  The card on the right, they are all generally the same size rectangles.

I used my Aqua Painter to first wet the area that I wanted to add ink to.  Not sopping wet.  The water that you lay down corrals the ink to that area.  Then you pick up ink color with the aqua painter, and paint it on to the wet area.

I use a clear block as a paint palette.  I smoosh the block right into the ink pad, and then pick it up with my aqua painter from there.  I started with So Saffron, for the middle of my card.   I like to start in the middle with this watercoloring technique, especially when I made the rectangles of color.  It was easier to judge if I had the size right by doing the middle first.  I didn't measure anything - just eye-balled it.

I only got a close up of the first card.  The swaps I made with the rectangle shaped colors are already in their envelopes to go out on Monday.

I let the water coloring dry (or speed it up with a heat tool), then do the stamping.  Since you are using watercolor paper - that is bumpy - nooks and crannies mean you won't get an evenly stamped image.  Use your stamp positioning tool, so you can stamp several times.  I still had to go back and do touch ups with a Sharpie marker.  Stamp some dots randomly around.  Stapled on some Black 5/8" Glittered Organdy ribbon, and then add the greeting strip over top of the staples with dimensionals.

I hope you decide to give this watercoloring technique a try.  Make different shapes!  Squares, circles, overlapping shapes...lots of possibilities.

Supplies you'll need to create these (Stampin' Up, unless otherwise noted.  Items may be retired.):

Stamps: A Beautiful Day, Itty Bitty Backgrounds

Paper: So Saffron, Basic Black, Watercolor

Other:  Aqua painters, Black 5/8" Glittered Organdy ribbon, stapler.

 

Thanks for visiting, and Happy stamping!

Toni

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