OK, I gotta admit I was not initially a fan of neon when it resurfaced. Major flashbacks to the '70s and my teen years--ack!!!
But, it has grown on me, to my surprise. *cheeky grin* These two cards were inspired by a neon pastel blanket that I'm utterly obsessed with. I don't actually want to own the blanket, BUT it's a GORGEOUS blanket and it sparked me to see if I could mimic the neon stripes.
Originally, I tried pressing the Hero Arts Neon Ink Pads against an acrylic block, but the ink dried much too fast for me to add water and use as a paint. I don't have any of the reinkers yet, so that was not an option for me.
After some experimentation, I found the easiest way to watercolor the stripes was to break out the Neon Sprays--it was not only easy, but gave me exactly the results I was hoping for!
Some tips specific to the Hero Arts' Neon products featured in this variation of neon watercolor:
- I got the best results using Hero Arts' Neon sprays; they are very fluid therefore very easy to dilute with a paintbrush loaded with water. You can also custom mix your colors. Simply remove the nozzel from the bottle and add a few drops of spray colors to a well in your paint palette. This method also worked with the Neon Daubers, but I think the hues in the sprays are just a little "brighter" hue than their dauber counterparts, which I personally like, so I gravitated towards sticking with the sprays.
- Allow each painted area to dry before applying another color adjacent to it or the colors will bleed into each other. In some cases this may be desirable, but in other situations, you might have two colors so opposite each other that they end up creating a muddy effect... No likey!!!
- Keep a paper towel and a cup of clean water handy for cleaning your brush in between colors, etc.
- The more you dilute with water, the more pastel the color will become, but it will still retain that "neon" glow!
- Be patient; for the most "neon" effect, allow the colors to AIR-DRY in between each one. If you hurry things along with a heat gun, the heat tends to dull the neon effect. This is a personal preference. Not one to sit around watching paint dry, I tried fanning my project with a piece of card stock in between applying each color to try to speed the drying up "a bit".
- Once the colors dry, they are fairly locked/permanent into the paper so you won't be able to manipulate them much, if at all. Remember you can always add more paint/intensify colors, but it will be difficult to soften/dilute the colors once they are dry.
- If you mask off the borders of your watercolor panel, remove the tape carefully to avoid marring the surface.
Here you can see the effect of a neon ink pad applied direct to paper, along just the edge of the panel--it's very subtle, but I liked it quite muchly! So pretty!!!
So... Have you been blinded yet? BAH HAHAHAAAA!!! Just kidding. :)
I can't decide which I like better: Neon pastel or neon bright...
Luckily, I don't have to. ;)
Enjoy the video here or on our YouTube Channel and, as always, thanks for watching & subscribing!
Hope your Mundane is anything but!
*chinkle*
•••••••••••••••••••••
SUPPLIES:
