Stencils and watercolors are two really hot trends right now. Seriously! The possibilities are endless! I decided to give combining the two a whirl for today's project design. It's a fun and easy way to watercolor and the results are so pretty.
This design features the Peerless Watercolors and a stencil by Tim Holtz. Fall is just around the corner but perhaps you can tell by the colors, that I'm not quite ready to give up on summer yet!
The Peerless Watercolors are a truly unique product that was devised in 1885 and hasn't been changed since. You obviously have a good thing when it doesn't need improving in over a hundred years! The watercolor paint comes in the dry format on a paper fabric. They look like little scraps of paper but the intensity of the pigment means that you'll be using them for a very long time. To use, just dab with a wet paintbrush and it will pick up the color.
Note: the side of the paint swatch with the color on it is super saturated and will look much darker than the real color. The reverse side will give you a better idea of the true color but you'll want to test the hue on a scrap piece of paper before applying to your project.
Tape the stencil down to your paper securely to prevent it from shifting.
Apply color through the stencil.
Tips:
- The more water you use on your brush, the more color bleeding you get under the stencil. It's watercolor so this is an OK look. How much of that look you want depends on you.
- The watercolors are super saturated. To get a lighter watercolor effect pick up only the tinest bit of pigment.
- Adding two colors to one segment of the stencil will allow colors to blend.
Once you've added in all your color, remove the stencil to reveal your beautiful background.
Next step is to put the card together. I've added a pretty cluster of white roses for the focal point.
Another little trick I just discovered was a way to make the white paper leaves smaller. It's always nice to vary sizes when you are creating a cluster of embellishments. Simply twise the leaf about a third of the way from the stem to create a smaller leaf. Snip off excess paper.
Thanks for joining me today in the CLASSroom! I hope you'll give this technique a try!
Supplies:
