Hi everyone! I'm back from CHA and super inspired and excited to get back to creating and back to the CLASSroom! What I've been missing most as I've been away is my watercolors and it seemed like a great place to start by creating a few watercolor projects to share with you today in the CLASSroom. There's just something wonderful about all that fabulous color!
I've been hoarding some beautiful Cosmo Cricket Just Add Watercolor Canvas Blocks and it's way past time to get them out and get creative with them. One of my resolutions for 2016 is less hoarding and more crafting! So let's get to it!
Here's my finished projects, just so you can see what I'm making. The Cosmo Cricket Just Add Watercolor line is a stunning line of products with watercolor paper. There's something for everyone. Cards. Tags. 12x12 papers. And of course, canvas watercolor blocks that I'm using today.
They come pre-printed with beautiful embossed and gold foil accents so that you can easily make your own art. All you need to do is just add watercolor. These are a great project for any age as you really can't mess them up. Just add whatever colors you like and it all looks artistic!
In this shot you can see the areas that are gold foiled and clear embossed. The clear embossing repels the pigment so that you'll have a lighter area in these points.
My favorite watercolors are the Peerless Watercolors. Pgiment infused papers that have beautiful colors and the color picks up on your brush like a dream. I've used the Joanne Sharpe edition here on this project. The colors are bright and beautiful and if you're looking for a place to start, this set is well-priced to try them out!
When picking up the color, I always like to try it out on some scrap paper. Pigment can sometimes be deceiving and this allows me to check the hue as well as gauge the intensity of the final color.
The hardest part of this project is adding in the initial color. Just load up your brush and get started. When using watercolors, make sure you have lots of water on the brush so that the color will flow.
I traced the You portion of the sentiment using shades of watercolor. The colors will blend well if you work wet-in-wet which means you don't allow them to dry in between adding them together. Use a tissue or paper towel to blot off the excess pigment and reveal the embossed area.
To create a background, I like to add lots of water to the area first and then add in the color. This makes it spread out and blend well.
Once the painted areas were almost dry I added in some flecks of watercolor by loading up my brush and then flicking the area with paint. You can use a heat gun to dry the watercolor and finish it up or allow to dry naturally.
You can do whatever you like with these canvases. Add whatever colors and make it as simple or as complex as you wish. Hang it up and enjoy your art!
While I was creating, I thought it would be fun to create this little accent for Valentine's Day as well. Once again, it's simple to just add watercolor.
I missed taking a picture but to create the ombre stripes I just brushed color across the top of the surface, then added a little more water to my brush and created another stripe. Add a little more water each time without adding pigment and each stripe will get a little lighter.
It's also easy to blend your own watercolor hues with colors you have on hand. I took a yellow and a pink and mixed them together on the Ken Oliver Best Craft Mat to create a yellowish orange.
I used this new color to highlight the o areas and give them a little more definition.
And that's it! Fun and simple!
Thanks for joining me today in the CLASSroom! Have a fabulous and creative weekend!
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