One of my favorite creative pastimes right now is watercoloring. I just can't seem to put my brush and watercolors away! Recently I bought this gorgeous detailed stamp and watercoloring it was a technique I couldn't wait to try. As the image is very detailed, it's a little unique and I'll be sharing a few tips I have along the way. Let's get started!
First of all this gorgeous stamp is from Pink Ink and is called Hawthorne and Roses. It's a beautiful red rubber stamp that stamps really cleanly and beautifully on watercolor paper.
I've mentioned it before but it may bear repeating... some watercolor papers have different finishes on the reverse side. Test out your paper before starting your project to see. For this project in particular with the all the detail, you really need a paper that is not going to bleed the color very much. In other cases, like for a background, you want the opposite.
My favorite go-to ink EVER is the Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink. I use it on almost every project and the only time I don't use this black ink is when I want to use Copic Markers. It doesn't work with Copics, but with watercoloring and everything else...it's a dream.
To start in the withe watercoloring I always want to add in a little base color in each of the areas. This gives you a place to start. You build up the color from there.
Next add in the smaller flowers and details. Allow to dry. Notice I'm leaving some white spaces. These act as highlights and watercolor always looks great with them.
THEN go back and add in shadows and details. I love adding a couple colors or tones if possible to things like flowers and leaves. They are not one solid color. While I didn't take a picture of it, after this stage I added in the background using lots of water and then adding in the color. Set the image aside to dry completely.
I thought this fringe tape would be a fun addition to the bottom of the card. It's a tissue-like very thin paper that is so fun and festive. It would be perfect in bright colors for making your own pinata. Here I think it adds a sweet and shabby look to the bottom of the card. Just cut each strip to size, then peel of tape backing and adhere.
Once the bottom section of the card was covering in fringe tape, I then adhered my watercolor panel and then stitched it directly to the card front. I love how it frames the image and adds stability to the heavy paper.
The sentiment is a die cut from the Wonderful die set from Ellen Hutson LLC. I LOVE how it curves and leads your eye through the design. It's die-cut from Solar White card stock, the same paper I've created the card base from. The second part of the sentiment is a Tim Holtz sticker from the Chitchat Stickers book.
Finally, the card is finished off with some sweet embellishments. A paper flower from Maya Road and a sweet Mirrored Heart from Tim Holtz, along with a little twine bow.
Thanks so much for joining me today in the CLASSroom! Enjoy your watercolors and have a fabulous long weekend!
Julia
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