Hello! I'm so excited and very honored to be a guesting here in The CLASSroom for the Ellen Hutson December Watercolor Days. I've loved watercolors since as long as I can remember, in fact, I still have a set that I got at a drugstore when I was in high school. (Not saying how long ago that was...LOL!) Now I've graduated to The Good Stuff: Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors – these paints are so good you all. I've upgraded my brush game too!
Today I'll be working with this BIG DaVinci mottler flat wash 30 and I have a bunch of techniques to share – this brush is just so much fun and there are so many things you can do with it!
Watch the video to see:
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I just may have gotten a little carried away LOL! Here are some takeaway tips about each set of cards and the techniques.
Bold Stripes
These are so simple and so fun to make and are a great way to get starting using a BIG brush like the daVinci mottler 30. For this batch of cards I used Canson XL paper and the colors in the palette are ALL mixed with Daniel Smith bronzite genuine – ah so pretty! The colors from left to right are: sap green, phthalo green, hansa yellow light, quinacridone rose, and pyrrol scarlet.
Takeaway Tips:
- These would be great to mass produce!
- To make a border on your card front, cut a template from cardstock or chipboard and lightly trace around it with a pencil, then tape off the edges with artist tape so you'll get a clean edge. I keep my template with my die cuts and use it all the time.
- To help with removing the tape, stick it to your clothes before you press it on the paper
- When removing tape, pull it away from your project – that way if it happens to tear it won't ruin your watercoloring
- Leave a little gap between colors so they don't blend together
- Daniel Smith bronzite genuine makes everything better – it's just so pretty and shimmery! I mix it with everything! :)
- When mixing colors, if you know you're going to use the color right away then use your brush, otherwise use a palette knife, butter knife, or a coffee stirrer you snagged at Starbucks :)
Here's a closeup so you can see it better!
Northern Lights Background Techniques
In this set of cards I shared tips for making aurora borealis backgrounds. Someday I hope to make it to Alaska to see the Northern Lights in person – until then I'll just dream and paint them instead. I put together a pinterest board HERE https://www.pinterest.com/sideoats/aurora/ for inspiration. I think these Northern Light backgrounds are a great way to play and have fun with color mixing and blending techniques -- they're so unreal looking that the sky is truly the limit!
I used Arches cold press watercolor paper for these as I found it really showed off the granulation in the Daniel Smith blue apatite genuine.
Takeaway Tips
- Tilt your paper to let the colors mix and mingle on the paper – it's like magic!
- Apply granulating colors like the blue apatite genuine in a nice juicy wash so that they can really do their thing. If the paint is applied too thickly or without enough water you won't get as much of the granulating effect.
- Don't be afraid to experiment and have fun, you never know what might happen.
- If you don't like how something turned out, don't throw it away – use it for die cutting instead! You can also put a second background on the inside of your card.
- Try an inlay die cut technique like the iceberg from scraps. Use gold foil paper for that extra something.
Now for a few closeups so you can see everything better.
See what I mean about saving those scraps? Here I cut 2 Flora & Fauna icebergs from watercolored backgrounds that I didn't like, and then did popped some pieces into another iceburg that I die cut from gold foil paper. Oh and in case you were wondering, that star up there came from the Essentials by Ellen Concertina Tag set and it has a Neat & Tangled Like Magic sequin in the middle! :)
Look at all that granulation from the blue apatite genuine! Oh my. I kept this one clean and simple with the Flora & Fauna polar bear die and the peace from the Essentials by Ellen Holiday Words dies.
And this guy! Yeah I think he's pretty much my fave. I was just playing around with the brush – I love how random it is and I bet I couldn't make this again if I tried. It's the perfect background for that cute lil polar bear from the Flora & Fauna Arctic Starry Night set, right?
Dry Brush Techniques
This big daVinci brush is perfect for dry brush techniques! I prefer to use Arches watercolor paper for this technique as the paper has more texture so the brushwork really stands out. I used quinacridone rose and bronzite genuine on these – just can't get enough of that bronzite sparkle! :)
Takeaway Tips
- You'll want to use a dry or just slightly damp brush for this technique
- Use your fingers to separate the bristles and then keep them apart by holding them with your thumb as you work
- Tap your brush into a puddle of paint, then drag it across the paper – so cool!
Here's a closeup of the Holiday Cheer card. For this one, I used the Essentials by Ellen Concertina tags die to cut out a tag and then the Modern Christmas die set for the holly and the berries. I heat embossed the sentiment with rose gold embossing powder and then added some rose gold sequins to match. Love love love all that granulation on the holly leaves!
See what I mean about saving your scraps? When I don't like something I just save it and die cut it later, as I did with with the Essentials by Ellen Modern Trees. There's no pressure with watercolor – just play and have fun. Experiment.
And last but not least, a closeup of this clean and simple card, filled with Joy!
I hope you'll try some of these fun watercolor techniques with that BIG ole brush, and don't forget that Daniel Smith bronzite genuine really does go with everything! :)
Thanks so much for joining me! Lisa xo
Supplies:
