I love to watercolor. It's almost like being a kid again and using crayons in my coloring book. When I was a kid I would go to my Grandmas house and I would spend hours coloring in her coloring books using those little bits of crayon she had in her big crayon box, which was really an old cookie tin. She never threw one bit away, and she would dig with me trying to find that perfect blue for the sky or that perfect green for the grass. I would beg her to color with me and being the great Grandma that she was she would oblige me. I am sure now that she probably didn't enjoy it as much as I did but at the time she never showed it. I miss my Grandma.
This week I got to do a little watercoloring when I was working on my swaps for my local Demonstrator groups new catalog swap. I was signed up to do a different set but that set was back ordered and arrived at 10:30am on the day my swap as due. The swap hostess was gracious enough to allow me to change which set I used. I was in the middle of putting the finishing touch on these so I wasn't going to change then. ;-)
I did a little different watercoloring technique on these. I have been using this technique a lot lately when I watercolor. It's using the Stampin' Markers and my Aqua Painters. I am in love with this way of watercoloring. Here are some simple step by steps....
I used Fast and Fabulous which is a level 2 hostess set from the new catalog. I love this set it's gorgeous and so much fun to watercolor. By the way I am really loving my clear mount stamps it made this scene come together very easily because I could see where my placement was.
Make sure when you are stamping on watercolor paper and you intend to use Aqua Painters that you ALWAYS use Stazon ink. Basic Black, although waterproof in some situations, it's not one that can handle the amount of water you need in this technique. Just a side note I LOVE the Stampin' Up! watercolor paper. It's 140lb and I can work it and work it and it NEVER pills or balls. It's wonderful stuff Maynard! Note how I stamped my flowers to look like we were looking up close at a few and then there were others in the distant background. Great way to use this stamp set.
Okay I know you are thinking "What the heck M.E.?" How is that going to work?! I used my markers (some of those yummy new colors) and just swiped color on the flowers and yes it will blend. Just watch....
See I took my Aqua Painter and started blending the color working the ink around until it was completely blended or to my liking anyway.
I left a lot of the marker 'swipes' in this example because I liked the way it looked, a little shaded. If I had kept working the marker it would have completely blended. The only thing left now is to bring out the color from the center of the gladiolious (yep I know flower that because I have a degree in Ornamental Horticulture and was a florist for over 10 years that was BSU, Before Stampin' Up! ;-)
I took the picture before the water had dried so it looks like I added crystal effects but I did not it eventually dried. Note I left some white areas. I like that look. I think leaving a little white says "watercolored". Now to add some 'sky' area. I used a little different technique here...
Take your classic pad and while it's closed squeeze it, squeeze it several times hard enough to get some ink on the inside of the lid. Then open it and pick up color with your Aqua Painter.
More cool white areas and don't worry about little bleeding of color...it's WATERCOLORING PEOPLE! Maybe watercoloring is not for the ...hmm...No M.E. you can't say that....um....Nope can't say that either....Wait here you go...the perfectionist. Yep perhaps watercoloring is not for the perfectionist but boy are they missing out if they don't give it a try. I mean seriously it's gorgeous and SO easy to do! Anyone can lay down a little marker and a little water. So you wanna see the final card? Here you go...
Voila' some great new paper colors and a few brads and I ran some Designer series paper through the texture folder and swiped my sanding block over it to distress it. Added one of the sayings from the New Perfect Punches set. I like it!
