Hi there! Today, Hero Arts is releasing their Summer Catalog for 2021, and we are celebrating all things summer with a blog hop! You should have arrived here from Debi Adams, and your next stop is Ilina Crouse. You can also check out all of the links to the hop at the Hero Arts Blog. I have two projects to share with you today, one featured in the new catalog, one not, so let’s get started with the details!
This first project was such fun to watercolor! Hero Arts has released their no-line coloring ink, called Contour Ink, and I used this ink to do some no-line watercoloring with the stamp and Hero Arts’s Liquid Watercolors! I stamped their new Succulent Bouquet stamp on some cold press watercolor paper using the new Contour Ink. I then taped my stamped watercolor A2 card panel down on a watercolor board using some washi tape and began watercoloring.
Succulents are so gorgeous; they’re like flowers, but green, which I find to be so much fun and so different! I used a variety of the Hero Arts Liquid Watercolors in shades of green, brown, and the super versatile Mulled Wine, which can be used on its own as a pretty, muted raspberry shade, or added to green or brown to created your own custom shades, perfect for creating shadows. I watercolored the entire image, gave it some time to dry, then while my watercolor paper was still taped to the board on all four sides, added kind of a reverse halo of Mulled Wine, laying color down at the taped edges, then cleaning my brush and using the clean brush to pull the color in towards the center of the card front, allowing just the tiniest hint of color to get near the watercolored image, leaving the halo around the image almost completely white.
Once my image had dried completely (I like to leave panels that have had a lot of water added to them taped down overnight to reduce warping), I removed the tape and splattered some concentrated Mulled Wine all over the panel to embrace the “artistic” look of the card front! I added a heat embossed greeting from the Succulent Bouquet stamp set, which I heat embossed in silver on a small square of Plum cardstock, then popped up with some foam adhesive for extra dimension.
My next card features the new Hero Florals Strawberries Line Art stamps and dies. This little set packs a big punch. Strawberries are my favorite fruit, so I couldn’t wait to color these beauties up! I stamped them a few times on some white cardstock using Intens-ified Black ink, then used my Copic markers to color the images ink bright red and green, leaving the little flowers white with just a touch of yellow to the centers. I cut out the images with their coordinating Frame Cuts.
For the card base, I trimmed down an A2 panel of Cherry cardstock, then placed the Graphic Deco Stencil over the top and blended some Unicorn white pigment ink over the top. I love the look of the white stenciled background on the bright red card base! I also splattered a bit of White Liquid Watercolor on the background to add some more fun texture.
I layered the die cuts over the stenciled and splattered card base, adhering them with foam adhesive, and added some sentiment strips stamped using the new Message Strips Stamp & Cut XL, then die cut them with the coordinating Frame Cuts. (These are SO handy.) The final touch was to add some white enamel dots to tie in to the white stenciling and white splatters in the background!
Well, that’s all for my projects today. Now for some fun giveaway information!
We will give away THREE $50 gift cards, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Sunday, May 30th at 11:59pm pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.
Your next stop on the hop is Ilina Crouse. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!
Wonderful creations. Like the wonderful artsy look of the succulent card. Like all things strawberries and your background is great.
Melissa
“Sunshine HoneyBee”
Love the strawberries! Great colors!
Those strawberries…yum!
Your succulent coloring is amazing!! Love anything with succulents!
Stunning cards, Emily. I love the colors you used–so bright and cheerful.
Beautiful water coloring of your first card! Stunning!
I love your background with the stencil on the strawberry card. So pretty.
Omgosh. Your succulents and strawberries look real. Beautiful! Ty so much.
Love both the cards but the background on the strawberry card is just perfect!
I will be a strawberry summer. 😀
WOW, your cards are GORGEOUS! Thanks for the inspiration.
Beautiful cards!!
Both of these are wonderful cards! I really like your gorgeous succulent bouquet.
Your succulent bouquet is so pretty. I like how there are other plants mixed in. Your coloring is amazing, too!
Your cards are absolutely STUNNING!
Wow, your Succulent Bouquet card is gorgeous. Ang
Beautiful cards! Love them!
Your no line watercoloring is gorgeous!
Gorgeous coloring! I LOVE the strawberries!
I love the strawberries, especially with that gorgeous background!
Wow…your coloring on the succulents is gorgeous!
Beautiful! Your coloring is amazing!
Stunning cards!
Absolutely gorgeous cards!!!
The way you colored those flowers is beautiful!
Both of your cards are stunning. I especially love the first one. Thank you for sharing!
Stunning succulent card and fabulous coloring. I think only HA products can help my cards look anything close to yours. Thanks for the idea!
Those succulents are amazing my favorite and then strawberries knocking my socks off. Hold my wallet.
The succulent bouquet is fabulous! Your cards are wonderful.
The succulents are beautiful and the strawberries pop. Thank you for the water coloring tips.
Your succulent card is gorgeous!!
Love the strawberry card. the warm red
really highlights the luscious berries.
Gorgeous coloring of the succulents.
thanks for sharing
txmlhl(at)yahoo(dot)com
These cards are beautiful, Emily. Your succulents are so well crafted. tfs-stay well.
Gorgeous cards!
That Graphic Deco stencil really elevates your lovely strawberry card and your watercolor succulents are exquisite!
Ah-mazing coloring on the succulent card!! Love it!
Beautiful! I’m not a succulent fan, but you made these lovely.
Lovely cards. Your no line coloring is amazing and those strawberries made my mouth water. Like the stencil you chose for the background because it reminds me of those little strawberry crates. Thanks for sharing.
Those succulents are just exquisite and your coloring technique is just fabulous
Wow when you said define beauty… you nailed it! The coloring is beyond words. And the catalogue is amazing!
Such beautiful cards. Thanks for the opportunity to win.
So excited about all the wonderful inspiration in this hop! And thanks for the chance to win!
Beautiful cards! I love those strawberries!
Loved your succulent card – the colors are beautiful.
Gorgeous cards!!
Gorgeous – especially those succulents!!!
Love the coloring especially the succulents! Both cards are lovely!
Wow, beautiful no-line water coloring! Love the vibrant strawberries as well.
Your cards are gorgeous–love the no-line water coloring. Thanks for the inspriation!
Two very different, yet beautiful cards. I love the colors you used on the succulents.
Your cards are beautiful! I can’t choose my fave!
Beautiful cards. Your color choices r terrific. Thanks for the inspiration.
Love both cards and the colors you chose.
Thanks for sharing.
Very unique use of colors & backgrounds. Beautiful succulents!
Gorgeous designs, I especially love the watercoloring of the succulents.
beautiful cards – love the colors you used
Gorgeous cards! Love the watercoloring on the succulents…
Thanks for sharing.
Beautiful cards. The water color succulents look wonderful. Thanks for sharing your cards.
Simply goegeous!
So beautiful!
Bothe of your cards are so beautiful! The pink BG with the succulents is awesome. Your coloring of the succulents is so realistic. And then there are the strawberries. They had me drooling!
Beautiful coloring on both of these lovely cards! Such awesome new images… gotta have those strawberries!
Your talent is very inspiring Emily! I love both cards, but your succulent card and the colors, just blow me away! Thank you for inspiring us!
Absolutely gorgeous cards💗
Beautiful cards, the strawberry card is stunning! tfs
Both cards are gorgeous. I especially love the colorful succulent card. Thanks for sharing.
Your two cards are so pretty. I like how you shadowed around the bouquet.
That succulent bouquet is stunning! I also love your strawberries card – both cards are fabulous!
I really like your succulent bouquet card. It is gorgeous. The pink background sets off the succulents beautifully since you added pinkish edges to the plants. The background stencil for the strawberry card is also beautiful. I like the added interest it provided for your card.
wow … that is some gorgeous watercoloring
Such amazing inspirations.
Love from India 🙂
Your stunning cards are so well coloured the strawberries and succulent bouquet looks as though you coulc pick them off the card front! Thanks so much for your super inspiration! Stay safe! 🙂
Great cards! I love your no-line coloring of the succulents.
Beautiful succulents and sweet strawberries!
Your watercoloring abilities are fantastic!
Beautiful cards. Your coloring is amazing.
OMGoodness your watercoloring is so spectacular!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Beautiful cards 🙂
the way your make those succulents “shine” is amazing – love it.
Beautiful cards! Love the water colors!
Both of your cards are very nice. Love the coloring on the succulent card. Thank you for sharing.
Gorgeous card designs! The strawberry set is a must have!
Gorgeous cards! Your flowers are stunning!
Your cards are all absolutely gorgeous.. Makes me want to get the liquid watercolors.
Love the succulent stamp set and your card! Wonderful release!
Gorgeous cards Emily. I love the way you use watercolour!
OMG those cards are so beautiful. Your watercoloring is amazing.
The coloring you did is amazing. Beautiful job!
Stunning coloring, as usual, on your lovely cards.
love the strawberries
Wonderful coloring on the succulents. I like the background for the strawberries.
wow your cards are gorgeous – thanks for sharing
I’m not a big water color fan, but your succulents look so real I can’t imagine them being water colored. I love this card. You did a great job coloring it. It could easily become a masculine card with a different sentiment. i do love that mulled wine effect. I think it adds so much flair to your card.
I love your first succulent card.. Thats incredible ❤️ I love your watercoloring. The love that I attended on Instagram was very very helpful and really great. Thank you for sharing your creations ❤️ ❤️
Such pretty cards! Interesting background for the strawberries. And that succulent watercoloring wow so very nice!