Hi there! I’m so excited to be hopping along with my friends at Colorado Craft Company to celebrate their latest Anita Jeram release! You should have arrived here from Daniel West, and your next stop is Mansi Bhatia. The Anita Jeram line is just so wonderfully sweet. If you’ve read the “Guess How Much I Love You” books, you’ll have seen the delightful illustrations. It’s so much fun to be able to create my own little storybook cards with these darling stamp sets in the Anita Jeram line! I particularly enjoy no-line watercoloring these beautiful images… the whimsical storybook feel is right in my comfort zone! Let’s get started with the details.
I have been itching to get more practice in with my Holbein gouache paints. I have a bad habit of collecting various mediums and brands and not getting the opportunity to really dig in and play with them, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to get some practice in! From what I understand, illustrators frequently use gouache for their paintings because it is opaque and completely flat, and therefore won’t have any reflections when they go to scan their paintings. I wanted to be super authentic (ha) so I thought these sweet bunnies from Flurries of Fun were a perfect match for some gouache practice!
I began by stamping the sweet little bunnies, bird, and snowbunny from Flurries of Fun onto some Fabriano Artistico hot press paper using Ink On 3’s Fadeout Ink. Next, I used Holbein gouache to do some watercoloring on the image, allowing the blue sky to help create plenty of contrast to keep the snowbunny looking white. Gouache is a bit more intense and opaque than traditional watercolors; you can treat it like acrylic paints and keep things thick and completely opaque, layering your colors to achieve shadows and depth, or you can use it more like traditional watercolors and allow the wet paintbrush and water to move the pigment for you. I treated the gouache more like traditional watercolors, but the opacity helps to keep the colors super vibrant. I also found glazing (glazing=adding more color over the top of a dried section to intensify the color or add more depth/shadows) to be much more intense with the gouache. Such a fun medium!
The blue sky was particularly receptive to the glazing technique; I was able to achieve a really fun, artsy background with layers of blue and lavender gouache and lots of water. I splattered the background with some white gouache to create snowflakes, but it kind of sank in to the blue and wasn’t very visible. I think I had diluted it with water a bit too much. (Practice makes progress!) I ended up dotting the background with my white gel pen to create more visible flurries.
After I’d finished my painting, I used some black pigment ink to add a simple sentiment from Flurries of Fun to the card front. This would be a perfect thank you note for a Christmas gift or winter birthday or something! Plus, totally flat, so very easy to mail.
Now, to celebrate this release, Colorado Craft Company will be choosing one winner from the comments on each stop on the blog hop! Winners will receive one stamp set of their choice from the new release. The cutoff for entries is September 6th at midnight mountain time. 3C will pick and announce the winners on the Colorado Craft Company blog September 8th. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!
Your next stop is the über-talented Mansi Bhatia. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!
So cute, fantastic coloring!
Such darling little bunnies! I LOVE the snow scene!
This is adorable!!! Your coloring is awesome! What a fun release❤️ Thanks for sharing!
What a great job coloring this card!!! SO cute!
Beautiful card and coloring for this stamp.
Beautiful card!
Oh, wow! So cute and your coloring is fantastic!
Such a sweet card! Love that beautiful sky!
Cute cute cute!
So super cute!!!
Amazing coloring. Love the snow looks so real.
Also love the little red bird peeking over the snowman.
Beautiful use of color. Love this image too!
This is my favorite stamp in the release. So cute!
Your card makes me wish it were snowing right now so I could go build a snowman! Adorable! Plus, the cardinal is always a favorite around my house … I set up little trees at Christmas, and each tree HAS to have a cardinal on a limb! Beautiful coloring – thanks for the inspiration! Happy Crafting!
Fabulous, Emily. Love your work. Thanks for sharing.
What a sweet card! TFS
Love how you turned the bird into a cardinal by adding the point on his head! Such a lovely card! TFS
Dear Emily
You have added icing to the cake and made it a priced product.tc stay safe
Adorable… that blue sky really accentuates the scene!
Just delightful, love it. Jane x
Your coloring technique makes this snow scene seem so realistic. I want to put on some winter clothes and play in the snow with them!
Such an adorable card! Love your coloring.
Super cute and your coloring is fabulous!
Your coloring is awesome. I love the blues..Very bright and cheery.
Tish
Oh so elegant and too too cute!
The background is delish. I’ve not worked with gouache. I’ll try it in watercolor.
Adorable card and scene.
I love how you made the sky and the fur. GREAT job.
I love your colouring!! It looks so amazing!
Beautiful card and great advise on using a new cooking method (at least to me). I love the results and will need to try this as I get more paints. Thank You!
Snow sweet! Love your watercolored sky!
Beautiful colorful card for theholidays
Such a fun snow scene. Thank you for the inspiration.
Hi, Emily – I’m guilty of the same. I buy things and don’t have much time to play. Glad you took the time to play today — I adore Anita Jeram’s work and you are a genius at showcasing it!! I love the winter scene you have offered viewers here today. Glorious! So pretty!
TFS –
Lori S in PA
So sweet! I love the water coloured background!
Such an adorable painting…interesting to see gouche used in this way. TFS
So very adorable.
awww this set just stole my heart!
So cute. Ooo – I have been curious about gouache. I wondered if you could glaze and layer if the paint is opaque. You answered that question. Thanks fo sharing your experience and this cute card.
Your card came out great! I just love it.
It is hot here again today so I thank you for your beautiful card that at least helps me feel a little cooler.
I absolutely love the vibrance of your beautiful card. That blue sky just pops! I love working with gouache too although it was many years ago. I seen to remember it was more forgiving than watercolor.
Wow! I love how you colored your card! The background is gorgeous!
Oh my goodness, that background is the perfect backdrop to that darling bunnyman.. Someone on our street always makes a snow bunny.
Really sweet, Emily! Your sky is amazing.
I love this card!
Love the background.
I LOVE all of Anitas stuff. Of course I’ve already bought some of the new sets. Can’t wait till it arrives. So, so,so cute. I am going broke, but loving it. I just bought this Flurries of Fun. Cannot resist. You all are so creative.
So beautifully done!!!
LOVE this charming scene! The set you used is a favorite of this release! Awesome card!
This is a SUPER sweet winter card! Love how you did the background and the shading on the snow bunny! Love it!
So sweet!
Such a beautiful background and card!
Love your background on this card. So pretty and surely features this lovely stamp set beautifully. I love Anita’s designs.
How sweet is the little bunny snowman!! This is awonderful card!! Thanks so much for the great inspiration! Stay safe! 🙂
I love the colors! Thanks for sharing!
I am ready for cooler weather. These blues take me there.
The colours are amazing. You have such talent! Thanks for sharing!
Such a sweet water color scene! Love the new release of Anita’s designs.
Awesome coloring, card, and release!
Those bunnies are so sweet, and your wonderful watercoloring just accentuates the cuteness!
I was hoping to see this set done. Love your version. Thanks so much.
The colors are amazing and eye-catching just what these cute bunnies want for the reciever
to have.👏👏👏
your no-line coloring is just perfection!
Your card is so sweet! Anita’s the best!
Having a name like mine I do love these little hoppers. They are so cute.
Sweet card Emily! Love the 3C’s release of Anita Jeram designs.
I really like your card a lot and your online coloring is superb. This release has many great sets!
I just love this little snowman and I really like the background of this card. The characters are having so much fun with the cardinal overseeing the progression. LOL. Thank you for sharing and please stay safe.
What a beautiful card. Looks like a painting!
OMG ! What a beautiful winter card. Your colouring with the gouache is simply stunning and gives such a realist scene. This blue sky is just stunning ! LOVE it. Thanks so much for sharing.
Love your coloring…such a sweet card!
Omg, I really love your no linecoloring. 😍😍😍
Precious new release and precious card!
Such a beautiful card – love that bunny snowman by Anita Jeram. Thank you for sharing!
Loving this bunny snowman! Thank you for sharing
I need to practice no line coloring. But it’s so intimidating. But it looks amazing just like what you created. What a great release.
awww this is just darling
Anita Jeram’s snow images are always SNOW MUCH FUN. Love your card and the beautiful blue background.
Such a cute card. Great coloring
Hurry up winter…perfect card for the season…
Your coloring is fantastic! So soft!
Very inventive bunnies. Love the
idea of a snow bunny. Funtastic.
thanks for sharing
txmlhl(at)yahoo(dot)com
Such a cute little winter scene and beautiful coloring!
Fabulous! Your techniques are always so amazing.
Beautiful card! Thanks for sharing your techniques with gouache.
Love your background for these snowshoe hares!
I loved your winter scene thank you card.. The coloring is terrific and the snowman captured my heart. Thanks for sharing your time and talent with us.
The card is fabulous…love the watercolour background..
This looks fabulous and I do love the image.
Beautiful card
Everything about this card is appealing to me. I love how the blue background makes all the other images pop!
Love this, Emily! The sky – WOW!
I really love your coloring. Guess I should practice????
How adorable!!! Love it!!
Sweet scene and fabulous coloring.
Adorable card! Your coloring is amazing.
Thanks for sharing.
Omg! I love this card so much!!🥰
wow, absolutely stunning!
A very cute card. I really like your blue sky! I have some gouache I need to try more also.
I always love and look forward to the new Anita Jeram releases and this one certainly didn’t disappoint. Her animals are just so adorable, and you sure do them justice! Thanks for the inspiration!
Delightful bunnies…all the way around!!! Super painting and super card Emily! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Your colouring is beautiful!!! I love this set and can’t wait to use it with the other snow play designs of Anita’s
Really gorgeous colors. Never have tried painting, but may have to try it to get results like your’s.