liquid watercolor

Fixing Watercolor Mistakes-Sometimes You Just Have To Walk Away!

August 1, 2023

This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon!

Hi friends! I have a post to share with you that is a long time coming, mainly because I started this project a few weeks ago and only just finished it yesterday. I am one of those people who can’t move on to another project if I have an unfinished project sitting on my desk. I will work through it until I figure out what to do with the first project, and normally I have a pretty good game plan figured out in my head for what I want the finished card to look like. I wanted to create a watercolored magnolia background using one of my illustrations for Simon Says Stamp: Magnolia Apple Blossom.

I started by creating a patterned background by stamping the large bouquet a few times, rotating the stamp each time to get a different angle, and then added smaller pieces of foliage and sprigs of apple blossom to fill in the blank areas. I used Hero Arts Contour Ink to do some no-line watercoloring on Fabriano Artistico Hot Press watercolor paper.

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen the start of this watercolored panel in my stories; I planned to do some “reverse watercolor psychology” on myself by painting the areas around the blooms a vibrant color, then allowing that contrast to help me “paint” the magnolias white. I was using Ph Martin’s Liquid Watercolors, which are not my typical medium and thus had a bit of a learning curve for me. Though I allowed the background plenty of drying time before starting in on my flowers, I still had some issues with bleeding; that is, the color from the background was bleeding into wherever the new moisture touched it. I figure that it was because the liquid colors are so incredibly concentrated that they were super reactive to fresh water. I contemplated throwing it out, because I just couldn’t stand the look of those imperfections!

Several helpful people responded to my story with suggestions: use a darker color for the flowers instead of the super pale pink, use white gouache to clean up the edges, cover it up with a sentiment, etc. The main point was not to throw it away, haha. So after letting it sit for several days, I decided to paint some vivid pink magnolias and use white gouache like Wite-Out to try to cover up some of the areas that had bled into each other. I was really pleased with how it ended up coming out! The vivid pink helped to minimize the bright blue that had bled into the petals, while the white gouache helped to clean up the edges and hide the bleeding. The white gouache is definitely going to be used again to help clean up edges on no-line watercolored panels; it provided nice, crisp edges even on the areas that didn’t have any bleeding but were just not quite as defined as I would have liked!

After the anguish this panel had put my heart through (haha, I’m so dramatic) I didn’t want to cover it up with a large sentiment, so I die cut a small Simply Thank You die cut from some iridescent white foil cardstock and the background from heavyweight vellum, then popped it up using some foam adhesive. The vellum helps the sentiment stand out from the vibrant, busy background. I also popped up a sentiment strip for a simple, but poignant greeting on this intricately-watercolored project. I added a few shimmering gems for some sparkle and added texture, as well. I think the iridescent shine is just the right touch!

Well, that’s all for my project today, long as it took to get here! I definitely learned not to give up on a project like this, even if it means walking away for a few days (or maybe even more than a few) and giving yourself time to recalibrate and come back to it with fresh eyes and a fresh perspective. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Pinkfresh Studio July 2021 Stamp, Die, Stencil, and Hot Foil Release

July 26, 2021

Hi friends! Happy Monday! Today, I’m super excited to be taking part in the Pinkfresh Studio July Stamp, Die, Stencil, and Hot Foil Release Blog Hop. I’m even more thrilled to be taking part in today’s hop, because I get the opportunity to help introduce two new stamp sets that I’ve designed for Pinkfresh Studio:

Just A Hello-features a pretty floral image that can be used stamped in it’s entirety, or die cut with the coordinating dies to create two floral edges that you can use in a variety of ways. The set also has coordinating layering stencils so that you can add color to the images in a variety of ways, even if coloring isn’t your favorite thing to do!

Best of Everything is a detailed floral background stamp featuring a variety of flowers-anemones, daffodil, roses, ranunculus, tulips, and several different types of foliage. This set also has coordinating layering stencils! I love that these sets offer such a variety of ways to add color. So fun!

I have three projects to share with you today using my new sets, so let’s get started with the details!

My first two projects are a pair that are an homage to pink and purple! I love vibrant, saturated color, and I wanted to showcase the Just A Hello and Best of Everything sets on super saturated, vivid colored cardstock.

For this first project, I combined the Best of Everything stamp set with the coordinating layering stencils on some shocking magenta cardstock. I began by heat embossing the main floral background image using some pearlescent white embossing powder, then used a variety of inks from Pinkfresh Studio’s line to add color to the individual images using the coordinating layering stencils. I love the subtle (if one can call a hot pink card “subtle” haha!) addition of color and shading the stencils add over the vivid cardstock base.

For the greeting, I wanted to add a stacked alphabet die cut greeting to the front without covering up the entirety of my super detailed, stenciled background, so I used the outline die cuts from the Adore Alpha Die Set, cut from some royal purple cardstock. I adhered them directly to the card front using liquid adhesive, then added a greeting from the Best of Everything stamp set that I’d white embossed on some strips of the same royal purple cardstock. I trimmed the card base down a bit, then mounted it on a full A2 panel of that deep, plummy purple cardstock using foam adhesive. The final touch was to add some sparkling Lavender jewels.

My second project features a similar color scheme, but with my new Just A Hello stamp set. I absolutely adore the look of colored pencils on colored cardstock, and the pretty flowers in the Just A Hello set were just the right size to use with my Luminance colored pencils-not too small, but big enough that you could add some fun details and shading. I stamped the main floral frame image from Just A Hello using white pigment ink on some more of that gorgeous plummy purple cardstock, then used the incredibly vibrant Caran d’Ache Luminance colored pencils to add lots of color to the floral images, berries, and foliage. I die cut the colored images using the coordinating dies, and I love that the dies cut two separate floral swags, so that you can use them together or separated! (I have a couple of fun ideas that I didn’t get time to finish, so keep your eyes open for another project or two in the coming weeks using this set!)

Once I’d finished coloring and die cutting the floral swags, I die cut the Simply Diamonds die from a full panel of the same purple cardstock, then mounted it on another A2 panel of the same purple cardstock using foam adhesive for a subtle, but dimensional and interesting, background. I heat embossed the greeting from Just A Hello on another snippet of purple cardstock (side note-the sentiments all stamp and die cut in one fell swoop, so you just stamp once, die cut once, and you have a variety of sentiments at your disposal! So freaking handy!), then added the sentiment and floral die cuts to the tone-on-tone background with even more foam tape. So much dimension to this card… I love it! A few more Lavender jewels finished it off.

My final project uses the Best of Everything set to adorn the top and bottom of a mini-slimline card. I began by gold heat embossing the main floral image on some hot press watercolor paper (the smooth surface of the hot press paper allowed the details in this image to stamp perfectly), then used my long-neglected Ph Martin’s liquid watercolors. These colors are so incredibly vibrant and mix so easily. So fun to use! Once I’d finished watercoloring the entire image, I fussy cut it using some sharp scissors.

Next, I trimmed a mini-slimline card base (3.5″x6″) from some creamy linen cardstock and die cut a mat using the Mini Slimline Essentials Dies from some more of the creamy linen cardstock. I mounted it on the card base using some foam adhesive.

I die cut a gold “friend” using the Phrase Builder Hello die set, adding the shadow die cut from some heavyweight vellum. I heat embossed one of the greetings from Best of Everything, then added the greetings to the card front. I cut the watercolored floral bouquet in half, adhering it to the card front with a double layer of foam adhesive. Finally, I added a few Espresso gems for some sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my projects today! I am so thrilled to help introduce these new sets that I’ve designed. Such a joy (and still somewhat surreal) to be designing stamps for Pinkfresh Studio!

We have some fun giveaways for you to celebrate this new release!

-We will be giving away the full release on the Pinkfresh blog & YouTube channel (there will also be a separate giveaway on the Instagram page at a later date, so keep your eyes peeled!)

-We will be giving away a total of TEN $25 gift cards along the hop. The winners will be chosen from the comments along the hop. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!
The winners will be announce don on August 3 , 2021 on the GIVEAWAY PAGE. You must check that page & claim your prize within 2 weeks if your name is selected!

***To leave a comment on this post: click on the title of the blog post itself, then scroll down to the comment form! ***

Hero Arts 2021 Summer Catalog Blog Hop + Giveaway!

May 20, 2021

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!

Pinkfresh Studios October Release Blog Hop!

October 8, 2018

Good morning! I’m thrilled to be taking part in the Pink Fresh Studios October Blog Hop to celebrate their new release by being a stop on their blog hop! You should have arrived here from Erum’s blog, and your next stop is Heather’s blog. Pink Fresh Studios has some beautiful new florals, gorgeously intricate dies, and some super cute little critters that are now available for purchase! And…. if you place an order today containing any of the new release items, you will receive this sweet little hugs die for free! This die is an exclusive promotion just for this release and won’t be sold at a later date, so don’t miss out on it!

Pink Fresh also has a shipping promotion available: free/discounted shipping from October 8th-October 11th on orders $50+. You must use the code OCTFREESHIPWITH50 to receive the promotion!

For my post today, I chose to work with some of the new word dies and the new floral called Fancy Blooms. This set has a lovely, hand drawn feel to it, with some very unique blooms and pretty bouquets already made up for you! No masking required! (I love when they do that.)

I began by stamping several of the bouquets and foliage from Fancy Blooms onto some Arches Cold Press Watercolor Paper using Ink On 3 Fadeout Ink. I then used the gorgeous Pink Fresh Liquid Watercolors to do some no-line watercoloring. I love using liquid watercolors for the simple fact that you can replicate colors exactly. You just have to remember how many drops of each color and how many drops of water you use to create that color (sometimes a chart is even helpful if you’re exceptionally persnickety haha!). For my first card, I created a tropical bouquet using the largest bouquet from Fancy Blooms, with pretty, leafy greens and brightly colored flowers. I die cut the large bouquet and a few extra sprigs of greenery and adhered them to a brightly colored card base with liquid and dimensional foam adhesive.

I die cut a new Smile die cut from black card stock and popped it up using foam adhesive to add lots of dimension. The final touch was to add some white Nuvo drops to fill out some bare areas in the bouquet.

For my second card, I softened my color scheme a bit to a coral and turquoise. I created a pretty coral using the Liquid Watercolors by mixing one drop of Clementine with two drops of Bubble Gum and some water. It created a very pretty shade of peachy coral that I’m excited to use again!

After die cutting my watercolored floral spray from Fancy Blooms, I die cut a “hugs” using the freebie die that is yours with any new release purchase from Pink Fresh! I cut it from some silver glitter paper, then stamped a greeting from the Word Series: Happy onto a strip of white card stock. I cut an A2 panel of aqua card stock, then blended some Peacock Feathers Oxide Ink around the edge of the panel to add a little interest to the otherwise-flat background.

I adhered the bouquet and greeting to the card front using a combination of dimensional and liquid adhesive, then added some gems for a little sparkle.

Well, that’s all for my projects today! I hope you enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed coloring them… and you know how much I love coloring pretty flowers!

Pink Fresh has generously donated a $25 gift certificate for me to give away to a lucky blog reader! All yo have to do to enter is 1) Be a blog follower either via email or other app and 2) Leave a comment on this post telling me whether you are an old friend or a new one, and what your favorite coloring medium is! The winner will be announced on the Pinkfresh blog on Sunday, October 14. You will have 2 weeks to claim your prize. 🙂

Click on the blue box below to get taken to the entire blog hop list! Thanks so much for dropping by today, and have a marvelous Monday!