First Attempt at Watercoloring

I’m going out on a limb this morning, posting a first attempt at watercoloring with stamps & ink. Please indulge me here ~ I know I will get better with practice! But we can’t see improvement if we don’t compare everything to where we started, right?

It’s World Watercolor Month, so I am going to dive in! I’m laughing at myself… Doesn’t this look like you are looking through a window on a very rainy day, with the rain hitting the window and leaving water splotches all over?!! It’s interesting, if nothing else!

The Process

I’ll share what I did. First off, I used very heavy weight watercolor paper. I wish I could tell you the brand, but it is some my art major daughter left me when she left home to pursue a career. Stampin’ Up! carries Watercolor Paper that I hear is very nice!

I used my new Water Painters. I love the big flat one for spreading water over the entire surface before adding any ink.

Then I set about with Balmy Blue ink and did a light wash over all. I let it dry partially, then stamped the mountains with Highland Heather. It was still wet, so it ran, but I kind of liked that.

Next, I stamped the trees with Shaded Spruce, one time full strength, then again (2nd generation) without re-inking. I took a wet  Painter and blurred the harsh lines on both trees and mountains.

By now, the original ink was pretty dry, so I went back in with Pacific Point and lots of water, brushing up from the mountains. I even added in a little So Saffron to give the illusion of sunlight, but I’m not sure that comes through.

Then – Maybe Too Much?

The wet window blobby effect happened when I tried to dab in some green around the trees. Ha! Oops! Maybe Lesson 1 is “Know When To Stop!”

Framing “Fix”

Even though it looks like a first attempt, I decided to “frame” it with Pacific Point Cardstock and mount it onto a 4-1/4″x 4-1/4″ card base of Gorgeous Grape. That, plus a sentiment, makes it legit, yeah? Well, we all start somewhere. On to more practice and experiments!

So that’s my first attempt at watercoloring. I’d love to hear some of your stories about trial and error ~ or trial and success! Send me your thoughts. And have a great artsy, crafty, playful weekend!

Click HERE to see another card I did back in 2018 using Waterfront Stamp Set, simply stamping – no watercoloring!

Give this a try! You can purchase the products I used by clicking on any of the items below. They are linked to my online store. If you would please use my July Host Code 9G3P7HSD when you do, I will be happy to send you a handmade card to use. For a purchase of $50+, I will send you a packet of recently retired DSP card fronts along with some matching ribbon. I will add to that a pack of Butterfly Gems from our new 2020 Annual Catalog for a purchase of $75+. These prices reflect the cost before tax and shipping, and can only be sent to customers in the US. Thanks so much!

Product List

Waterfront Photopolymer Stamp Set [146386] $17.00	Water Painters [151298] $12.00	Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper [149612] $9.00
Pacific Point 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [111350] $8.75	Gorgeous Grape 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [146987] $8.75	Balmy Blue Classic Stampin’ Pad [147105] $7.50
Pacific Point Classic Stampin’ Pad [147098] $7.50	Highland Heather Classic Stampin’ Pad [147103] $7.50	Shaded Spruce Classic Stampin’ Pad [147088] $7.50
So Saffron Classic Stampin’ Pad [147109] $7.50	Versamark Pad [102283] $9.50	White Stampin’ Emboss Powder [109132] $6.00
Heat Tool (Us And Canada) [129053] $30.00	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush [141897] $8.00