Art Impressions Blog: Watercolor Weekend February 4, 2023

Hello Ai fans!

It's a Watercolor Weekend and you're going to love
what our fabulous Design Team has come up with!

First up this week is our newest designer Diane.

She created an oh so sweet Valentine using one of the new WC releases.

Hello Ai Watercolor fans! It will soon be Valentine’s Day and love is in the air. Speaking of love, don’t you just love this set from the new 2023 Watercolor Journal release? The easel stamp is from 5570 - Cottage and Easel Set. It’s a perfect size for journals and card making. Along with the sweet cottage stamp, the possibilities are endless!

To create this love themed card, I used the following Ai watercolor sets, Tombow markers, and dies:

5570 – Cottage and Easel Set
5574 – Door and Stocking Set
4868 – WC Floral Set 2
5372 – WC Mini Foliage Set
4867 – WC Foliage Set 2
5126 – WC Foliage Set 4
5018 – WC Cobblestone Set
Tombow: 565, 969, 177, 249, 526, 725, 856, 553, and 977
Art Impressions Dies: 5543 – Journal Template Die Set

I began by inking the easel stamp from #5570 with 969 then 565. I stamped off on a scrap of watercolor paper before stamping onto my Canson XL watercolor paper. Next I inked just the bow stamp from #5574 with 969 and 565 and stamped off before adding it to the flower pot. I didn’t ink the tails on the bow, so I could draw in the ribbon to go around the pot. With a damp #4 brush, I pulled out some color from the stamped image to add shadows and depth. To define the space of my painting, I lightly drew a rectangle with pencil and ruler. I painted in the sky with 526. For the red bow and ribbon, I used 856.

To add the cobblestones below the easel and flower pot, I created masks from Post-It labeling tape of the flower pot and the legs of the easel. Next I inked the cobblestone stamp from #5018 with 969 and 565, stamping off before adding it to the scene. Using my stamp positioner, I stamped the cobblestones again under the flower pot to the left to widen the cobblestones.

I removed the masks from the legs of the easel, but left the flower pot mask in place. Next I added tiny grass from #5372 with 177 to the pot. With a damp brush I pulled the color from the blades of grass. I then removed the flower pot mask and stamped in leafy vines from #5126 with 177. I also added a group of flowers using the heart-shaped petals stamp from #4868 inked in 725. I masked the pink flowers and added in some tall grasses to the center of the pot from #4867 with 249. After removing the masks, I added color to the stones and surrounding areas with a mix of 969 and 565 to give them a raised appearance. I also blended out some of the color from the pink flowers and tall grass.

I added some red flowers to the left side of the pot from #4868, inking the flowers with 856 and the stems with 177. I decided the pot needed a few more leafy vines and stamped a few more. I painted the wood frame of the easel with 977 and added shadows and woodgrain with 969. Shadows were added to the finials on the top of the easel with a mix of 969 and 565. Next I drew in a vertical grouping of overlapping hearts with a pencil, tracing around a small and a medium sized heart die cut.

I used 856 and 725 and a #1 brush to paint the hearts. For the red heart in the front, I painted multiple layers of 856 to deepen the color. To create the light red heart in the back, I painted less layers of 856. I added shading surrounding the hearts with a light wash of 553. Using a mix of 969 and 565, I added shadow lines from the easel legs and under the flower pot. Next I added tiny grass from #5372 with 177 to the cracks between the cobblestones and pulled out some of the color with a #1 brush. I added a few taller grass bunches around the flower pot and easel legs from #5126 in 177.

To add back any detail that was missing, I used a brown #41 Twintone marker. As a final touch, I dotted in some tiny white flowers to the leafy vines with Dr. Ph Martin’s Bleed Proof White. I also added white centers to the red flowers. I adhered patterned paper to the card front with double-sided tape. Next I used the scalloped rectangle die from the Journal Template Die Set #5543 to die-cut the shape from my watercolor painting and backed it with a layer of pink cardstock. Finally, I added foam squares and centered it on the card.

This new set was so much fun to paint, and I know I’ll be using it a lot in the future! It’s a wonderful addition to the Watercolor Journal sets and can be used year round. Happy Painting!

Next up we have Tricia with a beautiful winter rocking chair.

I love that she has tulips in a winter scene. Though we don't live near each other,

we live in the same region. So often, our poor tulips end up covered in snow.
This scene is real life for us! lol...

Hi Watercolor Fans, for today’s project, I started out by inking up the Rocking chair stamp with 969. Then I added a little 569 to the chair only and stamped it off. After stamping it onto the watercolor paper, I added a heart into the rocking chair with a pencil. I pulled the color out of the lines and added some additional color onto the bird, chair and pot. Using 569, I added some shadows below the chair and pot.

Next, I added the flowers. To make a really full looking planter on the chair, I inked only the heads of the tulips (with pink and purple) and added them several places around the pot. I then inked just the greens and stamped them around the blooms. It looked like a frightful mess, don't fret, pull the color out of the lines, add additional color and it will look amazing. Keep going!

Lastly, I inked the fur bough up and added a little tree next to the chair. Sign and Date. This was the easiest painting. I just love all the new releases and I know you will too.

For the card, I put the finished piece into my MISTI. I used the "Happy Valentine's Day" sentiment to stamp the greeting with black ink. I cut it out using Gina K Designs Master Layouts 7 which has this really cool slimline card die. I used the lattice die (and Janet's excellent tips for extending it) to create a border at the top and bottom. I then placed it on a 4x7 card base.

I hope you have as much fun as I did with the new Valentine's journal. I can't wait to see your creations.

Our final designer this weekend is Karen with her adorable chubby truck card.

Hello Ai Watercolour fans!

I am using the 5576 - Little Trucks Set from the Watercolour Journal line today:

I coloured the truck with my #969/565 Tombow Dual Brush Markers, and stamped it onto my Canson XL Watercolour paper. After softening the lines with a damp brush, I painted in layers of #526 until I got the blue colour that I wanted, making sure to leave highlight areas where the rounded areas would pick up the light. I used #N55 to paint in the tires, and add grey touches to the metal details. Using the grey, I painted in the suggestion of a person sitting in the cab, then added a few dabs of colour as reflections on the truck. I used the tiny flower and foliage images from 5009 - WC Mini Flower Set in #993/856/569/126 to create my flowers, and after touching them with my brush, I added #177 in, directly on the paper. #565 was painted as a wash for the sky, and used to add shadows under and around the truck. I added the suggestion of a dirt road with #947, and added a little strip of grass. The sentiment is from 5136 - WC Sentiment Set 2.