Art Impressions Blog: Watercolor Weekend 4-15-2023

Welcome to the Art Impressions Watercolor Weekend!

Spring is upon us and all three of our artists
appear to be itching to get outside in the sunshine!
What beautiful creations from each one.

We're starting things off with Karen this week.

Hello Ai Watercolour fans!

I have a mix of old and new for you this week.

Using Tombow #969/565 for all my main images, I started by stamping the easel from 5570 - Cottage and Easel Set, then added one of the 5054 - WC Little Boys Set images that was the correct scale. After pulling out the colour with a damp brush, I built my bouquet from the bottom up. The vines are from 5126 - WC Foliage Set 4 in #177, the roses from 5258 - WC Flower Set 4 in #856, the Daisy Bunch and Salvia from Flower Set - 4052 in #993/565 and to fill in around the flowers, the small greenery sprig from 5009 - WC Mini Flower Set is stamped in #126. Shades of #992/977 were used on the pot and easel and little boy's hair, adding darker layers where the shadows would be. Layers of #856 were painted on his hat and sneakers, again keeping it lighter on top where the sun would hit, and darker shades in the crevices. With #565 I painted in his faded jeans, making the shade darker where the folds happen. #850 was used as a skin tone, and #493 was painted on his t-shirt and as a wash for the sky. The small grass from Foliage Set - 4051 was stamped in #126 and the colour was pulled out with a damp brush.

I drew in the paintbrush, and used #993 to paint the sun on the canvas, and a little patch of grass in #177. #565 was painted in as shadows for the entire image, and anywhere that needed a little shading. The background papers are from 5712 - Christmas Journal Paper Pack and 5741 Valentines Paper Pack, and the new 5726 Nested Circle Dies were used to add a mat to my image. The finished card is 5" square.

Next up we have a tropical scene from Tricia.

Hey Watercolor Fans, welcome back to watercolor weekend. I am in the middle of mud season in my neck of the woods so I thought I would image myself somewhere else. Voila, here is my little piece of heaven that I thought would make a perfect Seaside Cabin card for that special man in your life. I love these journal dies. The key and heart ,along with the envelope, were perfect to hide some oopsies that I will share with you.

Using one of the cliffs, I inked the top with 177, the rest I inked with 969 and then I added 569 to only the rocks. Next, I added the palm tree on top of the cliffs and then I added the palm leaves. Once these were stamped, I pulled the color out of the lines. I also added the small cottage to the top of the cliff under the tree using my stamp positioner. I added some 528 to the cottage and 856 to the roof.

For the top of the cliff, I added green the top of the cliff making sure to add some really dark colors. For the cliff itself, I added 873 and 912 from my palette varying the colors and values. I added some 969 under the cottage and tree to create some shadows.

The rocks are just a variety of colors and values done in layers to create lights and darks. I added some of the 873 and 912 to the front of the rocks (sand in the water) and let it dry before layering on 403 and 535. Skies and water are my favorite, you can’t screw them up! I left some white spaces for the crest of the waves and kept layering color until I was happy. Once I was happy, I added some bleed proof white in the areas that I lost.

The sky is so much fun, I did a wet on wet technique along with lifting color with my paper towel. You will notice the Dad envelope with the heart lock and key, I used the journal dies and alphabet stamps. PS underneath is my boo boo of my bad “Dad” stamping. No worries, I fixed it. That’s it, sign and date.

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a crafty day!

Lastly, we have this darling little card from Diane.

Hello and welcome to another Watercolor Weekend! Here in Northern California, Spring is definitely in the air. The birds are tweeting, the sun is shining, and the flowers and trees are in full bloom! Today’s card is inspired by this beautiful season.

To begin, I inked the little girl from 5578 – Little Angels Set in 969/565 leaving off the wings and stamped off before stamping onto my Canson XL Watercolor Paper. I then masked off the little girl before stamping the gate. I inked the gate from 5067 – Gates of Righteousness Set with 969/565 and stamped off before stamping onto my paper. I pulled out the color from the lines of the stamped images with a damp brush to soften and add shadows.

I then inked the bird from 4966 – WC Bird Bath Set in 969. Using my stamp positioner, I placed the bird on the top left corner of the gate. I inked the butterfly from 5561 – Birds and Bugs Set in 969 and stamped it just above the gate. Next I brushed in the sky with some watered down 526. I stamped the daisy bunch from 4052 – WC Flower Set 1 in 565 onto the frame of the gate, then added the vines from 4051 – WC Foliage Set 1 in 177. Next I stamped the long stemmed flowers from 4868 – WC Flower Set 2 in 565 (flower) and 177 (stem). I added the larger grass from 4051 under the flowers, next to the girl’s feet and inside the gate, masking where needed. With a damp brush, I dabbed the flowers and leaves to soften and blend. Then I pulled out the color from the grass.

To paint the bird I used 969 for the body and a mix of 856 and 969 for the breast. For the butterfly I used 055 and 933. To darken the stamped lines of the butterfly, I used a 01 black Micron pen. I added a bit more color to the cobblestones, dabbing with 969 and a bit of 969/565 to add texture and depth. I washed in a bit of 177 and 969 in the areas surrounding the cobblestones. Next I stamped the tiny grass from 4051 here and there among the stones and pulled out the color. For the little girl I used 528 for her dress, 026 for her hair, and 850 for her skin tone. To add contours to her face, arms and legs, I used a small amount of 990 and 942. I mixed 942 with a touch of 856 for her checks. I left the belt and shoes white and shaded with 565. I then went back in and added shadows where needed in 565. Using Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White, I dotted in the flower centers. I used a brown or navy blue TwinTone marker to add definition to the stamped lines where needed. For the base of my card, I embossed some white cardstock using an embossing folder. I used 5063 – Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Dies to die cut my painting, 5724 – Nested Rectangle Dies for the mat, and adhered it to my base with 3D foam squares.

If you decide to give this painting a go, please be sure to tag us on social media. We love to see your work! Until next time, Happy Painting and Welcome Spring!