Swan Easel Card and Red-crowned Crane Card by Diane Mason

 Hello and welcome, Watercolor Weekend Fans!

Kim Hein has recently launched a new watercolor stamp set named My Favorite Birds Set (KH5820). This amazing set includes a pelican, two sizes of owls, baby ducks, swans, a heron, and water foliage. Kim and her daughter love birds, and so do I! As soon as I saw the facing swans stamp, I just knew I had to make a card. For my second card, I modified the heron stamp to resemble a Red-crowned Crane, also known as a Japanese Crane. Let's begin!

Swan Easel Card

The beautiful new bird stamps are fairly quick and easy to paint. I die-cut two pieces of Canson XL watercolor paper using the decorative oval shapes from 5768 – Decorative Journal Page Set 1 and 5543 – Journal Template Die Set. I created some colored cardstock mats for my die-cuts. However, this step is optional. Next, I inked the swan stamp in N52 and stamped it onto the die-cut. I shaded the swans using N52 and added a touch of 565. For the beaks, I used 933. Then, I stamped the lily pads in front of and around the swans in 177. To create the water and sky, I used 526. Lastly, for the water grasses, I masked the swans and stamped the grasses in 177. Any missing details were added back with a gray TwinTone marker. I used the smaller die-cut decorative oval to stamp the sentiment from the Birthday Sentiment Set (5735).

To create the card base, I cut a piece of colored cardstock to 8 ½ x 5 ½ inches, then scored and folded it at 2 ⅛ and 4 ¼ inches. Next, I selected a patterned paper from the 5832 – Gnome Paper Pack and cut it to 4 x 5 ¼ inches. If your chosen paper has a directional pattern, make sure to cut it accordingly. I then cut the patterned paper in half to create two pieces measuring 2 x 5 ¼ inches each. These pieces were glued to the front of the card base, aligning them with the 2 ⅛ score line. I placed them next to each other, matching the patterns as closely as possible. To create the interior, I took a strip of patterned paper measuring 5 ¼ x ½ inches and attached it to the bottom edge of a piece of white cardstock that was 4 x 5 ¼ inches. Next, I applied double-sided tape to only the bottom half of the swan die-cut and attached it to the front of the card. This way, when the card is folded into an easel shape, the top portion of the die cut is free to stand up. Using foam squares, I popped up the sentiment die-cut on the interior. This will help to keep the easel in place when displayed. I think this would make a lovely birthday card, as well as an engagement, wedding, or anniversary card.

Red-crowned Crane Card

For my second card, I decided to paint a Red-crowned Crane (also known as the Japanese Crane) instead of the heron that Kim suggested. With a slight bit of modification and using a reference photo, I think I was able to achieve the desired result. I used a beautiful gold embossed origami paper with cranes for the background and a hot foil plate with gold foil for the frame on my watercolor paper. I stamped the crane with N52 and shaded it with layers of N52. I used 856 for the red crown, N25 for the neck, legs, and dark feathers, and added two small bumps on the legs for the knees. I sketched some hills and a mountain inspired by Mount Fuji with a pencil and painted the water with 526. I created a subtle misty backdrop for the hills and mount with a very watery mix of 526 and a touch of N52. Once dry, I erased the pencil lines and brushed in the sky with 526. I stamped the water grasses in 177 and added additional water ripples with 526. I used a small amount of Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White for highlights and added any missing details with a gray or black TwinTone marker. I popped up the painting on the card front with foam squares and used a sentiment from the 5797 – Little Things Sentiment Set for the interior.

Thank you, Kim, for sharing your love of birds with us and creating these awesome stamps. I enjoyed creating beautiful nature scenes with the new bird stamps and I look forward to painting the additional birds as well! Be sure to tag Art Impressions on social media if you create something with these beautiful new stamps. We love to see your work!

In addition, I want to thank my Ai Watercolor Fans for joining me for another Watercolor Weekend. Until next time, Happy Painting!

For the Swan Easel Card and The Red-crowned Crane Card: