You're So Sweet Village Card and Farmhouse Floral Thank You Card by Diane Mason

  Hello, and welcome back for Watercolor Weekend! 

Hello, my Ai watercolor friends and fans! I’m so glad you’re here for Watercolor Weekend. Today I’m sharing two cards. The first features a sweet Parisian street scene. The second is a charming farmhouse floral thank you card.

You’re So Sweet Village Card:

Ever since the 5746 – SF Village set came out, I thought about how cute this little scene would be with a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Bonnie is always saying to try new things to make it your own. Add things, leave part of a stamp off, draw in elements, etc. – so that’s just what I did!

I began by doing a Google image search for the Eiffel Tower. After finding a reference image, I inked the stamp with N57 and stamped the street scene onto my Canson XL watercolor paper using a stamp platform. Using the reference photo, I sketched the shape of the Eiffel Tower lightly with a pencil – adjusting where needed. Surprisingly, it was a fairly easy shape to draw if you break it down into a rough triangle shape, a few rectangles, and a curve at the base. Once I had the shape drawn, I added a few more reference details. Since it’s in the background, it doesn’t need to be too detailed. I also drew a horizon line under the tower and extended the walkway past the building.

I painted the tower with N55, layering more color to some areas of the structure, creating contours and shadows. Once dry, I added a few details with a gray TwinTone.

I shaded the flower pots with 526 on some and 565 on the others. I used the spiny stem stamp from 4963 – WC Fall Set to create an Italian Cypress tree on the far left. The pot edge was masked; I inked the stamp with 249 and stamped multiple times until I was happy with the shape. Using a stamp positioner can be helpful for perfect placement. For the other tree, I used the small fir tree from 5372 – WC Mini Foliage Set, also inked in 249. For the pink flower pots and flower box, I stamped tiny leafy foliage from the 5009 – WC Mini Flower Set inked in 177 and added pink flowers with the tiny dots stamp also from 5372. Those were inked in 725. For the potted white and yellow flowers, I first stamped the tiny grass from 5372. Next, I added dots of Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed proof white. Once dry, I added yellow centers to the flowers with a Chrome Yellow TwinTone.

The rooftops and windows were painted in 526. For the chimneys, I used N55. The chalkboard frame, door overhang, and trim were painted in 947 and the buildings were mainly painted in 942. I’ve noticed that store fronts in Paris are often painted in different colors than the building (probably to stand out), usually a darker color, so I chose black for my sweet shop. I painted the lower part of the building with N25, as well as the sign and chalkboard. The awning and door of the shop was painted in 725. The other door is 249. I like to think I live in that building, just a few steps away from the Bon Bon Shop!

For the red pot of flowers, I did the same process as the pink flower pots but used 856. For the remaining flower boxes, I inked part of the squiggly bush from 5372 in 177 and stamped along the railing edge, cascading downward. I used the dot flower stamp again inked in 565 for the blue flowers and Dr. Ph. Martin’s and Chrome Yellow TwinTone for the others.

The sky was brushed in with 555, and the grass below the tower was 177. I dotted in some bushes below the tower with 249. For the pathway, I added a little 565 and a little 177. Additional shadows on the curb, under the roof, around the pots, and the doorways were added with 565. Dr. Ph. Martin’s was used to dot in additional white flowers to the pots. It was also used to paint the lettering on the signs using a #0 brush. All the window frames were also painted with Bleed Proof White. I used a .005 Black Micron pen to add tiny details to the signs, balconies and flower boxes. A brown or grey TwinTone was also used to add details where needed.

The card base was covered with a blue and pink floral-patterned paper from the 6051 – Mother’s Day Paper Pack. The painting was matted with a thin black mat on top of a blue scalloped mat and then mounted onto the card base with foam tape.

For the interior of the card, I added a decorative edge to the bottom using a scrap of the patterned paper. The “You’re so Sweet” stamp from the 5904 – So Sweet Armful set was inked in pink. I cut a thin mask strip to cover the sentiment and then stamped the heart from the 6150 – His Love Set in blue, over the masked area. This prevented the image from being stamped over the lettering.

I was very pleased with how this card turned out. I think it would make a nice Thinking of You or Thank you Card.

Farmhouse Floral Thank You Card:

  

Next up is this quick to paint floral thank you card. To start off, I used a die from the 5591 – Journal Rectangle Frames Die Set to cut out a base for my watercolor painting and a second one from pink dotted patterned paper from the 6051 – Mother’s Day Paper Pack for the frame.

    

I inked the rose floral stamp from the 6126 – Light of the World Set in 249 for the foliage and 815 for the roses and stamped onto the watercolor paper using a stamp platform. I created a mask to cover the roses, and then inked the farmhouse planter from 5923 – Farmhouse Container Set with 565 and 969 and stamped off twice. Using the positioner, I was able to place the pot in the perfect spot. Once the mask was removed, the flowers now appeared to be hanging over the edge of the planter.

I layered additional 815 from my palette to add shading to the roses, remembering to leave some white areas for highlights. I also darkened some areas with a Fuchsia Twin Tone. For the leaves, I added additional 249 to darken the leaves and some 177 for highlights.

With a damp brush, I pulled some of the color from the container to add depth. Additional 565/969 mix was added to the container to create shadows and contours. The background was brushed in with 555 and a shadow below the container was brushed in with 565.

I added some additional greenery to the container using a long stem foliage stamp from the 5920 – Long Stem foliage Set. I placed the mask back over the roses and foliage, inked the stamp with 177 and added multiple greenery stems to the container. I used Bleed Proof White to dot in tiny flowers to the stems to create a filler flower like Baby’s Breath. To make the white flowers stand out against the background, I used a pencil to draw just below the bud to give shape and shadow.

I used pink plaid patterned paper from 6051 and white embossed cardstock to cover the card base. I also added some sheer white ribbon and pink baker’s twine. I added twine to the framed painting and popped it up with foam squares.

For the interior of the card, I die cut the sentiment from pink cardstock using the Thank You die from 5811 – Gift Card Pocket Dies and adhered to the white cardstock mat. Again, I added a strip of patterned paper to the bottom edge for a pop of color.

And there you have it, a quick, yet elegant Thank You card ready to send! That’s all for now—thanks so much for stopping by for Watercolor Weekend! Until next time, Happy Painting!