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:
