Bonus Watercolor Weekend with Guest Designer Dot Freel!

 Hello Ai fans!

Happy Easter!!

As you know, every Sunday we have a Watercolor Weekend post from one of our fabulous Watercolor Design Team members. There are 4 designers because there are usually 4 Sundays in a month.
This month is special. Not only were there 5 Sundays, today is Easter Sunday!

We are so lucky to have former DT Member Dot Freel as our special "5th Sunday" Guest Designer.

She created a gorgeous Spring scene featuring a sweet bunny and a beautiful church because...it's Easter of course!

Let's hear all about Dot's card.

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Hello,

It's been a while since I posted on my blog. I get to be a guest designer on the Art Impressions blog this weekend and was inspired by where I live now in beautiful Bella Vista, Arkansas. Spring is so gorgeous here with all the green and the white and purple trees blooming. There are also daffodils all over town. There are bridges and churches and lots of water here. I'm so happy I moved after living in the desert of Las Vegas, NV for 36 years. 

I started this by stamping the 5526 Footbridge Simple Scene. Next, I stamped the church on the hill from the 5058 WC Church set. I knew I needed color under the trees so the white would show up so I colored everything including the sky then stamped the smaller tree from the 5010 WC Tree set in the four places. I used the flowers from the 4052 Flower Set for the purple tree in Tombow 685. The yellow and pink flowers are the dots from that same flower set. The grass is from the 4051 Foliage set in front by the bunny from the 5737 Bunny and Chicks set. The foliage in the back is from the 5372 Mini Foliage Set. The white trees are made using the Dr. Ph Martin's bleed proof white. I hope you guys give this a try and tag me in it if you do, please. Happy Easter! 

Thank you so much Dot! We love your card.

Happy Easter everyone. Have a safe and wonderful day with your friends and family.

Watercolor Weekend 12-17-22 TOP 5 of the year!

 Hello Ai fans!

It's our final Watercolor Weekend of the year!

In the past our Daily Design Team has always chosen their Top 10 cards each year to share with you.

This year, we've invited our Watercolor Design Team to do the same.  Since they make less cards, they've selected their Top 5 to share.

Before we begin our Top 5 we have some news to share.  It's with a heavy heart that we let you know, Dot Freel will be leaving our WC DT.  Today is her last post.  She has been with us for many years, in fact, she is an original Watercolor Weekend Designer.  Dot is SO amazingly talented and has always been such a joy to work with.  She's professional and supportive of all her teammates.  It's difficult to picture a Watercolor Weekend without her work.  As a tribute to her the WW DT and I have each selected our all time favorite Dot cards to share in addition to her Top 5.

You will be missed dearly Dot but we know how powerful your need to create is and that we'll be seeing you on your social media and in the Ai Way.

We'll start with Dot's Top 5 and then share our favorite cards she's made.
She selected these five cards as her favorites this year.
All you need to do is click on the photo and you'll be taken to the original post to see how these cards were made.  Enjoy!

We LOVE all of Dot's choices, especially the farm scenes which are what I believe Dot does best.  I know some people are partial to her patriotic cards, some her nautical cards and others have their favorites but I think her farm scenes are the absolute best.



Now...I know we said we were going to choose our favorite Dot card of all time but in the end, we couldn't choose just one.  Here are Karen's favorite cards.  Thank you Karen for thinking of this idea.  I know Dot will be touched.

Karen loved her Quilt Shop and Bait Shop the most.

Here's Karen's message to Dot...

There's one thing that you need to know about Dot.  She has THE BEST IDEAS!  Her patriotic cards, her Simple Scenes are all wonderful - but when these Large Shops debuted in 2020, Dot turned them into a Quilt Shop (and a Bait Shop - you need to see it!).  Such creativity, I'm sure we'll see her artwork around here often in the future.  It's been a treat working with her.

Reneé (that's me) chose her Sweet Shop and what I call her Little House on the Prairie card.

That one brought back so many memories for me.

Tricia initially chose these two, but tried to narrow it down to one.  We decided we needed to share both.

Here's the message from Tricia.

Now, for the big reveal.  I love Dot's style and it was so hard to choose just one, so I went with this awesome colorful 4th of July card.

Diane Mason chose this snowman card.  I apologize. I can't find the link for this one.
Why did Diane get to choose a card?  Hmmm....you'll have to wait and see.

I didn't think to ask Bonnie for her all time favorite card and I'm sorry Dot.  I know she would have a ton to choose from.  Just know how much Bonnie appreciated all of your hard work and talent!

Wow!  I'm not crying. YOU'RE crying.
Just because you've never met someone in person, doesn't mean you aren't friends.

We've chatted with Dot on a weekly basis for years and will miss that.

Best of luck and please stay in touch!

Now for the rest of the Design Team.

Next up we have Tricia's Top 5.

We love all of her choices too!  We're going to just assume she left her fabulous BEE card

off because she knows I'm now the proud owner of it and can see it any time I want.

It's on permanent display in my craft room now.

Here's Tricia...

WOW! It's the end of another year, I can't believe it.  It's also bittersweet because our beloved, Dot, is retiring from her watercolor design team position.  We have been so blessed to have her with us and we wish her all the love and luck in the world, we love you Dot!  

It's time for our first Top 5 of 2022 watercolor cards.  Here are the ones I chose.

I love this snowy mailbox, so simple yet beautiful.



This one came out in "waves" so to speak. It started as a halloween costume.



I love creating glass ornaments.  This little snowman was perfect!



Trying to stretch my stamps and this little honey bear was a great practice.  I love him!



And always love lighthouses!

Thank you to everyone, especially Renee Matarese, for their love and support every day.  You are the best group of people and we are so blessed to be along your watercolor journey.  See you next year.

Now for Karen's selections.

She paints in a soft and lovely style that we all love.

We hope you loved all of our Design Team creations this year.  They are here to provide

you with inspiration and are often inspired by your work as well.  Keep sharing your art

and stay tuned for a special Watercolor DT announcement soon.  We'll see you back here

on January 7th, 2023 for our first Watercolor Weekend of the new year.

Final Watercolor Weekend of 2022! 12-3-2022

 Hello Ai fans!

It's our last Watercolor Weekend of 2022.

On the third Saturday our Watercolor Design Team will

be sharing their Top 5 Favorite Cards of 2022!

The team did not disappoint with their last paintings of the year.

Kicking off our last Watercolor Weekend this year is Dot.

Hello,

I was inspired by Bonnie Krebs, the Owner/Creator or Art Impressions to have an angel putting a star on a Christmas tree which was on her Advent Journal tutorial on Facebook. The 5578 Little Angels set is truly one of my favorites that I'm sure I will use again and again. There are 6 different angels included!



To make this one, stamp the 5597 Harvest Wheelbarrow on watercolor paper. Stamp the tree from the 5010 WC Tree Set 1. Stamp the top gift next to the tree from the 5571 Christmas Snowman Set. Stamp the smallest foliage from the 5009 Mini Flower Set in a circle to make the wreath. Using the fine tip of the Red TwinTone pen, add some berries. Stamp the angels from the Little Angels set. Cut out a star from glittery gold card stock using the star die from the 5543 Journal Die Set. Use Dr. Ph Martin's Bleed Proof white paint to add the snow. Cut it out with the 5063 Double Stitched Rectangle die set.

Next up we have Tricia.

Hey watercolor fans, we are at the final month of the year, can you believe it, I can’t.  I have a sweet card that would be great to use for Christmas.  It’s part of the new WC Journal line.  I just love the mailbox so I added it to the new bucket (which I know is going to be a go to for me).  I love this time of the year and I love how quick and easy snow is on any card.  Let me tell you how I made my Snowy Mailbox card.

 

I started out by inking up the bucket with 969 and 569, leaving off the bottom left corner so that I could brush in the snow shadows.  To make sure it was really light, I stamped it off twice and then stamped it into the bottom right corner. I pulled the color out of the lines keeping within the sections and leaving white space.

Next, I inked up the mailbox, 969 on the wood post and 569 on the mailbox (don’t ink the top where the snow will go) with the exception of the flag which I carefully used 969.  I stamped this off once and then stamped it above the bucket making sure to leave enough white space for my foliage and some snow.  I pulled out the color from the mailbox and post.  Using 969 from my palette, I added some additional color to the post.  I added 569 above and below the snow on the mailbox adding additional shadows where needed.  I added some 856 to the flag leaving some while on the bottom and right side.  I also pulled some color from below the flag for a shadow.

For the flowers and foliage, using the pinecone from the Christmas Wreath set, I inked it up with 969 (only the top so they look like they are sitting in the snow), and stamped it into the bucket.  I added in the foliage from that set inked with 249, a branch from the Branches set and the daisy bunch from the original flower set using 856.  I pulled the color out of the lines. 

Finally, I added in the snow by dragging my large brush with a light wash of 569 and added it only where the shadows of the snow would be.  I added some additional 569 into the sky.  Add some darker 569 under the flowers so they look like they are  peeking out of the snow.  I signed and dated my painting.

That’s it, quick and easy for mass producing your last minute Christmas Cards, I know I am 😊

Thank you so much for joining me today for some cold inspiration.  Please tag us in your projects on Instagram so that we can see what you are doing! Have a great day!

Wrapping up our final 2022 Watercolor Weekend is Karen.

Hello Ai Watercolour fans!

I am using the 5567 - Victorian House and Barn Set to create a snowy Christmas card today.

The barn and fence are all one image that I inked up in Tombow #969/565 and stamped onto my Bristol Smooth cardstock.  I love using this bright white paper for snowy scenes!  I masked off the barn, and added the two trees from 5060 - WC Snowman Set on either side.  After softening the lines with a damp paintbrush, I painted the barn with #837, then drew in the barn boards with my Marvy 28 English Red pen.  I used #969 to paint the door frame, to add woodgrain to the fence, as well as to paint my wooden star on the barn.  Using the tiny foliage stamp from 5009 - WC Mini Flower Set, I stamped it in a circle in #249 to create the wreath on the fence, and then painted it on the underside of the snowy branches to show bits of the fir trees.  I used #565 to paint in the sky, add shadows to the windows, eaves and snow - being sure to create a pathway to the barn, and add shadows around the fence.  I drew in the bow with my red Twintone marker, and added Bleedproof white paint to the snowbanks, and to create snowflakes.

The sentiment is from 5566 - Christmas Sentiments Set (this set works on EVERY Christmas card!).

                 

We hope you all tune in two weeks from now to see our Design Teams Top 5 cards of 2022.

We wonder if they love the same ones you did??

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays and Happy Stamping!

Simon Says Stamp FAB-YULE-LOUS exclusive! by Dot Freel

 Hello,

I just love the annual Art Impressions 2022 Simon Says Stamp Christmas Exclusive set this year (and every year)! So fun and easy to watercolor! This stamp set is only available on the simonsaysstamp.com website. If you haven't used their website for craft supplies - check them out. They have the biggest selection I've ever seen on one website.

Art Impressions Simon Says Stamp EXCLUSIVE FAB-YULE-OUS FRIENDS Clear Stamps sse22c



To make this card, just stamp it in Archival Ink on watercolor paper using a Misti stamp platform. Use Tombow markers to color it up. Tip: Do the red last because if you touch it with a wet brush, it can spread where you don't want it to be. I love to use a very fine point black pen to add eyelashes. I also used a glitter pen to add some extra shine to the bulbs, star and bells. There are so many great sentiments included in the set that I will be using on many of my holiday cards. Cut it out with the 5063 Rectangle Double Stitched Die set. Have fun!

Watercolor Weekend 11-19-2022

 Hello Ai fans!

It's a Watercolor Weekend!

This weekend our Design Team is ALL about the snowmen.

This seems so fitting considering the historic snow storm that Buffalo is getting hit with right now!

Can you even imagine?

This weekend it's Karen's turn to kick things off and she has a lovely, soft blue and green scene with beautiful pops of red.

I have a Christmas card to share today using the 5571 - Christmas Snowmen Set from the Watercolor Journal line.

I coloured my snowman in #969/565, and stamped onto the smooth side of some Ranger Watercolor Paper.  I masked him off, then coloured up the log from 5055 - WC Sitting Places Set, and stamped him on either side, creating a much longer looking log than the actual stamp size.  I pulled out the colour and softened the lines with a damp paintbrush, and began adding colour.  #969 and 565 were painted in streaks on the log.  #126 was painted on the vest and hat band, #407 was used on the scarf, and layers of #N45 were added to the hat.  I left a little space on the hat to add the sprig from 5009 - WC Mini Flower Set, and used #847 to add the berries.  #847 was also used to create a cardinal, and I changed his head to create the distinctive feather shape.  With my mask again in place, I stamped the branch from 5126 - WC Foliage Set 4 in #969/249 several times to create the shrubbery.  And finally with a wash of #565 - I painted in the sky, and used it to create shadows on the snowman and around the log.  White paint was used to add the falling snow, and to add a few snowdrifts on the log and shrubs.  After die cutting and matting my image, I added a bright bow, some pretty patterned paper, and a sentiment from 5566 - Christmas Sentiments Set.

Next up we have Dot who used the same set but showcased it in a very different way.

We just love how our designers have their own, unique style and can demonstrate to you so many different ways to use your Ai stamps.

Hello,

Who else feels the holidays sneak up on you? I better get busy making Christmas cards. I used this adorable snowman stamp for my card for the Art Impressions Watercolor Weekend. Give this one a try. It's pretty fast and easy.


 Make an oval mask with masking paper and the 5065 Oval Double Stitched dies set then stamp the snowman from the 5571 Christmas Snowman Set. Pull the color out of the lines. Next stamp the birdhouse from the 5575 Mailbox Birdhouse Set and pull the color out of the lines. Stamp the tree branch from the 5010 Tree Set 1. Watercolor the images and the sky. Use a ruler and a fine tip pen to make the wire for the birdhouse to hang from the branch. Darken the birdhouse holes and the eyes and mouth of the snowman and bird. Water down some of the Dr Ph Martin's bleed proof white paint on the palette. Splatter the white for the snow using your No. 4 brush then paint some snow on the top of the images. When dry, paint shadows under the snow. Cut it out with the largest oval die. Cut out a back ground piece with the largest die from the 5062 Rounded Rectangle Die set. Happy stamping!

Our final artist of the Watercolor Weekend is Tricia.  She created a Bokeh effect background for her snowman and sleigh.

To create my Bokeh snowman, I inked her up in 569 and 969 and stamped it into the right hand corner of the watercolor paper.  I pulled the color out of the lines.

I added some additional color from my palette to color the snowman.  I colored each of the presents.

For the background, I taped off around the snowman. Next, I added a light yellow color wash and picked up some of the color. Once it dried I did some negative painting to create some of the circles.

I find that picking up color sometimes scrubs away the paper.  I kept adding greens, blues and yellows.  I continued until I was happy with the background (TIP:  LET IT DRY)  Don't go too far.  Step away and see what emerges, you can always try to lift more color later if you need to. Once it is dry, you can add some 569 below the snowman.

This was such a fun project.  I will be working on my Christmas Cards this weekend so make sure you check out my Instagram and Facebook pages. I hope you have a great weekend, thanks for stopping by!

5571 – Christmas Snowmen Set

Enjoy your weekends and don't forget about the giveaway contest at Art Impressions.  You still have time to place your order and automatically be entered for a chance to win a $500 shopping spree.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!