Today we have a new video from our sole artist, Bonnie Krebs! She created two blooming containers with a decorative floral frame using our A2 Rectangle Dies. This unique idea is great for creating frames for images, like shown, or to frame a sentiment or photo! Watch the full video below for the tutorial!
It's time for another Watercolor Wednesday, and one many of you have been anticipating! We are revealing our 2019 Class Exclusive Set, a free bonus when you attend a Watercolor Class at one of our 2019 Retail Shows! This set is only available by taking the class, it is not sold online or in stores, so we hope you find the nearest location to you and join a class!
In this video, Bonnie creates an adorable flower cart with four small containers and a canopy top. She fills the flower pots with blooms and branches from our WC Mini Flower, WC Flower 1, and WC Foliage 3, and WC Foliage 4 sets. She also adds a sweet bird from our WC Bird Bath Set to the top! Even if you don't have these stamps, you can still learn new tricks and techniques from this video for your watercoloring!
If you are attending a show this year, hop over to the video and leave a comment telling us what city we will see you! We have a lot of shows on our calendar, so make sure to check out our 2019 Show Schedule and make a plan to visit Ai!
And make sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for an inspiration image using sets available on our website!
Have you seen the 2019 Exclusive Stamp Set of a flower cart only available by attending a class at one of the events? I haven't been able to attend a class but I used stamps I already own to recreate the one Art Impression's Owner/Creator (my favorite artist) Bonnie Krebs watercolored. I stamped the flower cart from the 4073 - WC Flower Cart set in both 45 sepia and 86 African violet and and then I pulled the color out of the lines. I used Tombow N15 on the palette to color in the wheels and parts of the cart. I used 67 bubble gum pink to color in the cart and added lines with the fine tip. Next I used a stamp positioner to add the three pots in sepia from the 4869 - WC Small Container Set inside the flower cart and then painted them in using the 34 pale green and blue 526 and used the fine tip to add the lines. I then stamped the umbrella from the 5118 - WC Beach Girls Set in both the sepia and African violet and watercolored in the pink areas. I brushed in some sky using blue 526 on the palette with lots of water. I stamped the grass from the 4051 - WC Foliage Set 1 in with green 177 in the center pot. I stamped the vines from the 5126 - WC Foliage Set 4 in green in some areas then switched to the 48 leaf green in other areas. I stamped the tall grasses from the 5007 - WC Foliage Set 3 in green along the ground. I stamped in the heart flowers in pink 725 from the 5009 - WC Mini Flower Set and I used the dot flowers in blue 526 in the pots. I mixed the African violet and sepia on the palette to create the shadows on the ground.
I cut out the picture using the 5132 - Tag Stitched dies and cut out the hole enforcer from that die set. I adhered a bow out of silk ribbon with a glue dot. I cut a piece of pink card stock with the 5063 - Double Stitched Rectangle Dies. Then I ran it through my Big Shot inside an embossing folder. I used double sided foam tape to adhere the tag down and then used my Copic pen to sign and date it.
You can find more inspiration by following me on my Instagram account here.
Hello, Ai Watercolor Fans! We have three lovely projects for you here on the blog with our fabulous watercolorists! Enjoy a slice of spring featuring flowers, children, windows, and a whole lot of LOVE!
I made this Valentine's Day card for the Art Impressions Watercolor Weekend. I stamped the little girl from the Little Girls set and little boy from the Little Boys set in brownish grey. I feel it doesn't spread much when you add water so it's pretty perfect to use for the kids. Then I colored the little girl and boy's skin in from the palette using pastel peach. I used 725 to watercolor in the hat and shorts on the little girl and African violet to color in the boy's overalls. I colored their hair from the palette using 969. I added stripes to the boys shirt using 177. I stamped in the tree trunk from the Fairy Door set with 969 then stamped in the leaves using 177. I pulled the color out of the lines and added more 969 to the trunk of the tree from the palette. I added grass from the Foliage Set 1 and pulled the color out of the lines with a wet brush. I stamped the flowers from Flower Set 2 using the 177 for the stems and aubergine for the flowers. After I added water, I ended up re-stamping just the flowers again because the flowers washed out too much and I used the tip of the 177 to draw in more stems. I added a lot of water to some African violet on the palette and colored in the sky and the shadows under the kids on the ground and on their white shirts. I used the sentiment from Love is in the Air stamp set by only coloring the "Happy" in 969, then I cleaned the stamp and only colored in the "Valentine's Day" with the 969 so it would all fit on the bottom. I used aubergine to paint in the little flowers on the girl's shirt. I used the Rectangle Stitched Dies to cut out my picture and a background piece, then I glued it all to the card base. I finished it all off by glueing on the three sparkly hearts.
I decided a spring scene was the perfect project for today’s Art Impressions Watercolor Weekend since it’s been soooooooooooooooooo cold across the country. Perhaps this will warm everyone up!?!
Begin by inking up the window from 5014 WC Window Set with a combination of 969 Chocolate and 565 Deep Blue to create a lovely greyish color (I did not ink up the shutter). Next ink the foliage from 4867 WC Foliage Set 2 in 177 Dark Jade for the greenery at the bottom of the window and 158 Dark Olive for the greenery at the top of the window. Watercolor the Art Impressions way by pulling the color from the lines with your paint brush and water. Stamp in the tiny cone shape flowers from 5009 WC Mini Flower Set in 679 Dark Plum and the long stem multi flower in 725 Rhodamine Red (not pictured in photo) and 177 Dark Jade. Finally stamp a portion of the bricks from 5019 WC Wall Texture Set in the same greyish combination of 969 Chocolate and 565 Deep Blue on both sides of the window. I die cut the piece using 5063 Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Dies. I opted to put it on the cute little clip frame, but it would be great on the front of a card.
Welcome back watercolor fans! Today I am sharing a scene I created using some watercolor stamps from Art Impressions as well as a non-watercolor set. I wanted to create this Love Is In the Air card using all types of “couples”. These little animals were so cute! I did a video so you can create your own masked scene. If you want to watercolor along with me, click here.
Step 1 – The Animals
First, I inked up the rabbits up with the Tombow 569. I stamped it to the bottom left side of my watercolor paper. Next, I inked the mice up with the 969 and 569 which creates a nice gray color. In order for them to be a little lighter, I stamped it off first. Then, I stamped this into the middle of my watercolor paper. Finally, I inked the chipmunks up with 969 and stamped it on the bottom right hand side of my paper. I placed masks over each of the animal pairs.
Step 2 – The Kids
Using the mask I created for the pier, I placed it so I could determine where to stamp the boy and girl. In order to get them placed where I wanted them I used my stamp positioner. I removed the mask stamped the little girl on the right. I replaced the mask and positioned where I want my boy to sit on the pier, I removed the mask and stamped him down. I added masks to the girl and boy.
Step 3 – The Pier and Birds
I stamped the pier behind the animals and underneath the kids. I masked it and then re-inked and positioned it to the left to extend the pier. I stamped each of the birds and positioned them to the left of the kids.
Step 4 – Watercolor
I started by pulling the color out of the kids. Next, using just my brush and water, I pulled the color out of the birds. These birds are really small, so I try not to use a lot of water. If I don’t have enough water, I slowly add water until I am happy with the results.
Then I pulled color out of the rabbits. The 569 marker, much like the Marvy African Violet is very pigmented, I usually stamp it off. It only requires a very small amount of water to pull out the color. Once I soften those lines, I added additional color from my palette. On the bunnies, they are white so its important to just highlight the shadowed areas.
I repeated with the mice, chipmunks and pier. Make sure to use the fine tip of the marker to darken in the eyes. I added some additional color underneath the kids for a shadow. I also added some 569 below the pier and animals to ground them.
Step 5 – Love
I lined up the word Love which I wanted to show behind the kids and birds. I placed it on a block and inked it up with 569. I stamped this down. From my palette, I added color to the kids. I pulled the color out of the words “Love”, only on the right side. I then added some 847 to each of the letters.
Don’t forget to sign your work, I keep doing that lately LOL. I am so happy you stopped by and I hope you give this a try. If you do, tag us on Instagram (#AIWatercolor, #AIStamps).
Aren't these projects so cute? Leave a comment below to tell us what you think! If you aren't already following these ladies on social media, today is a great day to start, there is exciting inspiration ahead of us for spring!
Welcome again our wonderful Watercolor Wednesday friends! We are having a jolly good time with all our Winter Watercolors and today, Bonnie is sharing a quick project for your last-minute holiday cards! She created an adorable cat with a holly wreath, surrounded by red berries, a green-striped birdhouse, and cheery robin!
As you enjoy this magical time of year, we hope you are enjoying creating some smiles to share with your Ai Watercolors! Sending warm wishes to all of you!
Welcome to another Winter Watercolor Wednesday (say that five times fast!). This week, Bonnie creates a little girl in a snowy field and an adorable blue jay with holly in its beak. This winter scene can be easily changed to one of our Little Boy images.
We love to always hear from you, leave a comment on the video and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for notifications of our newest uploads!
I haven't used my Ai watercolor stamps in a while. I wanted to do a simpler scene that didn't require me to use tons of stamp sets. I was really happy with the weathered beach cottage that I ended up with.
The main image is from the Cottage By the Beach Set along with the Foliage Set 3, the Bird Bath Set and the WC Sentiments Set. I used the Marvy LePlume II markers in Sepia 43, Rosewood 30, Tropical 101, Olive Green 15, Steel Blue 17, African Violet 86 using the methods that Bonnie teaches. My supplies are listed below.
Hello, Ai Watecolor fans! Today we're celebrating blue skies with two beautiful projects! Take a look and be inspired by what our designers have in store for you!
I always dream of being near a sandy beach and the ocean during the summer time. I wonder if others feel that way, too? So I made a scene by an ocean using a cabin from the 4962 - WC Rustic Cabins Set. I just sort of penciled in the rocky wall, trail and shore line then watercolored them using my palette. I used the Molotow 2.0mm masking liquid to leave some white space where my flowers would be. After it dried, I used the foliage from 5009 - WC Mini Flower Set to add the leaves, wiped off the masking liquid then painted in the little flowers. I used part of the fence from the 5011 - WC Truck Mini Set. I used the kite from the 4606 - Cottage by the Beach Set to add that whimsical touch it needed.
Art Impressions Products:4962 - WC Rustic Cabins Set, 4606 - Cottage by the Beach, 5009 - WC Mini Flower Set, 5011 - WC Truck Mini Set, 4774 - Stamp positioner, 4773 - Acrylic Blocks, WC Brush No. 4, Watercolor Palette
My project for today’s Watercolor Weekend incorporates a Watercolor Resist technique to create a Silhouette Scene. It’s a quick, easy, fun and totally different way to use your Art Impressions Watercolor Stamps.
Stamp the pail, bird, flowers and grass onto the watercolor paper in embossing ink. Add embossing powder and set with a heat gun. Scribble a little Olive Green and Salvia Blue onto your palette. Brush Olive Green in for the ground and Salvia Blue for the sky. Add several layers of color for depth and dimension. Be sure to take the color all the way up to, over and around the stamped/embossed image (I kept the pail completely white by not adding any color inside those lines). Use a paper towel to buff off the stamped/embossed lines once the color has dried.
I hope you will join me and the other guest designers for Watercolor Weekend! We can’t wait to see your projects. Tag us and use the #AIWatercolor so we can see what you have come up with. Have a great weekend!!!
Thanks, team! From crafting a large scene to spotlighting a main image with embossing and creating new shapes of containers, there is so much you can do with our watercolor stamps! We love hearing what you have to say, so be sure to comment to tell us what inspires you to create today! Happy Stamping!
This week, we have a special Watercolor Wednesday featuring guest artist Kendra Krebs! You might have seen Kendra at your local stamp and scrapbook shows or watched her YouTube channel. She is an acclaimed watercolor instructor around the U.S! Today, she created a beautiful square frame surrounded with stones, foliage, and a sweet little bird. She perfectly placed the"Thinking of You" sentiment in the middle and simply covered it with a Post-It note to create the border! Watch the full video below and make sure to click the "like" button if you enjoyed this special feature! Happy Watercolor Wednesday!
I am so excited and thrilled beyond words to be making my first post as an Art Impressions Design Team member!!!
For my first post, I thought it very fitting to say "Hello!" to you all by using a few of my watercolor stamps (yep, I have quite a lovely collection of them!). I live in an area that is fortunate to have two of the big crafts shows nearby and Art Impressions is at both! For a few years, I watched Bonnie Krebs demo in their booth and for the longest time thought that I could never do that! Finally, in 2015, I took an Ai watercolor class at the Scrapbook EXPO and was totally hooked!!! If you watch Bonnie's videos and hear her say, "you can do this," it's true!!!! Go to Ai's YouTube channel and find some of the earlier videos to get started--anyone can do this!! Can you tell I'm a fan? LOL!
I created a circular card and died some ribbon to get a perfect match!
Here's how I died the ribbon. Scribble your marker, spritz with a bit of water, and dunk it in. I blotted this one onto a paper towel to lighten the intensity of the color. Let it dry and it's ready to use.
I added a little tag with "hello" stamped onto it.
Thank you so much for stopping by!! Happy stamping!
Happy June, Ai Watercolor Fans! With summer on the way, we are dreaming of blooming flowers and sunshine! Today we have three gorgeous projects from the Watercolor Guest Design Team that we hope will inspire some summery cards! Perhaps you'll find a few ideas to use your stamps a little differently!
I made this card during the Memorial weekend for this week's roundup and I guess I was feeling patriotic. I needed to make the log base bigger than it was so I used the stamp positioner to make it wider which made the larger birdhouse fit better. I used eight stamp sets and nine markers to create it, and a white gelly pen for stars on the flag. See my list of supplies below:
Take a look “Through the Porthole” for today’s Watercolor Weekend project. Watercolor the Art Impressions Way by inking up the round door from the WC Hobbit Door Set (omitting the cobblestones and the little window) in Sepia. Draw in the bottom of the circle with the fine tip of Sepia to achieve the porthole. Stamp the same round door onto a post-it note and cut out a mask. Next stamp the siding from the WC Wall Texture Set in Sepia on both sides of the porthole. To get the wooden plank look, draw in lines, squiggles and knots with the fine tip of Sepia. Scribble a little Manganese Blue, African Violet, Olive Green and Salvia Blue onto your Watercolor Palette. Mix Manganese Blue with African Violet and brush into the porthole for the sea. Take Olive Green and brush in for the land and finally Salvia Blue for the sky.
I really loved using this bird bath as a container for some spring flowers. I was inspired by one of my neighbor’s bird bath that was turned into a flower pot. I love using the AI Stamps in unique ways. I am hooked on the flowers in the Flower Set 3 along with the original foliage set. We would love for you to join us for Watercolor Weekend. Tag us on Instagram with #AIWatercolor!!
Aren't these projects so fun? Each projects offers ideas on how to stretch your stamps! Whether you are "extending" a stamp like Dot's larger tree stump, transforming a door into a porthole like Tricia K, or filling your bird bath with lovely flowers, there is something for everyone!
Do you ever save these projects to your Pinterest board? Every single one of our blog posts has a small Pinterest icon at the bottom so you can easily pin your favorite posts! While you're at it, be sure to visit our Wonderful Watercolor board on Pinterest to find more of your favorites! Also, check out Dot and Tricia O's boards while you're at it! They are seriously jam-packed with beautiful cards! Dot Freel - Pinterest Tricia O'Bin - Pinterest
