Watercolor Weekend Roundup - Happy Easter!

Hello, Ai Watercolor Fans! We're here this Easter Weekend with some lovely spring inspiration featuring some of our favorite animal watercolor stamps! Take a look at these projects, we hope they inspire your own creations!

Dot Freel - Instagram - Blog - Pinterest

Hello Friends,

Happy Easter weekend! I made this Easter card for the Art Impressions Watercolor Weekend. I stamped three bunnies from the 4874 - WC Bunnies Set using the 40 brownish grey, then pulled the color out of the lines for the shading. I stamped masks out of post-it tape for the two bunnies then stamped the tree from the 5056 - WC Fairy Doors Set using 969. I used brown 969 from the palette to watercolor the tree and then I stamped the leaves in green 177 from the 4051 - WC Foliage Set 1 and added water to soften the lines. I stamped the basket from UMG4117 in the 40 brownish grey. I used 86 African violet to shade the basket and watercolored each of the eggs with the pink 725, 17 steel blue, 5 yellow, 48 leaf green and 7 orange. I colored the bunny's ear and cheeks using the pink 725. The grass is from the 4051 - WC Foliage Set 1 and stamped in 48 leaf green and the flowers are from the 4868 - WC Flower Set 2 in the green 177 and pink 725. I colored the sky using 75 sky blue. I used my Copic pen to sign and date it. I cut it out and framed it using the 5062 - Rounded Corner Rectangle Dies. The sentiment flag was cut from the 5133 Flag Double Stitched Dies.

Karen Day - Blog - Facebook - Pinterest

Did you know that the Ai Bible Journaling sets make amazing cards? Since I knew that I wanted to use my oval Spellbinder's die set along with 5128 - As The Deer Set, I started by marking it's shape in pencil on my watercolour paper, so that I knew where I wanted my images to be placed. I coloured all of the images with my N57 Warm Grey marker, and other than the stones (where I pulled out the colour a bit for shading, with a damp #4 brush) - I didn't touch the lines, just painted within them. I used 947 Burnt Sienna for the deer and the tree, layering the colour to get the deeper tones. Using the floral cluster from 5074 Bible Flower Set, and my 856 marker, I stamped clusters of flowers and dabbed them with a damp brush to intensify the colour. I used the tiny leaf sprig from the set to add some foliage under the flowers and to the tree branches, using my 177 Dark Jademarker. I also used the 177 with the large and small grasses from the 5073 Bible Foliage set, and then pulled the green colour out to fill in the green areas. I darkened up their hooves and noses with the N57 Warm Grey, and then picked up 565 Deep Blue from my palette and painted in the flowing river. I went back in and added a few ripple marks around the rocks, and added shadows under the deer. This is another card that I think would make a wonderful Try-fold! The stamp set also includes three lovely script sentiments, perfect for journaling.

 

Tricia O'Bin - Blog - Instagram - YouTube - Pinterest - Facebook

Happy watercolor weekend Peeps! Monday is Earth Day. I thought in honor of that, I would do a post with the As the Deer Set called Earth Day Deer. I love this new watercolor Bible Journaling set. I plan to practice more with it to create lots of serene cards. Do you have a stamp set that reminds you of Earth Day? I would love to check it out…tag us on Instagram with #AIWatercolor.

The Watercolor Piece

I inked up the stamp with the 2 deer with Chocolate and Jet Blue. I added Jet Blue over the Chocolate where the rocks are. I stamped it down on my watercolor paper. I then inked up the land and tree stamp the same way and stamped it above the original stamp, leaving space for the water.

To start off, I lightly pulled the Chocolate color from the lines from each of the deer making sure to leave a highlight. I let each layer dry and slowly built up the color. On the deer at the top, I made sure to leave the top of his face white. I used a fine point to darken in the eyes and noses on the deer.

Next, I pulled the color out of the lines from the landscape. I pulled color from underneath the rocks and dragged it into the water. I added some Cyan and Navy Blue to my palette. I added the color to the water. Once the water was dry, I added some Chocolate to create shadows.

I added Dark Jade to my palette and added grass to the grassy areas of the stamp. Additionally, I added some Dark Jade to the small grasses from the original foliage set and stamped it in several places. Make sure you ink, walk out your stamp and pull the color out using an up and out brush stroke.

Lastly, I inked the flower bunch from the original flower set inked in Rhodamine Red and stamped several places around the scene. I pulled the color out of the lines. Remember to sign and date your work, which evidently, I don’t seem to remember all the time. LOL

Check out my blog to see all the details on creating the rest of the card.

Thanks, designers! What lovely projects! We can't help but think of Bambi and Thumper with all these deer and bunny cards! Such fun creations inspired by spring!

We hope you'll comment below what you think of these cards - we love hearing your feedback! Have a great day, and Happy Stamping!

Watercolor Weekend Roundup - Love Cards!

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!

Dot Freel - Instagram - Blog - Pinterest

Hello Watercolor Friends,

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.

Tricia Kennedy - Instagram

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.

Tricia O'Bin - Blog - Instagram - YouTube - Pinterest - Facebook

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). 

INSERT

Check out the video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/sOd4LtzGi_0

Tombow Markers – 969, 992, 569, 905, 847, 526, 990, 346, 676

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!

Dot Freel - Instagram - Blog - Pinterest
Tricia Kennedy - Instagram
Tricia O'Bin - Blog - Instagram - YouTube - Pinterest - Facebook

Happy Stamping!

Watercolor Weekend Roundup - Creative Harvest Cards!

Hello, Ai Fans! Halloween is just around the corner, and we are here with more harvest inspiration for you today! Let's take a look at the super creative projects our Watercolor Guest Design Team has crafted!

Dot Freel - Instagram - Blog - Pinterest

Hello Watercolor Friends,

Who doesn't love a tree house? My son Scott has been promising to build my granddaughters a tree house and I know they would love it! I created this card for the Art Impressions Watercolor Weekend using the tree from the brand new 5056 - WC Fairy Doors Set and a cabin from the 4963 - WC Rustic Cabins Set. The pine trees in the background are from the 5010 - WC Tree Set 1. The flowers are from the 5009 - WC Mini Flower Set. I drew the ladder in using the sepia marker.

Art Impressions Products: 5056 WC Fairy Doors Set, 4963 WC Rustic Cabins Set, 5010 WC Tree Set 1, 5009 WC Mini Flower Set, 4773 Acrylic Blocks, 4774 Stamp Positioner, WC Brush NO. 4, Watercolor Palette, 5063 - Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Dies

Marvy Le Plume II Markers: 45 Sepia, 86 African Violet, 72 Pine Green, 49 Vermillion, 32 Laurel Green, 75 Sky Blue

Other Supplies: Canson Watercolor Paper.

Tricia Kennedy - Instagram

There’s something lurking in the dark in my Watercolor Weekend project. It’s simply SPOOKTACULAR!

Tape off a 3” x 3” square on your watercolor paper. Stamp the pumpkins from WC Harvest Set with a combination of 49 Vermilion and 88 Terra Cotta with the stems in 45 Sepia. Mask off the pumpkins with Post-It Notes then stamp the tree from WC Fairy Doors Set in 86 African Violet. Draw in the ghost eyes with watermark pen, add glow in the dark embossing powder then heat with your heat gun. Stamp in the leaves from WC Foliage Set 1 in 86 African Violet. Watercolor the Art Impressions way by pulling the color from the lines with water and a paint brush. Stamp in the grass from WC Foliage Set 1 in 86 African Violet. Darken up any lines on the tree and pumpkin using the fine tip of your markers. 

Art Impressions Products: WC Harvest Set, WC Fairy Doors Set, WC Foliage Set 1, Acrylic Block 5 Pack, 3” Square Acrylic Block, Watercolor Palette, Watercolor Brush No. 4, Canson XL WC Paper Pad

Marvy Le Plume II Markers: 45 Sepia, 49 Vermilion, 86 African Violet, 88 Terra Cotta

Other Products: VersaMarker Watermark Pen, SparkleNSprinkle Glow in the Dark Embossing Powder, Post-It Notes, 3M Blue Painters Tape, Heat Gun

Tricia O'Bin - Blog - Instagram - YouTube - Pinterest - Facebook

Hi Art Impressions Fans and welcome to watercolor weekend. I wanted to embrace the beauty that is Fall with this easy Autumn Church project. I shared it on Instagram when I spent the whole day water coloring...YAY me!

I started off by inking the sitting boy in Brownish Grey. I stamped him in the middle of the page. Just like all of our projects start, I pulled the color out of the lines. I added some Steel Blue to his jeans, Sepia to his hair and Pale Pink to his skin, all from my palette.

Then, I cut a mask and covered him to protect him while I stamped the rocks (Sitting Things set) he is sitting on. Using my positioner, I stamped the rocks underneath the boy (inked with Sepia and African Violet). I used my palette to add a blend of Sepia and African Violet to add color to the rocks.

Next, I stamped a branch from the Branches set. Using my fine tip of my Sepia marker I extended the base of the branch to create a tree. I added some details with Brown and Olive Brown from the palette.

For the church, I inked it with Sepia and stamped it in the top right corner. I pulled the color out of the lines and added some additional Sepia to the roof and African Violet to the building. Once it was dry I added some darker lines with the fine tip of my Sepia marker. The post it tape serves as a quick mask over the church so I could stamp the trees from the Churches set inked in Sepia.

The leaves were all created with the small foliage from the Foliage Set 2. I inked it in English Red, Orange, Brilliant Yellow and Olive Green. I stamped it in several areas with each color to create a random fall scene. Adding some to the ground gives the effect of falling leaves. This is a favorite technique of mine for Autumn.

Once the leaves were stamped where I wanted them, I added some of the small grasses around the tree, rocks and church. I also added some Olive Green sporadically around the middle of the scene. To finish the scene, I added a small amount of Prussian Blue to the sky.

I hope you like this quaint Autumn Scene and I hope you will join me and the rest of the AI watercolor guest design team! Happy Watercoloring!!

Art Impressions Stamps: 4051 WC Foliage Set 1, 4867 WC Foliage Set 2, 4964 WC Branches Set, 5054 WC Little Boys Set, 5055 WC Sitting Places Set, 5058 WC Church Set, Acrylic Block 5 Pack (Variety), 4774 Stamp Positioner, Watercolor Palette, Watercolor Tablet, Post-It Adhesive Roll, WC Brush NO. 4, 5063 Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Dies

Marvy Le Plume II Markers: 86 African Violet, 45 Sepia, 28 English Red, 43 Brilliant Yellow, 15 Olive Green, 7 Orange, 6 Brown, 17 Steel Blue, 40 Brownish Grey, 29 Prussian Blue, 47 Pale Pink

Other Supplies: Classic Crest Cover Solar White 8-1/2x11 110lb, Scor-Pal Scor-Buddy Mini Scoring Board, 9 by 7.5-Inch, Gina K Designs Heavyweight Cardstock- Fresh Asparagus, Connect Glue- 2 oz

Thanks, team! What fun techniques! Dot, we love how you mixed and matched different sets to create a treehouse! How unique! And Tricia K, your glow in the dark eyes in your spooky forest are just too cute, and sure to surprise your recipient! Tricia O, the way you created a larger autumn scene with the boy in the foreground and church in the background is simply lovely! Thank you for your beautiful creations this week. Makes us excited for the next Watercolor Weekend already!

Be sure to leave some comment love for the team, we love to hear what you think!

Happy stamping!

NEW VIDEO - Fairy Door in Tree Watercolor

Hello Ai Fans!

Time for another Watercolor Wednesday! Bonnie is still working through our latest releases and this week she creates a stunning tree with our Fairy Doors Set. With hanging purple flowers and red blooms around the trunk, this colorful image is great for any occasion!

We hope you enjoy this week's video! We always love to hear from you, so feel free to hop over to the video and leave us a comment!

Happy Watercolor Wednesday!

View on YouTube: https://youtu.be/u6kTjHdItXA

NEW VIDEO! Little Girl on a Boat Watercolor

Hello Ai Fans!

Welcome to a new video from this week's Watercolor Wednesday! This video kicks off our tutorials using our Summer 2018 Watercolor Sets! Bonnie is back sharing adorable little girl sitting in a boat, floating on a peaceful lake. She uses our new WC Boats Set, WC Little Girls Set, and WC Fairy Doors Set to create this beautiful nature scene. Make sure to hop over to YouTube and leave Bonnie a comment saying hello!

View on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XTfGg2LYKnU