We are back for a NEW Watercolor Wednesday! This week, Bonnie creates a doorway in a stone wall, with a path leading down to the oceanfront. We love the hanging vines and colorful bushes that adorn this wall. Bonnie also added the birds from our My Fortress Set in the blue sky!
Hello, Ai Watercolor Fans! Today we have three beautiful projects from our Watercolor Design Team to share with you! As the weather warms up, it is delightful to stamp outdoor scenes! Let's take a look at these cards to inspire your projects this weekend!
I use all of my Art Impression's stamps for both bible journaling and cards but I only used stamps from the bible journaling line in this card I made for the Watercolor Weekend. I stamped the covered bridge from the 5129 - He Leads Me Set after inking it in both African violet and then in sepia. I pulled the color out of the lines and watercolored the roof and boards underneath in 969 and I used 565 to watercolor inside the covered bridge and in the windows. I stamped the deer from the 5128 - As the Deer Set using sepia, pulled the color out of the lines and then watercolored it with the 947. I darkened the eyes and nose with my super fine Copic liner pen. I stamped the trees from the 5129 - He Leads me Set in sepia and then I stamped the leaves from the 5074 - Bible Flower Set on the trees and dabbed them with a wet brush tip. I used a pencil to lightly draw in my hills, road and water which owner/creator Bonnie Krebs suggested in her YouTube tutorialhere. She has mentioned this before but it just clicked for me that I should be doing it on all of my cards - it's so much easier! I used 177, 565 and 969 on the palette to watercolor in the hills, road and water. I stamped the grass from the 5073 - Bible Foliage Set in leaf green and then the flowers in 757 using the dots from the 5074 - Bible Flower Set. I touched them with a wet brush which really made them brighter. I then used a tiny bit of 565 to paint in shadows under some of the flowers, tree and deer. I cut out the picture using the 5065 - Oval Stitched Dies and two background piece using the 5063 - Double Stitched Rectangle Dies. The last thing I did was sign and date it.
You can find more inspiration by following me on my Instagram account here.
I was really happy to see that the smallest bicycle in the 5124 - WC Bicycle Set was the perfect scale to work with the 5013 - WC Door Set, allowing me to create a little scene today! I coloured the door with my N65 Cool Grey 5 Tombow marker, and stamped it slightly to the left of center. Still using N65, I stamped the bicycle and the bricks from 5018 Cobblestone Set, using my stamp positioner to get everything just so. I used 2 pots from the retired 3498 Series 6 Set 2, but the ones in the 4869 WC Small Container Set would work here. With my dampened #4 paintbrush, I softened the lines on all the images, and pulled out the colour to create a few shadows. From the 5009 WC Mini Flower Set, I used the tiny greenery stamp with 158 Dark Olive and the dotted floral stamp with 565 Deep Blue and 991 Light Ochre to add the flowers and foliage to the pots, bike basket and over the door. I dabbed all of these lightly with my brush, as I didn't want to lose the definition of the images. Using my N95 Cool Grey 1 marker and a stamp from the 5019 - WC Wall Texture Set, I added the pale grey stones on either side of the door. To keep them from looking repetitious, I flipped the stamp upside down for the second side, and didn't colour all of the stones. I picked up 515 Light Blue from my palette with a fair bit of water to give an aqua-coloured wash to the stone wall. After scribbling 856 Chinese Red and 969 Chocolate onto my palette, I coloured the door and bicycle in red and used the brown to create a wooden doorframe and pots. I wanted everything to look well worn, so kept my brush strokes fairly streaky. I used 565 to add shadows in and around all of the images. With the small grass from the WC Foliage Set 1 and the 158, I added grass in around the bike & bricks, and with the excess colour after painting them with my brush, I added a pale green wash to the ground. To finish, I used the 5062 Rounded Rectangle Double Stitched Die to cut out the image and used the smallest one in the set to cut out my sentiment (Hello! is from 5136 - WC Sentiment Set 2). Both were matted with some brown cardstock and the sentiment was attached with 3D pop dots.
I love these bridges. They are so quaint and you can use them in so many ways for any occasion. I challenge you to pull out your bridges, flowers and foliage and give it a try, I know you will love them too!!
Project Details
Step 1: Ink the bridge from the 5131 – Stone Path Set with 969 – Chocolate. Stamp it slightly to the left. Using your brush, pull the color out of the right side of the bridge leaving a highlight on the left side and fading the color from right to left. Stay within each board section. Using the fine tip of the 969 – darken in between the boards. Pull some of the brown into the foreground in front of the bridge.
Step 2: Scribble some 528 – Navy Blue on your palette. Slowly lay down layers of color under the bridge and to the left of the bridge. Keep your color darker underneath the bridge. Add some darker color in lines to create movement.
Step 3: Ink up the small grass from the 4051 – WC Foliage Set 1 with 177 – Dark Jade. I used my post it tape to mask off the top right of the bridge and stamped my grass by walking the stamp to the right. I added more grass to each corner of the bridge. Using a damp brush, pull the color up and out of the grasses. Pull some of the color underneath the clumps of grass to ground them.
Step 4: I inked up the single flower from the 5074 – Bible Flower Set using 177 – Dark Jade & 847 – Crimson and stamped it several times. I softened just the blooms with a damp brush. I inked up the small dots from the same set using 993 – Chrome Orange and stamped it a couple of times on each side of the water to the right of the bridge. Finally, I inked up the dots in the shape of a cone from the same set with 636 – Imperial Purple and stamped them around the bridge. I softened them with a damp brush.
Step 5: I used the left over ink from my palette (528), watered it down and added it to the sky. I signed my painting.
I cut it with my stitched border die and mounted it on a piece of Gina K Designs Black Onyx card stock. I added that to my mounted background. I used Yupo paper and Copic Marker Refills to make the background. I mounted the entire piece onto a 4.25 x 5.50 notecard.
I loved making this piece and I hope you will give it a go! Thanks for stopping by and have a crafty day!!
Aren't these cards so sweet? Let us know what you think in the comments! Don't forget to follow these lovely ladies on social media! There are pink links next to their name to take you directly to their Facebook, Instagram, etc. so you can follow their daily watercolor journeys. From all of us to you, have a happy watercolor weekend! Happy Stamping!
Today I have a sweet notecard that can be used for many occasions, or just because, to send to a friend. I've used the Garden Window MTF (mini TryFold) for this card.
Since I wanted to watercolor this, I used Strathmore Bristol Smooth paper and created my card base following the directions on the back of the packaging. This is a smooth paper (as opposed to the texture of watercolor paper) that can take some water which is just right for this technique that doesn't require a lot of water.
I stamped the images in Versafine Onyx Black ink as that will take water without bleeding. I also used a stamp from the WC Wall Texture set to add a bit of detail around the window. I added my color with my Zig and pulled out a bit of the color--you know--watercolor the Ai way! :) I used Tombow and Zig Clean Color Brush markers to color everything. I've listed the colors at the end of this post.
Here's a tip for you. Follow the directions on the back of the package for die cutting and lining up the next stamp. However, before you stamp it, put a piece of acetate down and stamp on the acetate. If you click on the photo you will see it closer and see my pencil lines. I adjusted the stamp just a bit to have the curtain more centered over the pencil lines (see the arrows).
This is the view when you open the top panel.
Now, as you can see here on the inside view, I didn't stamp the image directly onto the base card. Well, actually I did. In spite of my best efforts, I still didn't get it lined up to my satisfaction, so here's another tip for you. If you don't get that last image lined up just right, stamp it again on some scrap paper and die cut it, then glue it in place. I didn't want to totally start over, so I'm glad I thought of this! I think it actually adds a pretty touch to the inside!
Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you have a fabulous crafty week!
Watercolor markers:
Tombow numbers: 177, 565, 636
Zig Clean Color Real Brush: Yellow, Bright Yellow, Pale Violet,
English Lavender, Brick Beige, Gray Brown, Mid Gray
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!
I always feel hopeful and excited to start a brand new year. I am ready to get back to more crafting, now that the busyness of the holidays is over, also. I made this card for the Art Impressions Watercolor Weekend using the 5014 - WC Window Set that I stamped in sepia first, then in the African violet. I did stamp it off on paper first. I pulled the color out of the lines then added some of the African violet to the palette to darken the windows. Next I stamped the little pot from the 4869 - WC Small Container Set. I added brown and sepia to the palette to color in the pot. I added the leaves by stamping the ivy from the 4867 - WC Foliage Set 2 in olive green and the flowers from the 5009 - WC Mini Flower Set in scarlet and then added water to them. I stamped the birds in sepia from the 4966 - WC Bird Bath Set and the stamp positioner to add the birds to the window, then added more sepia, steel blue, and a little bit of the brown to their beaks from the palette. I used the fine tip of the sepia to darken the eyes and the legs.
I stamped the cat in sepia from the 4873 - WC Cats Set then made a mask for it and using the stamp positioner, I stamped the bench in sepia and African violet from the 5055 - WC Sitting Places Set. I pulled the colors out of the lines on the cat and bench then used sepia from the palette to color spots on the cat. I inked up the small grass in olive green from the 4051 - WC Foliage Set 1 and stamped the grass on the legs of the bench. I used pine green to ink the bottom of the flowers from the 4868 - WC Flower Set 2 and I inked the tops of the flowers in the steel blue and stamped them on either side of the bench. I used water to soften the flowers and the grasses then I used African violet from the palette to make the shadow under the bench. Next I used a tiny amount of sepia on the palette and a lot of water to color in the background. I used the 5063 - Double Stitched Rectangle Dies to cut out the picture, and a background piece of paper and then mounted it all to the card base.
My card for today’s Art Impressions Watercolor Weekend is a pretty little winter scene.
Begin by inking up a home from the WC Cottages Set in 86 African Violet. Stamp a few pine trees from WC Tree Set 1 in 72 Pine Green around the home. Watercolor the Art Impressions way by pulling the color from the lines with a paint brush and water. Scribble a little 45 Sepia onto your palette and brush onto the roof. Add a bit of 28 English Red and 82 Mustard to your palette and brush onto the door and windows. Next brush 86 African Violet onto your palette to build up the sky and snowy ground. Add detail to the base of the trees and in the top window using the fine tip of 45 Sepia. And darken up the door knob with the fine tip of 86 African Violet. Use an A2 card base, tag, cardstock, jute and Xyron Mega Runner to finish off the card.
Step 1: I inked only the hat from the WC Snowman Set with Tombow N25. Using the stamp positioner, I placed the hat cocked to the left. I created a mask with the Post-It Adhesive Roll. I covered the hat with the mask.
Step 2: I inked up each of the San Serif Letters (H, N, Y) using Tombow 569. I wiped off some of the ink. I stamped them next to each other. I created masks for each letter. Next, I inked up some of the stones from the WC Wall Texture Set using the Tombox N25 & 569 markers. I stamped it off and then stamped it to the left of the “H”. I repeated this process several more times stamping between the letters and to the right of the “Y”.
Step 3: Pull the color from the hat (on the sides working into the middle). I added some additional color from my palette. Next, pull the color from the left side of the letters only. Add water to the stones behind the letters.
Step 4: I inked up the sm leave cluster from the WC Foliage Set 3 with Tombow 249 and stamped it around the letter “H”. I then inked the vine and added it to the “N” & “Y”. Pull the color out of the lines.
Step 5: I added the small leaves from the WC Foliage Set 2 inked with Tombow 565 to the “H”. Next, I inked up the small dots from the WC Mini Flower Set with Tombow 676 and added flowers to the “N”. Add the inked the same flowers with Tombow 725 and added flowers to the “Y”. I added water to the flowers.
Step 6: Using my palette, I added some darker shadows to the letters. Using a fine black pen, I added the 2019 to the hat and Happy-New-Year below the letters. I die cut the watercolor piece out with the Stitched Oval die. I added some Distress Ink in Espresso to the edges of the piece and added some water.
Thank you so much for checking out the watercolor projects on our first Watercolor Weekend project of 2019. I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and here’s to the new year!
Thanks, designers! These cards are so lovely! Love all the different approaches you can take with simple stamps, markers and a brush! Do you like what you see? Leave a comment below, we always love to hear your thoughts! 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!
At the end of April I had the chance to attend the Scrapbook Expo in Orlando and take my second Art Impressions Watercolor class. It was amazing! I was also lucky enough to be able to work the make and take booth. We did a different project each day. I enjoyed every minute of it. I had the chance to meet so many Ai fans.
The class is fun if you're a beginner or more advanced. I feel you can learn something no matter what level stamper you are. We took time to go over the basics and then we went through four different projects. My favorite part is that you get an exclusive stamp set at the end of class. Here is the class schedule. Be sure to sign up for a class early!
I knew the basic layout I was going to follow after watching Bonnie's video showing how she used the stamps set. I just changed up a few things for my design. I added Sepia to the entire window/branch stamp. Then I came back to add Pine Green to the branch portions and African Violet to the window. I stamped the image onto the center of my watercolor paper. I blended out areas of my window using very little water on my brush. I drew in curtains with the fine point tip of my African Violet marker and pulled the color out with my damp brush. I added Pine green to the vine from the WC Foliage set 2 and repeatedly stamped it onto the ends of the branches. I added more ink to it after I stamped it three of four times and used my damp brush again to re-activate the color. I stamped the squirrel sitting in the window with Sepia with the help of the Stamp Positioner. I used the fine tip of my Sepia marker to draw in an acorn, After pulling the color gently from the lines with my damp brush, I scribbled some extra color onto my Watercolor Palette. I used it to add some extra shadows to the squirrel and the acorn. I also added some Butterscotch onto the Watercolor Palette and added it very lightly to the background. I used another stamp fromWC Foliage set 2 with Pine Green to add a bit of foliage behind the squirrel on the ledge and added a few tiny flowers from WC Mini Flower Set with Violet. I stamped one of the stamps from the WC Wall Texture Set on the left side with Brownish Gray using the Stamp Positioner. I pulled the color out of the lines and added some more color towards the bottom of the stones. The last thing I did was stamp a branch with Sepia from the WC Branches Set in a few spots around the leafy areas.
I did a second version of this card without the stones along the side. I used the yellow background just like Bonnie did in the video.
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
