Showing posts with label Watercolor Wednesday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Watercolor Wednesday. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

NEW VIDEO! 2019 Class Exclusive Watercolor Set

Hello Ai Fans!

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 a great Watercolor Wednesday!



View on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8R_AsQNdEGo






If you LOVE our Class Exclusive design and are unable to make a class, our Watercolor Design Team member Dot Freel created a similar image with our WC Flower CartWC Small Container, and WC Beach Girls (umbrella) Sets! 


Hello Friends,

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.



Wednesday, May 1, 2019

NEW VIDEO! Cascading Flowers from Jar Watercolor

Hello Ai Fans!

Welcome friends to another bright and beautiful Watercolor Wednesday! This week, Bonnie uses our Decorative Jar Set in a different way, with it spilling beautiful blooms in a cascade downward! We love this unique take on this stamp and hope you enjoy the colorful flowers, reminding of us the springtime outside!

Do you have some favorite flowers from our Watercolor collection? Hop over to the video and let us know what your go-to flower stamps are! Subscribe and click the bell on our YouTube channel for all the latest Ai videos!

Have a colorful Watercolor Wednesday!



View on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qSMpCQ4hDNg



Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Watercolor Throwback - Beginners Info & Urn

Hello Ai Fans!

Welcome to a special Watercolor Throwback! We are so excited to have how many new friends joining in our watercolor technique, and it's always a great idea to get back to the basics! Bonnie created this step-by-step tutorial on how to get started and create a basic container image back in January 2018, and it's a great image to start with!

Also, did you know we have 155 videos on our Watercolor Wednesday playlist? With endless hours of tutorials, we invite you to check out the playlist and find a video you haven't viewed before! Hop back to this video and leave us a comment on the new tutorial you found!

Happy Watercolor Wednesday!


For Watercolor Stamping, there are some necessary supplies to get the desired look.

Basic Supplies
1. Watercolor Paper (Canson XL or Strathmore)
2. Synthetic, Round Watercolor Brush #4 (Connoisseur)
3. Water-Based Markers (Tombow Markers - Bonnie's Favorites)
4. WC Foliage Set 1 and WC Flower Set 1
5. A Main Image Set of your Choice
6. Watercolor Palette and Acrylic Blocks

Let's explain these more in detail!


Watercolor Paper is very important for this technique, as when you stamp in water-based ink, it keeps the color on top of the paper, so you can easily move it with a damp brush. Cardstock and alcohol-based markers will not work for this project series. We prefer Canson XL or Strathmore watercolor paper and use the textured side, as it does not oversaturate the paper with color.


Our Connoisseur #4 Brush is a coveted item, as no regular brush will do! One, your brush has to be synthetic, as natural hair brushes will sag and not hold its shape with water on it. The synthetic gives us the 'bounce' we are looking for as we blend and gently tap around the image. This brush is also the perfect size to pull color from your main images and blend your flowers and foliage.


Although any water-based marker will work for this technique, we highly recommend you use Tombow Dual Brush Markers on your projects. First, we like Tombow markers the best because they are very wet, so when stamping your multiple impressions, you can get up to 10 images, where other markers you might get 3 or 4. Second, Tombow has highly pigmented colors, so when you are blending, you do not need to work as hard to blend. Third, we love the bullet tip on the other side of the Dual Brush Pens (or use our TwinTone markers for an even finer tip), which give us the ability to add darker shadows and details to the image to really make areas pop!


To get stamping, we suggest starting with our WC Foliage Set 1 and WC Flower Set 1. These basic sets are what you will carry through all your projects. You will see the grasses, vines, flower bunches, and long stems used in any watercolor we create. We started with these two staple sets because if we created sets with everything for one project, you would end up with a multitude of tiny grasses or flowers! Once you have these two, you can pick and choose whichever scenes you would like to create, such as gorgeous containers, stunning structures, or beautiful landscapes.


We add color to many of our images (washes of the sky, color to main images) and the easiest way to do this is by rubbing the brush tip of your marker onto our Ai Watercolor Palette and pulling the color off with your brush. This gives you great control over the amount of color going to your image, and you can easily shade by adding layers of color. Our palette is a game changer, perfectly white so you can see your color, and you can always reactivate the dried ink with your damp brush.


Another great option to add to your collection are our tiny Acrylic Blocks. We offer square blocks in 1", 1.5", and 3" to offer smaller sizes for your little images, like the teeny tiny grass and daisy bunch. Bonnie is often suggesting to permanently adhere your tiny stamps to our 1" block with super glue so you don't lose them!

Now check out this great introduction to watercolor video with Bonnie, as she shows the step-by-step techniques in building your foliages and flowers, and how to add them together in this urn from our WC Ornate Container Set.


View on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qC4BL-JZDTM





Wednesday, April 17, 2019

NEW VIDEO! Wooden Bridge Watercolor

Hello Ai Fans!

It's our favorite day of the week - Watercolor Wednesday! Bonnie continues through our new 2019 Watercolor releases with this beautiful rustic bridge over a small stream. She features our new WC Bridge Set image and surrounds it with a tree made from our WC Branches Set, vines from our Foliage 4, tiny grasses from our Foliage 1, and dotted buds from our Mini Flowers Set.

We hope you enjoy this week's video! Don't forget to subscribe and click the bell on our YouTube channel for all the latest Ai videos!

Have a wonderful Watercolor Wednesday!




View on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4UttpO-U-aQ



Wednesday, April 10, 2019

NEW VIDEO! Beach Shack & Girl Watercolor

Hello Ai Fans!

Can  you tell we're ready for summer? It's another tropical paradise for Watercolor Wednesday! Bonnie transforms our WC Garden Shed into a beach shanty with swaying WC Palm Trees behind it, with an adorable little girl playing in the sand in the foreground.

What's your favorite tropical location? Leave a comment on this video over on YouTube so we can dream of sunny days with you!

Have a sunny Watercolor Wednesday!



View on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YWdg92zY9fE



Wednesday, April 3, 2019

NEW VIDEO! Tropical Palm Trees Watercolor

Hello Ai Fans!

We are dreaming of sunny days this week for Watercolor Wednesday! It's time to create a tropical escape with our new WC Palm Trees Set. Bonnie creates four different designs with many size configurations to take us to a warm paradise in the middle of rainy spring!

We love to hear from you! What do you want to see on Watercolor Wednesday? Questions on our Watercolor technique? Hop over to the video and leave a comment!

Have a sunny Watercolor Wednesday!



View on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HfUB3joUQi8



Wednesday, March 27, 2019

NEW VIDEO! Sentiment Wreath Watercolor

Hello Ai Fans!

Time for another blossoming Watercolor Wednesday! You might have found a few wreath videos on our YouTube, but we love this simple and quick (less than 7 minutes!) video using our new WC Sentiment Set 2! Bonnie adds vines from our new Foliage Set 4 and some of our favorite flowers for this beautiful friendship card!

We always appreciate it when you hop over to the video and give it a "thumbs up" if you liked it!

Have a flower-filled Watercolor Wednesday!



View on YouTube: https://youtu.be/z5rwH22MZ6c



Wednesday, March 20, 2019

NEW VIDEO! Decorative Jar Set Watercolor

Hello Ai Fans!

It's our favorite day of the week ... Watercolor Wednesday! This week's ornate image is so nostalgic, featuring our new WC Decorative Jar Set! Bonnie designs this beautiful pitcher in china blue with blossoms from our Flower Set 1 and vines and sprigs from our Foliage Set 4. She finishes the image with a decorative design stamp included in the Decorative Jars Set!

There are more new videos coming to our YouTube channel, including a new Bible Journaling video this Saturday! Hit that "subscribe" button and click the bell to be notified of ALL our new uploads! We love chatting with you too, so tell us a nostalgic memory in the video comments!

Wishing you all things bright and blooming this Watercolor Wednesday!



View on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MtMZ5e-wf4Y



Wednesday, March 13, 2019

NEW VIDEO! Elf on a Mushroom Watercolor

Hello Ai Fans!

Ready for a bit of whimsy this Watercolor Wednesday? We are continuing through our 2019 new release and this week, Bonnie features our adorable WC Elves Set! She sets this adorable pixie atop a vibrant mushroom for this fairytale scene. We always love how Bonnie perfectly places her images with our Ai Stamp Positioner, to get the elf sitting in the right place on the mushroom with some masking.

We have a plethora of new videos coming to our YouTube channel, so make sure to hit that "subscribe" button and click the bell to be notified of new uploads! We always love to hear from you too, so tell us what you love about this video in the comments!

Hope you have a wonderful Watercolor Wednesday!



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



Wednesday, March 6, 2019

NEW VIDEO! Garden Shed Set Watercolor

Hello Ai Fans!

We know you've been waiting all week for this Watercolor Wednesday! The second half of our 2019 Watercolor Release will be available tomorrow, March 7, and we are sharing a sneak peek at our WC Garden Shed Set! Some of you might have a beautiful she-shed in your backyard, and we love these beautiful structures to surround with always stunning flower and foliage! Our Garden Sheds are larger than the structures you might previously have from Ai and they are great to display or feature on a card!

Make sure to subscribe and click the bell on our YouTube channel for all the new release videos; there are even more coming soon! And sign up for our newsletter to be the first to receive links to our 2019 sets!

Hope you have a wonderful Watercolor Wednesday!



View on YouTube: https://youtu.be/u4ipTqX29FA




Wednesday, February 27, 2019

NEW VIDEO! Bicycle Set Watercolor

Hello Ai Fans!

It's an exciting week, as we're debuting new 2019 product on this Watercolor Wednesday! Five of our new sets will be released this Thursday, February 28, but we couldn't wait another day to share one of our favorites! Bonnie kicks off this release with a personal request from Ai staff - Bicycles! She uses this new WC Bicycle Set and WC Foliage Set 4 in this stunning image with daisies, dotted stems, and tall grasses. You are sure to love our latest designs!

Make sure to subscribe and click the bell on our YouTube channel for all the new release videos, we have so much to show you! And sign up for our newsletter to be the first to receive links to our new sets!

Hope you have a wonderful Watercolor Wednesday!



View on YouTube: https://youtu.be/SITg4MKibqw



Wednesday, February 20, 2019

NEW VIDEO - Snowy Dock and Barn Watercolor

Hello Ai Fans!

Anyone ready for a new Watercolor Wednesday? With chilly temps still sweeping across the U.S., Bonnie thought it fitting to give us one last snowy scene! She used our WC Boat Set dock along an icy bank of a river or stream. She added the barn from our WC Truck Mini Set in the distance with some barren trees. We love how versatile this scene is, a great option for a masculine card!

Check out this and other snowy scenes on our Winter Watercolor YouTube playlist!

Hope you have a wonderful Watercolor Wednesday!



View on YouTube: https://youtu.be/27_kSIMN2xw



Wednesday, February 13, 2019

NEW VIDEO! Illustrated Letters Watercolor

Hello Ai Fans!

It's our favorite day of the week, Watercolor Wednesday! We could hardly contain ourselves and this adorable new video by our co-owner and sole artist, Bonnie Krebs! She created beautiful illustrated alphas using our WC Serif Letter Set and coordinating animals. For this instructional, she uses one of our WC Cats Set images with the capital serif C for a framed design. You could easily create this design with any other letters for monograms and coordinating animals. like our WC Bunnies Set and WC Critter Sets shown for the B and D examples!

We hope you LOVE this tutorial as much as we do! Hop over to this video on YouTube to share the love with a "thumbs up" and a comment! We always love to hear from you!

Wishing you a very happy Watercolor Wednesday!



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