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02/26/2016

Watercolor Cards for Beginners

Hey friends!  I’ve been up to some different things in the studio the past couple days, inspired by some designers who are great with ink, doodling, painting, and more.  Watercolor is one of those things that I always found to be really beautiful, but really far out of my reach.  I accept I’m not good at everything – it’s cool. ;) But there are a couple designers in particular who have given me some tips that kind of blew my mind recently, and I thought I’d combine them in my own way to create handmade watercolor cards (or rather, a technique for watercoloring made easy for total novices like myself).

Watercoloring Made Easy at happyhourprojects.com

As you can see – it’s not perfect.  But it really doesn’t have to be!  You can get the look of this doodled watercolor card for yourself using a couple things you might not expect – stamps and watercolor markers.  Yes, really!

Watercoloring Made Easy at happyhourprojects.com

I’m on the Sizzix design team, and got a chance to use a few brand-new up and coming clear stamps – something that I was really intrigued by.  My friend Carisa at Inky Fairy Designs is pretty much amazing when it comes to ink, and was willing to give me a few tips in that department.  I also attended a demo with Jen Goode a few weeks back, and what she shared about using markers to color BLEW MY MIND.  I had no idea that the soft watercolor look can be so much easier than it looks – when you’re like me and completely intimidated. So I got inspired by these two fabulous ladies and struck out on my own, creating a fun little handmade card with my Sizzix Big Shot and some of the new Clear Stamps.

Watercoloring Made Easy at happyhourprojects.com

I’m going to leave a list of what I used to make my card, in case you’re looking for the same products.  (There are affiliate links, and shopping them helps support my blog and keep tutorials free, so thank you very much!)

Here’s what I’m using today:

  • Sizzix Big Shot and Acrylic Cutting Pads and Acrylic Cutting Pads
  • Sizzix Bigz Die – Card with Flower
  • You’re My Favorite Clear Stamps
  • Clear Stamp Block
  • Ranger Archival Ink in Black (or any waterproof ink)
  • Spectrum Aqua Markers (in Moss, Kingfisher, and Peacock Blue)
  • Paintbrush
  • Cup of water and paper towel

Watercoloring Made Easy at happyhourprojects.com

First, make a quick card!  I’m die cutting the Sizzix Bigz Card with Flower.  The Bigz dies can power through all kinds of materials, but today I’m using 65# card stock.  Just place the paper on top of your die, and put that between a pair of acrylic cutting pads to create your Sizzix sandwich.  Roll it through your Big Shot for an instant card.

Watercoloring Made Easy at happyhourprojects.com

Now, here’s where the magic begins.  I used the tiny floral stamps from the You’re My Favorite clear stamp set.  I stamped an all-over pattern using waterproof ink.  I made sure to go over some of the edges, to turn my stamp as I worked, and to switch between the two stamps to make it look random.

Now, you have a doodle-look pattern without drawing a thing.  Adorable, right?

Watercoloring Made Easy at happyhourprojects.com

Prepare to “paint” by getting a little cup of water and small paintbrush ready.  I like to work on a paper towel, but feel free to protect your work surface with anything you like. Now, on your clear stamp block, use the markers to kind of scribble on the surface.  You can see I’ve added a shade of green and aqua to my block.

Watercoloring Made Easy at happyhourprojects.com

Now, dip your brush in the water, pick up your color from the stamp block with your brush, and paint it onto the stamped pattern.  I wasn’t even very careful about it, I was kind of messy.  Because, you know, not great at painting.  But with this technique it’s easy to mask all those messy spots!

You can blend colors together by mixing them, or soften them by adding a drop of water to a spot on your stamp block.  You can also draw directly on the stamped pattern with the markers and follow it up immediately with a wet brush, but my preference is to just paint it on.  If you want to give some depth to your colors, wait for your first coat to dry a bit before coming back to the area for a second time, and pick up some accents.

Watercoloring Made Easy at happyhourprojects.com

So – now you know the trick!  You could also use alcohol ink markers and a blending pen to get a similar look – that’s up to you.  But I was so pleased with how my hand-painted watercolor card turned out with something so simple as stamps and markers!

Adrianne Surian

As a 2015-2016 Sizzix Design team member, I receive certain Sizzix products free of charge in order to share inspiration projects and tutorials.  Select stamps were provided by Sizzix in order to create this post.  My designs and opinions are, of course, all my own.

szus_designteam_badge

Filed Under: Featured, Paper Crafts, Tutorials Tagged With: beginners, easy, floral, flower, paper crafts, Sizzix, stamps, watercolor

copyright policy and terms of use

I love it when you love my work! All tutorials and photos published at Happy Hour Projects are copyrighted. If you would like to feature my tutorial on your website or share it on your social media you may use one photo to feature, as long as you provide a link back to the original post.

If you feature a photo, it may not be accompanied by the project tutorial or recipe, whether in my own words as it originally appears or paraphrased by you. This also includes personal sharing on social media and Pinterest. Publishing multiple photos from a project, or including instructions with an accompanying photo are not permitted and you will be asked to remove them.

I love to share my projects, and my tutorials, recipes, and e-books are ALL free for your personal use. However, photos and ideas that are published to this site are my protected intellectual property. You may print them at home, but please do not copy or distribute them. I also allow all designs to be made and sold at fundraisers, craft fairs, etc. If you are selling a piece made from one or more of my free tutorials in your online shop, I require that you use your own, original photography, and include a link back to my website to credit me as the designer.

I hope you enjoy what you read here, and please be fair when you share!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Corporate Function Venues Melbourne says

    09/28/2018 at 6:40 am

    Very interesting site. I like that you can find a lot of useful information here.

    Reply
  2. reinford kyle says

    09/12/2018 at 6:38 am

    I like your post. Very professional and eye catching. Thanks so much for the content

    Reply
  3. kanchipuram sarees says

    08/18/2018 at 4:03 am

    nice post

    Reply
  4. golu dolls chennai says

    08/18/2018 at 4:03 am

    wow looking good

    Reply
  5. Maureen says

    09/12/2016 at 3:03 pm

    I don’t understand how the markers work and could I use just watercolor paint.
    I work in an after school program for African Refugee children. Your materials look expensive and we don’t have much money. Can u offer suggestions for other materials?

    Reply
  6. ResearchWritingHelp says

    05/16/2016 at 9:14 am

    I really enjoy appraisal your article. I found this as an informative and captivating post, so i think it is very helpful and acquainted. I would like to thank you for the endeavor you have made in symbols this article.

    Reply
  7. Abhi says

    05/05/2016 at 9:20 am

    This is so cute… My daughter loves colouring a lot.Thanks

    Reply
  8. CapstoneProjectHelp says

    04/30/2016 at 6:20 am

    Wow! I just can’t get enough of these beautiful pieces. You are a great artist who understands her craft well.

    Reply
  9. Bree says

    02/27/2016 at 7:59 pm

    So nice and pretty. Such a perfect color combo for spring.

    Reply
  10. Crystal says

    02/27/2016 at 7:54 am

    Love it. Perfect card to receive for spring!

    Reply
  11. Becki says

    02/26/2016 at 11:14 pm

    Very pretty! The cut-out on the card is a very nice touch too. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  12. Amanda McMahon says

    02/26/2016 at 9:00 pm

    these worked out pretty nicely for you! Looks like it was worth while. hopefully the receiver keeps it!

    Reply
  13. Chris Lewis says

    02/26/2016 at 6:45 pm

    Very cool.! Really like the design and how you can really let your creative juices flow with this!

    Reply
  14. Liz @ Yes/No Films says

    02/26/2016 at 11:13 am

    Those are really pretty! I still appreciate receiving (and sending) cards in the mail :).

    Reply

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  1. CraftCrave | DigiFree | CraftCrave says:
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Hello, and welcome! I'm Adrianne, an artist, author, designer, and blogger in mid Michigan. I work from home, chase my two kids, and this once-city-girl is learning how to care for chickens and adjusting to life out in the country. I have a compulsion for daily creativity... sometimes it's jewelry-making, paper crafting, metal stamping, mixing and baking, or giving new life to recycled items. But with 2 young kids, time is short! My goal here at Happy Hour Projects is to share projects and tips that you can do in an hour or less. The ideas you find here are designed to add a little creativity in your day, no matter how much (or how little) time you have!

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