Watercoloring Daisies

Did you know that you can use other papers for watercoloring? One paper that I love to use is Stampin' Up! Shimmering White. (I use to be able to use Whispering White, but the new pack I just bought doesn't work! Did they change the paper? Hmmmmm) You have to be very careful when you try to use other papers besides watercolor paper as they are not as strong and the top layers will rip or tear.

Shimmering White seems to hold up very well.

I stamped my Daisy Vase using Stazon black and heat set it.

I use soft sable brushes when I watercolor. I use small round, medium round and flat brushes. I have used Aqua-painter brushes, and they work well, but I like to have more control over the amount of water on the brush tip. With the Aquapainter you can tap the tip of the brush on a napkin to get rid of some of the extra water that you have squeezed out. Also, make sure to squeeze water to the tip and wipe off the extra color onto a dry napkin before you change colors.

A lot of times you will often rush right in and color in the image and leave the background for last. I like to do the opposite. I like to create a nice muted background and then go back in and work the main image. I always use clean water and a brush to wet the are that I will be working on before I apply any color. Why? Because watercolors are a very fluid medium. You want them to look soft. So when you wet the paper first you allow the pigment that you apply to spread out over the paper instead of staying put where you first place it. (Just be careful, you want the area wet - not soaked!) Only wet the areas that you want to color, not the entire surface of the paper. I used SU! More Mustard ink for the background color.

Between colors I use my heat gun to dry the areas that I just finished. Why? Because the new colors you add next will migrate into the wet areas. Not the dry areas. Wet the vase and add Bordering Blue. I moved the pigment around the wet surface.

I colored in the flowers. These areas are very small so you do not need to water the areas first. Just make sure that your brush is damp so that the layer of pink you apply is light in color. You want to build layers of pink, from light to dark to give the flowers more dimensions. When you have very little water on your brush it is called Dry Brushing. The colors you apply when you dry brush are more intense and you have more control where the color goes. (When dry brushing an area make sure that the paper is not wet!)

Have you ever Tole Painted? I use to cut wood, seal it and paint over the surface. One of the techniques of Tole Painting is floating color. You only add paint to one corner of a flat, moist, brush and when you apply the paint to the edge of the area you are coloring it creates a colored area that goes from darker to lighter. You can do the same with watercoloring. I dip one edge of the flat brush into the ink pool and use that dipped tip along the outer edge. (Make sure to first wet around the entire area that you are coloring, going out wards to the edges of the paper.) This creates more concentration of color  closer to the black line, softer towards the outer edges. (Take the wet brush as you are applying the color and push the pigment outwards. This help ensure that you do not create a hard line.)

You now dry brush pink over the lighter layer of pink that you added earlier. You want to  add more color towards the center. I use a very small sable brush. I also use dry brushing to add Mellow Moss for the stems. If you do not feel comfortable using such a small brush you can color in these areas using a marker. Just make sure that the areas are completely dry or the pigments will migrate to the wet areas.

You can see where I've added some pink and green areas on the glass vase. Glass is reflective and therefore it's never just one solid color. It reflects colors that are around it. Therefore, pinks and greens from the flowers this time.

Using Pink Passion I colored in the table top. With Mellow Moss I colored in the stripes. I used More Mustard for the center of the flowers. I used Moss to add shadow areas on the yellow centers of the flowers.

I added green over the pink top to mottle the look of it and create more depth and shadow.

If after you are finished you find that the paper has wrinkles, and it most likely will because it's not very thick, heat it to dry it completely and place it under a heavy book. It should flatten out nicely.

I hope these tips are helpful. Watercoloring is all about layers. Layers over layers. Wet on wet. Details using Dry brushing. And practice, practice, practice!

Don't forget to hop on over to Gina's blog to get a preview of Melanie's adorable new set "Little Tees" http://blog.ginakdesigns.com/

Comments

[Keri Lee Sereika]

WOW this is beautiful!!!!

[Sandy K]

Beautifully done. I also like the picture before you colored in the table. The flowers popped with the white below. Your colors is so smooth.

[amy]

gorgeous!!!

[Theresa]

Beautiful! Great tips.

[Jocelyn]

This is BEAUTIFUL! Thanks for the tips! Looking forward to tonight's releases!

[Monika in VA]

Absolutely GORGEOUS! Your card is stunning (although that is nothing new ~ everything you touch seems to become a true work of art!). However, what really stands out in this post is the care that you have taken to go over the details for producing this card. You are truly a remarkable woman to have taken the time to share this with us ~ an inspiring teacher for sure! So well written and with step-by-step photos ~ Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!

[Jenny Mick]

Ok, seriously! You are like my stamping idol! Other blogs I read, I like about half of the stuff they create but every single thing I see that you create I love!! This card is beautiful and your coloring is phenomenal!!!!

[Trena in Naperville]

Very pretty Asela!! Thank you for the detailed tutorial! the tips were very helpful.

Take care and STAY POSITIVE!

[Dee]

Beautiful Card!!
Watercoloring is so pretty..
Thanks for sharing your tips!

[DeniseLynn]

Beautiful!! And I just finally saw the full set on Gina's blog ... Oh my it is so precious. My friend just found out she has breast cancer and I am anxious to show her this set; it will sure have a special meaning to her. It means so much to all of us who have lost loved ones or who are watching loved ones face this dreaded disease. Thanks for creating it - thanks so much!

[Quality Art Paint Brush]

Experienced painters with many years of painting under their belts will attest to the fact that fine quality paint brushes are an absolute necessity if you wish to create the perfect art piece.

[Pinky]

Wow, your watercoloring tutorial is the bomb! Thanks so much for all the tips...I am so challenged when it comes to watercoloring. I am definitely going to try the shimmery white paper. Love your work and the new sets by GinaK are so cool!

Pinky

[smallcity]

Your watercoloring tutorial is wonderful. What great detail on the instructions. Thanks so much for sharing this.

smallcity

[carolina Buchting]

Thanks for such a wonderful tutorial - I was looking forward to seeing it and you didn't disappoint!

[Conniecrafter]

So very pretty, I especially love how you did your background! Thanks for all the tips, I have done tole painting, but watercoloring has given me a bit of a challenge.

[Melisa]

Great Tut! Thanks for sharing

[Connie Pruitt]

Thank you for the info. Your work is always beautiful!