Distress Watercolour Bouquet

Hi, everyone! I’m back today with a pretty birthday card using Altenew stamps watercoloured with Distress Inks. This was my first attempt at colouring a stamp like this and while I do like how it turned out, I am eager to keep practicing because I know I can do better!

I taped a piece of Ranger watercolour paper with low-tack tape to my work surface and stamped my images using the outline stamp from Altenew’s Beautiful Day stamps. I used post-its that are entirely covered with stickiness to mask off the images as needed. Since I was going to be watercolouring the images, I used Versafine Pigment Ink in Onyx so I could heat emboss with clear powder and still have a black outline. I’d never really used Versafine before and I gotta say, I LOVED the ink coverage and the crispness that it gives. It might become my new sentiment stamping ink. Since its a pigment ink, you have to heat set – and I think that’s why I haven’t used it before. But really, it doesn’t take that much extra time so I’ll definitely consider working this beautiful ink into my regular card making!

After my images were stamped and embossed, I squished my chosen colours of Distress Inks onto an acrylic block and spritzed them with a water mixture that has Perfect Pearls in it. I love how the Perfect Pearls gives the already beautiful colours a bit of a sparkly shine. Using a small, wet (and lightly dabbed off) brush, I began to colour my flowers and leaves starting with the lightest colours and adding darker colours in the shadows and creases.This is the area I think I could work on but overall, I did manage a bit of shading and I was happy with the result.

I let my coloured images dry completely then added a bit of yellow and peach colours to highlight around the flowers. I added water as necessary to fade it out a bit as I got farther from the flowers. Once that dried, I used a sentiment from Altenew’s Painted Greetings stamp set and stamped it in Versafine again (and heat set!). I used a strong scor tape to adhere the watercolour panel to a top-folding A2 card base I made from Neenah Solar White and finished off with sequin embellishments from a few different Little Things from Lucy’s Cards.

Like I said, this was my first attempt at any type of watercolouring and I know the shading isn’t the best ever but now I have a new challenge to work on! Any advice is certainly welcome!

Bye for now!

SUPPLIES

If you see any products below you’d like to use, I have listed them using compensated affiliate links. All supplies are linked to Simon Says Stamp unless otherwise noted. I purchased all of the supplies on my own and I personally buy from the companies I’ve linked with. I do receive a small commission if you choose to purchase products by clicking on the links in the post at NO ADDITIONAL cost to you. I greatly appreciate your support.

Please note: not all supplies are available through my affiliate partners, so please scroll to the bottom to see the full supply list. There may be import and/or additional charges for European and non-US residents. Please read shipment and delivery terms carefully before purchasing. For UK customers you can click on the ‘Buy Crafty Supplies’ link on the menu above to purchase certain items through UK companies.

 

            

 FULL SUPPLY LIST

Altenew: Beautiful Day, Painted Greetings

Distress Inks: Spun Sugar, Picked Raspberry, Seedless Preserves, Mowed Lawn, Pine Needles, Mustard Seed, Abandoned Coral

Ranger: Perfect Pearls, Watercolour Paper, Multi Medium Matte, Watercolor Brushes

Versafine: Pigment Ink Onyx

Hero Arts: Ultra Fine Clear Embossing Powder, Scrubber Pad, Ultra Clean

Little Things from Lucy’s Cards: Vintage Lilac, Créme Caramel, Fruit Sorbet Sequins

Neenah: Classic Crest Solar White Cardstock 216gsm

EK Success: Powder Tool

Post-it notes, WRMK Quick Stik, Fiskar’s 12″ Trimmer, Cricket Cuttlebug Machine, Scotch Blue Painter’s Tape, Paper Towels, Acrylic Block