Water Week: Water Colors

Hi!  Amanda here today.  I was so inspired by Heidi Van Laar's watercolor post in May, I couldn't wait to give watercolors a try!  Her tutorial made it seem so doable, even for a painting novice like me.  You see, I don't consider myself the least bit artsy, especially when it comes to painting.   I think the last time I picked up paints was in my middle school art class, and that was only because I had to.   

I thought I would try a little emboss-resist with watercolor paints.  I heat embossed butterflies onto watercolor paper and then used butterfly punch to cut out the shapes.  I wanted the watercolors to remain bright, so I didn't use too much water.  After most of the paint had soaked into the paper, I lightly dabbed the excess with a tissue.

The end result is a bright array of rainbow colored butterflies. 

Since this was one of my early attempts at watercolor painting, I decided to keep it simple.  For my next card I painted the body of a ladybug and dolled her up with some spots. 

I cut watercolor paper circle and painted it with varying shades of red.  After the red paint was dry, I painted on black dots.  I cut the painted circle in half and layered it over black circles.  I drew on some antennae and added some tiny black rhinestones to the top.  Ladybugs are often considered a symbol of luck so I added an appropriate sentiment.   I also stitched around the patterned paper panels.  This is a great way to add some visual dimension to a card. 

Next time you break out your crafting supplies, give watercolors a try!  You won't be disappointed and may surprise yourself!

Supplies: 

Oh Happy Day collection: Mira's Pearls 1764, Hailey 1767, Mariah, 1771, Amber's Avenue 1774, alpha stickers (BasicGrey), rhinestones (Kaisercraft), butterfly stamps and punches (Martha Stewart Crafts), just because stamp (Jillibean Soup), Zing! white embossing powder, watercolor paints and paper (Nicole Crafts)