Now, I am a true watercolor beginner. I started playing with watercolor only a few months ago and I'm still working on discovering all the different tips and techniques. I've also started to slowly collect supplies and figure out what kind of watercolor tool is going to work for me the most.
Today's card uses a new set of watercolor brushes I got: Akashiya Sai watercolor brushes. I picked these particular brushes because they both had great reviews and an affordable price. I've also seen Zig Clean Color brushes used a lot lately, but I found them very pricy. In the reviews I've watched for both products, there didn't seem to be any difference between the two. So, I went with Sai brushes, and I'm super happy with my purchase.
I stamped Sally in brown archival ink, then got to coloring. I used distress inks for her skin and Sai brushes to color the rest. I went with bright colors, and layered color for shading. There's a couple of things I noticed - first being that it was tough to be precise enough to color tiny areas. And the second is that I need to account for possible color bleeds when I put down the color. I happened to put the color way too close to the stamp lines and ended up with a bit of color bleeding here and there.
After my coloring was done, I let it dry and added a couple of details with a white gel pen. I die-cut the watercolor paper with a stitched rectangle die from Mama Elephant's Femme Frames. Then I die-cut a piece of blue vellum paper with the scalloped rectangle. I adhered everything to a white notecard.
The sentiment is from WPlus9's Bubble Talk stamp set, and the sequins are from Pretty Pink Posh.
Thank you for reading and have a creative day!
~Elle~
I haven't jump on the watercolor bandwagon yet, because I don't know where to start and I find watercolor just intimidating. I think because I can't control where it goes. I love reading your experience. I thought you did a pretty good job being that you're also a beginner. And thanks for your tips. If I should dip my feet in the watercolor trend in the future, I would keep your tips in mind, especially not coloring right up to the image line. Have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Ka!
DeleteI have to admit that I find watercolor intimidating, too, and my early attempts with straight color were just plain frustrating. But I think a lot of that was my own fault, as I tried to use the same exact approach I use with other coloring - and that just doesn't work. Once I let go and just started playing around, it became a lot more fun.
I'm challenging myself to use a paintbrush and water because I really want to push myself to learn how much water I need to load on the brush. But if you want more precision, you can use a waterbrush -- they're brushes with a built-in barrel that you don't have to dip in water.
I was actually able to get really highly-detailed watercolor with a waterbrush and watercolor pencils. You lay the color down with the pencil, then us the waterbrush to just moisten and blend So, it might be a good thing to transition with for you. You have a lot of control with it, actually. It's what I used before I got Copics, and I was able to get some good shading in on my critters.
I hope you do try some watercolor soon, too. I would love to see your work!
Have a lovely week. :)
Totally love your precious card, Elle! You did really well with the watercoloring!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Anja! It was a fantastic learning piece for me and I'm very happy with how it's turned out. :)
DeleteElle, you might be a beginner, but you definitely have a natural talent. This is amazing!
ReplyDeleteI'll get there eventually! I just need to push myself to practice more. :D
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