Color! All colors are fun to play with, so when I was gifted a set of watercolor powders, I was so excited! …and a little intimidated.
Let’s be honest: watercoloring is a lot of fun and creates magnificent results. Here are some of my previous watercolor cards you might like. But using these concentrated watercolor pigments in a powder form was something new to me.
So I sat down to play. I cleared my workspace and brought out my watercolor paper. A thank you card was my hopeful end-goal. Here’s what I was able to do.
Tip: If you want to keep your watercolor paper from curling up when wet (and you want a fantastic white border), use washi tape to tape your paper to a flat non-porous surface.
Tape down your watercolor paper to keep it from curling up (and leave a thin white border).
Using washi tape (or thin painters tape), separate one half of the paper from the other.
Sprinkle a SMALL amount of watercolor powder onto your paper. This stuff goes a LONG way.
Spritz water on the powder to activate it and watch the colors burst. Spray more if you want the colors to blend more.
Use a paintbrush or your heat tool to move the water around.
When your background is dry, remove your washi tape and adhere it to your card base.
Cut your vellum paper into a 3″ x 3″ square and adhere to the middle of your card using glue dots.
Die cut your sentiment from Navy and use your liquid glue to adhere it to the center of your vellum.
Stamp the additional sentiment in Navy and add two white brads.
I had a difficult time choosing, but I belive I’ll be sending this bright card to my friend to thank her for the watercolor powders! I might be biased, but rainbow always wins!
I can’t wait to create more using my Color Burst Powders! There are many other ways to use these, and this “sprinkle and spritz” is just a single method. I love intense colors, and these definitely are intense and fun to play with!
The challenges I’m playing along with this card today are:
If you enjoyed this post and found it helpful, I’d love to hear from you below and to see you share it! I’ll be posting more powder techniques within a few weeks! Happy crafting!
Painting on a canvas was on my bucket list. Maybe you are an expert and make those beautiful works of art that I see on Instagram. Or maybe you are super-intimidated about putting paint to brush to canvas.
A few months ago I went with a friend to a paint and sip night benefitting a Black Dog Rescue, and we were led through the steps to create a beautiful canvas featuring a black puppy playing in a bathtub. Mine certainly didn’t look like the teachers, but all of our paintings were the same. I was happy with it, and gifted it to my mom in memory of her sweet black lab.
I haven’t painted since. I don’t own my own paints, nor did I remember to throw a canvas into my cart during my last trip through a craft store (let’s be honest…during my last time on Amazon). I’ve wanted to paint again..it was so much fun for me, but something kept me from pulling the trigger. Did I think I wouldn’t be able to paint something… discernable… without the help of a teacher?
Fast forward to last week, and I saw a flier for an Arts and Crafts night in the community where we recently moved. Why not? I’d love to meet like-minded neighbors! I arrive to a group of fantastic ladies, am handed a canvas (and maybe a glass of wine 😉 ha ha), and told the theme is dreamcatchers. No step-by-step directions were given, although the resident Artist was full of great tips for whatever someone wanted to do. I was apprehensive…similar to how I felt in the canvas aisle!
Painting isn’t in my comfort zone… I’m a stamper and sewist!
Then the resident Artist said “If you don’t like something, you can just paint over it.” Those words were so powerful. The reminder we all need sometimes that mistakes are just that, and can be corrected.
I began creating a background: the easy first step to (let the wine kick in) get the creative juices flowing. I created a red to black ombre. I looked up to see others making beautiful blue sky and sunny yellow backgrounds. “Oh no. These ladies are going to think I’m morbid.”
It’s no picasso, but it’s a reminder to try new things without hesitation!
From there I just had fun with it.
No more hesitation.
I’ve been trying to improve my calligraphy, and so why not practice it in paint! I could just paint over it if it looked terrible. But I would welcome any suggestions for how to improve my writing!
One of my new friends mentioned putting a rainbow behind her dreamcatcher. If you’ve read any of my other posts, you might have noticed how much I LOVE creating with rainbows! (Check out the Rainbow Watercolor cards or these Comic cards or these colorful Blooms). But I already had the dark background… it looked like I’d just have to paint over my dark background to add some rainbow feathers! I had so much fun!
Everyone had a very VERY different looking canvas, and each had a unique personality. Great things happen when we let go of the possibility of failure.
TIPS FOR ANYONE TRYING A NEW CRAFT
Think about what you would do next if the project in front of you was your “craft of choice.” Would you arrange your colors nearby? Would you create a background?
Accept that this is new to you and out of your comfort zone. No one expects you to be an expert. 🙂
If you are able, observe or ask what others have done while learning the craft.
Look online! Tutorials are everywhere for beginners of just about everything.
Learning the basics can allow you to relax and enjoy your progress.
Ask yourself “Why am I afraid to create?”
Don’t compare yourself to others. You are the only one who can create like you do.
The only person who needs to like it is YOU.
Try physically putting the pen to the page (or brush to the canvas, or yarn to the needle) without making a permanent mark.
Don’t worry about making a mistake.
I can’t stress this enough. I heard a lot of anguish of other people afraid to paint because they “might make a mistake.”
Art is supposed to be fun. Let it be!
Purposefully make a mistake. Seriously! You’ll be surprised at how easily you are able to be resourceful and create something beautiful from your mistake.
I get messy when I’m crafting, and smudges happen. Sequins can cover those!
Think about what the worst-case scenario. You might need to paint over it 😉 or throw a sequin over it. It’ll be ok.
You can learn from your “mistakes” and try again.
Trust your intuition.
Can I recommend a glass of wine?
Take a break and relax. You can’t force it.
You got this! Have FUN!
The process of creating a design without having a plan can be really intimidating. But we all have creativity inside of us and the ability to adapt as we go. We’ve been doing it our whole lives.
I’m a newbie to painting on canvas, but so glad I tried it. I might have caught the bug! When was the last time you tried something new or out of your comfort zone? I’d love to hear about your experience! Did anything help you feel more comforable? Comment below. How did your project turn out?
No matter what your “Craft of Choice” is, Happy Crafting!
Sometimes, we just need to quietly remind our friends that they are majestic. And sometimes, they need a glittery card with a rainbow unicorn!
I originally tried creating this fun card with only black and white to let the rainbow unicorn stand out, but it didn’t have the bold look I was trying for. Of course this card needed glitter! So I whipped out a few colors of glitter paper, and the blue really made me smile, as I hope this card does for you.
What pops in real life but my camera had a hard time capturing are the gold stickles on the horn. I stamped the sentiment (so perfect!!) and heat embossed with a matching blue glitter.
I don’t know if I’ll ever not be excited for unicorns! The Lisa Frank epidemic of my childhood also reminds me that OF COURSE they have rainbow manes. Is there something fun from your childhood that keeps popping up in your crafting? Let me know below in the comments– I’d love to hear about it!!
Happy Crafting!
If you like this stamp set, I recommend checking out Ink Road Stamps! You’ll even get 15% off your order!
