Donna T Crafting: March 2024

For my first Level 3 course, I decided to try the Advanced Coloring with Erum. The lessons in this class were so good and I was so intimidated going into the course. I feel I have very little experience with watercoloring and with coloring. So, this class was a good beginning for the practice that I want to do in this area.

I decided to make 3 cards for this class. Below is a brief explanation on what I did with the cards. My concentration was adding highlights using alcohol markers, watercoloring with watercolor pencils and watercoloring with brush markers.

Card #1:

For my first card, I used the Altenew Queen Anemone Stamp Set. I stamped using Altenew’s Crisp Ink Pads. I stamped the flower’s solid color in Caribbean Sky and then skipped to the outline layer in Sapphire (leaving out the middle detail stamp). I did the centers in Cloudy Sky(center), Nimbus (stems) and Coral Bliss. For the leaves, I stamped the outline in Moss and the inside in Olive.

Once done, I used the Altenew Alcohol markers to add more color (Olive, Parrot and Bamboo) to the leaves and then adding Caribbean Sky and Persian Blue to the flower leaves, flicking color to add more details. I was amazed at the difference this made. I also added a few details using Cloudy Sky, Nimbus and Bamboo in the center. I then cut these images out.

Next I took some watercolor paper. I mixed Red and Yellow Aqua Pigment to make some orange and dropped it over the watercolor paper. Then I spritzed it and kept the darker colors in one corner and spread out from there. After this was set and dried, I added some pearl Aqua Pigment to the orange and did some splatters.

Once everything was dry, I started playing with the lay-out. I had a few miscuts and decided to put those off the card (and cut it off) and put it under a leaf. Originally, I had the flowers in the upper left and coming down, but the bottom flower kept looking upside down. Then it came to me, just flip it over!! This looked so much better with the flowers facing upward. I glued these down, added the gems and sentiment. Then I put this all on my blue card base.

I must say, this is one of my favorite projects and I loved all the tips from the class to help in creating this beautiful card!!

Products Used:

Altenew Queen Anemone Stamp Set

Altenew Crisp Ink Pads – Olive, Moss, Coral Bliss, Cloudy Sky, Nimbus, Sapphire and Caribbean Sky

Altenew Alcohol Markers – Caribben Sky, Persian Blue, Cloudy Sky, Nimbus, Dark Night, Bamboo, Parrot, and Olive

Artistry by Altenew Watercolor Paper

Gems

Foiled Happy Birthday sentiment in stash

Brutus Monroe Aqua Pigment – Red, Yellow and Pearl

Dark Blue A2 card panel

Card #2:

Doing this card was taking a huge step outside of my comfort zone!!! I started by stamping both flower images from the Altenew Build-A-Garden: Rosa Gallico Stamp and die set on watercolor paper using embossing ink and then embossed with clear embossing powder. This will be used as the outline for my images.

I then started coloring using my watercolor pencils. I used the darker colors in a family toward the center and then getting lighter as I moved out. I did not worry about covering the entire image as the water will help in move the pigment out.

After coloring, I spritzed the image with water and then helped move the pigment around with my damp brush. I also soaked up large amounts of water using a paper towel.

I repeated this process after the image dried overnight, doing touch ups and adding a bit more color where I thought it was needed in some places and then added water again. I then used my heat tool to dry the image.

Next I die cut the images, stamped the sentiment in black and prepared to start laying out the design.

I had a background in my stash which was created with some Fuchsia Mica spray and then embossed using an embossing folder. I laid out the flowers and added them using foam tape and cut off anything that went over the edge. I then used a Sterling shimmer splash to add some splatter. I then added the sentiments on foam as well and then put on an A2 card base.

Products Used:

Altenew Build-A-Garden: Rosa Gallico Stamp and die set

Artistry by Altenew Watercolor Paper

Aquablend by Spectrum Noir Watercolor Pencils – Bamboo, Pesto Green, Moss, Wheat, Sunshine, Mango, Papaya, Clay, Aubergine, Grapefruit, Watermelon, Coral, Apricot, Champagne

Brutus Monroe Sterling Shimmer Splash

Brutus Monroe Icicle Embossing Powder

Brutus Monroe Embossing Ink

Sizzix Embossing Folder from stash

Fuchsia Mica Spray from stash

Card 3:

I was excited to try out the Altenew Watercolor Brush Markers. I stamped the large floral images from the Altenew Craft Your Life Project Kit: Dynamic Blossoms stamp set on Watercolor paper using black pigment ink. Then I embossed using clear embossing powder.

Next I began adding a little water to each flower then adding some color using the Watercolor brush markers. Two flowers I used the Desert Night and Turquoise and Three Flowers used the Crimson, Sunkissed and Fresh Lemon. For the greenery, I mixed using Sweet Leaf and Lime. After adding the color, I would take little more water to blend the colors and make sure I pushed the darker colors toward the bottom of each item.

After everything was dry, I took some clean water and began dripping it all over the image. Believe me, this was hard to do, but I had faith that this would work. I let it sit for about 3-5 minutes and then took a paper towel over the image to remove any remaining water. This left some wonderful lighter drops on the entire image. I then used the die to cut out the entire image.

Next I took another piece of watercolor paper and added water and then the purple wine color. I make it darker in one corner and moved to lighter on down the paper. I dried this with my heat tool and then again added water drops, let them sit for 3-5 minutes and then removed with a paper towel. Again, I was treated to wonderful drop on the image.

I cut the sentiments (hello and you) from two layers of white and a top layer of black cardstock. I glued these together and then glued that to my card front. I used an A2 black card panel to mount everything on.

I am very pleased to have tried this technique and can see myself doing this more and more as I am now gaining some confidence in some of these techniques. As they say, practice, practice, practice!!!