Exploring Watercolor Mediums: Liquid Watercolor Inks

By | 07/24/2020

There are a number of liquid watercolor inks on the market today.  I’ve mostly used the watercolor brush markers and I quite like creating with them.  Altenew just came out with a new set this week.  It’s now on my wishlist!

Day 3 of Altenew’s Elements of Watercoloring Mediums, we explored using the watercolor brush marker liquid ink refills as a direct watercoloring medium.  I have not actually done this yet!  I actually have the watercolor brush marker refills (or some of them) and I have a couple of liquid inks from craft kits, but haven’t played with them yet.

I did that today!

exploring watercolor mediums with liquid inks

This is my favorite card so far!  This is actually made from the leftover ink on my craft mat!!  You know I’m not wasting it!  Retired gal on a small crafty budget never wastes anything!  I had extra watercolor cardstock cut and ready to go, so it was no big deal just to swipe this across the mat until all the ink was on the paper.  I LOVED this!

I’ve used the Sophisticated Wreath stamp set to add a little detail in the corner with a sentiment.  Isn’t that a perfect sentiment?exploring watercolor mediums with liquid inks

I also spritzed this with the Dusk ink spray and I was very careful to put it aside and let it dry.  I actually left the room and had dinner so I would not smudge that fabulous spritz of spray.  I added a few of the Cool Summer Nights enamel dots to finish it off.

Background inks: Sweet Leaf, Dusk, Citrus Burst

Flower Inks: Moss, Rubellite, Warm Sunshine, Ultramarine

The technique is much like the smooshing or Kiss technique that I demonstrated in one of my technique videos a couple of months ago.  I use it all the time when I make my mixed media backgrounds for my journals and scrapbooks.  I tend to use it with other mediums, but this was a fun twist on that.

We added a few drops of 3 colors of ink (listed above) onto a piece of acetate, spritzed it with water and then flipped it over onto a piece of watercolor paper.  Then we moved the color around with our fingers.

exploring watercolor mediums with liquid inks

The green really overwhelmed the blue and the yellow.  I accidentally added one extra drop of the green.  Lesson learned!  I did Vicki Boutin it up with 3 layers of splatters in the blue and yellow.  I dried the bottom panel, added some blue splatters and dried it with my heat tool until just the edges of the splatters dried and then blotted up the wet centers.  I repeated the same process twice with the yellow and I would have kept going, but that wasn’t the point of the homework assignment.  So I stopped here and added the script hello and the sentiment from the Lace Up stamp set.

A few gold and silver sequins finished off the card.  It’s a bold statement of color!  It’s also a perfect masculine card.  A few more layers of splatter would have made the depth of color amazing…that will be a project for tomorrow!

Supply List:


I appreciate that you stopped by to see what I’ve been up to!  Make sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think of my cards!

4 thoughts on “Exploring Watercolor Mediums: Liquid Watercolor Inks

  1. Anita Cripps

    Hi Kim! I am just catching up with your posts. Love these cards. You are so fortunate to be able to put so much time into your crafting. It is the only way to “master” a new technique. That is my plan when I retire. For now I focus on traditional stamping and learning to use my artist markers. I am loving them. Thanks again for sharing! Stay cool with these hot days.

    Reply
    1. Kimberly Post author

      Anita, thank you so much! It is fabulous to be able to create full time now. I’m taking classes and learning great stuff. It’s nice to actually have time just to practice and experiment with new techniques and tools as well. I love those Altenew markers so much. It’s just a great way to start with the alcohol markers. I reach for them constantly because they are right in front of me on my desk! Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment! Be well!

      Reply
  2. ashlea cornell

    I love these cards, Kim! I love the backgrounds you made and your color choices! (And that you don’t waste. I’m like that, too)

    Reply

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