Watercolor Ombre Technique

Have you ever had inspiration coming from so many directions that you couldn’t decide which project to try first?

That is how I’m feeling lately!

I’m taking classes, experimenting with new techniques and products and just having so much fun.  It’s just the relaxing vacation I needed.  There is so much to be said about a staycation.

Today I’m sharing some cards that I made using a watercolor technique that I’ve been playing with lately.  This is a watercolor ombre technique and you can make this as subtle or as vibrant as you want it to be.

I made two cards that I want to share with you using stamps from two different companies.  I just discovered Sunny Studio Stamps and ordered the cutest Playful Polar Bear stamp set and die cut bundle.  Plus, it was 14 degrees Fahrenheit here today, so a polar bear seemed totally appropriate.

Is this not just the cutest  little bear??  The die cut actually cuts his little arms out so you could tuck a lollipop in there.  I love him!

The background is a watercolor ombre technique using Stampin’ Up!’s Dapper Denim ink and an aqua painter.  This is still my favorite watercoloring tool.  It’s quick and simple.  I sometimes watercolor with paints and brushes, but that’s work!  This was relaxing and fun.

To do this technique, I started by spritzing my watercolor paper and then floating the ink over it with my aqua painter.  I started at the dark end which is the bottom of this card and then lightly went up the paper adding more water as I went to create a lighter color as I went.  This creates the ombre effect.  It took about 3 minutes to do.  The worst part is waiting for the paper to dry completely before moving on.

The little polar bear is stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and then I used my Stampin’ Blends to give him a shadow and some highlights.  I used the light smokey slate, the pink pirouette and the night of navy.  The sentiment is embossed in white on Dapper Denim card stock.

The die cut is actually from Simon Says Stamps.  They had a sale!  It came as a set and I could not prevent myself from adding it to my cart online.  I love the script font and the long wavy tails.  It’s beautiful.  I added some of the Sizzix adhesive to my card stock before cutting this Hello sentiment out with my new little Mini Blossom Die Cutting Machine from Altenew.  (It’s so pretty and so convenient to have on my desk.  I love this purchase!)

 

These are beautiful cut out and quite fine and fragile.  That little Mini Blossom cut them out beautifully!!!

I’m going to participate in the Anything Goes Challenge from Tuesday Morning Sketches #424.

 

My second card was created using the same technique with Juniper Mist ink from Catherine Pooler’s line of inks.  I used the same technique that I used with the Stampin’ Up! ink and I was happy with the result.  This blue has a bit of purple in it and you can see it on the card.  Here I put the darker bolder end at the top.

I actually used two stamp sets from Altenew for the images and sentiment on this one.  They had a sale!

I used the Carved Rose stamp and die bundle, but the solid image rose was a little too heavy for the look that I was going for.  I then pulled out the Dahlia Blossoms stamp and die bundle and got the lighter feel with the outline stamp from that set.  I kept the solid leaves from the other set and I felt like it added interest to the card.  The sentiment is a combination of two stamps from that tiny Carved Rose set.  I love when you get two fonts like this on one stamp set.  It makes the sentiment so much more eye catching and interesting.

How fun is that watercolor ombre technique?  It really adds a little something extra to your card background.  It’s a way to create your own background paper.

I had a another fun day stamping.  Today my daughter joined me in between work on some graduate research project she’s doing. I gave her a Hero Arts Calendar Kit to create with.  I figured that would be something perfect for her desk that would make her happy when she looks at it.  She’s using all kinds of supplies so I can’t wait to see all the monthly calendar pages when she’s done.  It’s just like old times with the two of us spending time together crafting!

Thank you so  much for stopping by.

Remember that Stampin’ Up! is having a SALE!

Check out the Clearance Rack and the Retiring Products.  Those retiring product prices disappear at the end of 2017!  (As do those products!)

Shop online at mystampingstore.com!

Thank you so much for stopping by.  Enjoy the last few days of 2017.  Happy New Year!