Altenew Creative Watercolor Media Class – Lesson 6

Posted on June 1, 2017 by dannscraftingwhims

Well, it’s time for my card from the final lesson of Altenew’s Creative Watercolor Media Class.

Lesson 6 showed another way to use re-inkers to watercolor. I liked this technique a lot! It’s fun to watch the colors spread out to wherever the water is on the paper. Although I only had 2 re-inkers, it worked just as well smooshing my ink pads onto a craft mat and picking up the ink. I added a lot of ‘raindrops’ — you regular readers know I love to take pictures of flowers that have raindrops on them. : )

Materials used:

Altenew Peony Bouquet & Beautiful Day (sentimen) stamp sets
Tsukineko Versamark Ink
Inkadinkado embossing powder: Linen White
Stampin’ Up! dye ink re-inkers: Bravo Burgundy & More Mustard
Altenew Crisp Dye Ink: Coral Berry
Tsukineko Memento dye inks: Bamboo Leaves, Dandelion, Sweet Plum & Teal Zeal
Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops: Morning Dew
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Cardstock
Simply Defined 5×7 Bright White card base 200#
Misc. teal cardstock
Tombow Xtreme adhesive

I am entering this in the following galleries and challenges:

Altenew Creative Watercolor Media Student Gallery.
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

Well, it was a fun and informative class. I’ve learned some useful tips and have a few techniques I think I will use again and again. As you’ve seen, the the class focuses on using dye inks (on pads, from re-inkers, or in shimmer sprays) to watercolor. Click on any of the highlighted links above for more info.

Edited to add: Thank you Altenew, for the honor!

Thank you all for stopping by! If I’m not back before, have a lovely weekend!

~D.Ann

p.s. any ads on this page are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed by me.

Altenew Creative Watercolor Media Class – Lesson 5

Posted on June 1, 2017 by dannscraftingwhims

Hello, again! Lesson 5 of Altenew’s Creative Watercolor Media Class was on using dye inks for watercoloring.

The images were stamped and then the butterfly was covered with a masking fluid. Once dry, the background could be ‘smooshed’ on, dried, and the masking rubbed off.

This was only my second ever try with masking fluid. I don’t know if it was because of the type of fluid I used this time or the watercolor paper, but the paper wanted to pull up with the fluid…

Argh!

But the nice thing about papercraft is most things are fixable… a Micron pen easily re-drew the lines, but when I watercolored the wing, the colors showed the lifted spots. Solution: Cover the areas with shiny metallics and dimensional liquids…

As the saying goes, ‘it’ll never be noticed on a galloping horse (or fluttering butterfly).’ lol

Materials used:

Altenew Bejeweled stamp and die sets
Altenew Coral Berry Crisp Dye Ink
Memento dye inks: Dandelion, Elderberry, Rhubarb Stalk, Sweet Plum, Teal Zeal and Tuxedo Black
Imagine Crafts IrRESISTible Pico embellishers: gold & copper
Nuvo Glitter Accents: Fresh Snowfall
Nuvo Crystal Drops: Morning Dew & Copper Penny
Prima Christine Adolph Watercolor Resist Pen
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Cardstock
Core’dinations Parisian Nights A2 pink card base
Tombow Xtreme adhesive

I am entering this in the following galleries and challenges:

Altenew Creative Watercolor Media Student Gallery.
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

Hopefully, I’ll be back soon with the final lesson.

~D.Ann

p.s. any ads on this page are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed by me.

Altenew Creative Watercolor Media Class – Lesson 4

Posted on May 30, 2017 by dannscraftingwhims

Welcome back to another card from Altenew’s Creative Watercolor Media Class.

Lesson 4 was quick and easy watercoloring with ink sprays. Once again, I had trouble with my stamped image in dye ink bleeding, but I dabbed it up and re-wet and had a light grey background that didn’t seem to bother the vibrancy of the mica sprays.

Love that shimmer and how the three colors blended! I did the body and the tips of the wings after drying the blended areas. Then I used Nuvo drops to add the embossed frame some dots, hearts and a doodle to finish it off.

Materials used:

Altenew Bejeweled stamp and die sets
Memento Tuxedo Black dye ink
Tattered Angels Glimmer Mists: Coral Reef, Stormy Night & Sunflower
Tonic Studios Gloss Nuvo Crystal Drops: Apple Green; Caribbean Ocean & Carnation Pink
Canson L’Aquarelle Hot Pressed Watercolor paper 140#
Core’dinations Parisian Nights A2 pink card base
Tombow Xtreme adhesive

I am entering this card in the Altenew Creative Watercolor Media Student Gallery.

There’s a lot on my plate tomorrow, but I’ll be back soon with the last two cards from this fun class.

~D.Ann

p.s. any ads on this page are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed by me.

Altenew Creative Watercolor Media Class – Lesson 3

Posted on May 29, 2017 by dannscraftingwhims

Well, after a roaring start, I wasn’t able to keep up the pace. : ) But I’m glad to be back today with a card I made for Lesson 3 of Altenew’s Creative Watercolor Media Class, taught by the ever cheerful and talented Laura Bassen (aka Laurafadora). She used the Altenew crisp dye ink pads to paint her cute card blending a light and dark shade of each color.

I liked my last card (the 3d lotus) so much, I thought I’d do the same layout but all on one layer this time, using the same color scheme from the May 2017 Inspiration Challenge in my foreground:

I also decided that since this would involve some masking and using the MISTI stamping tool, I should take advantage of the set up time and do 3 additional cards. The MISTI makes it easy to set up a production line:

I also wanted to try stamping in the darker color of what I’d be painting for a no-line look. Then I thought while I was at it, I would compare papers. Here they are, all ready to go…

Upper L: Distress Watercolor Cardstock; Upper R: Strathmore mixed media 90#; Lower l: Canson cold press Watercolor; Lower L: Canson L’Aquarelle Hot Pressed

Here’s how they turned out:

I learned why it’s easier to watercolor when you heat emboss the outline… the water and color stays in the lines! : ) I was surprised that the lines, although dry, absorbed the water from the fill-in and bled out, blurring the images. I can only imagine if I’d’ve used black to stamp the outlines! The Mixed Media paper was the worst at this although it said for wet media.

I selected the best one (Ranger Watercolor Cardstock) and decided to add some sunshine by watercoloring the white space in all yellow to make the flowers pop (and to see if it helped hide the bleeding). I think it turned out ok. I’ll set the others aside and try to do something with them later on.

Supplies used:

Altenew Lotus tamp and die sets
Altenew Beautiful Day stamp set (sentiment)
Tsukineko Versamark Ink
Inkadinkado embossing powder: Linen White
Altenew Crisp Dye Inks: Coral Berry & Frosty Pink
Tsukineko Memento dye inks: Bamboo Leaves, Dandelion & Pear Tart
Tsukineko Brilliance Pigment Ink: Pearlescent Beige (for the pistil)
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Cardstock
Here were the other three contenders, :
- Canson Cold Press Watercolor paper 140#
- Canson L’Aquarelle Hot Pressed Watercolor paper 140#
- Strathmore Mixed media 90#
Core’dinations pink cardstock
Simply Defined 5×7 Bright White card base 200#
Tombow Xtreme adhesive (great for watercolor – no warping!)

I am entering this in the following galleries and challenges:

Well, I’m halfway through the class and having a blast. I’ll be back when I can with the next card.

~D.Ann

p.s. any ads on this page are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed by me.

Altenew Creative Watercolor Media Class – Lesson 2

Posted on May 27, 2017 by dannscraftingwhims

Welcome back for my card from the second less of Altenew’s Creative Watercolor Media Class! This lesson, taught by the amazingly talented Debby Hughes of Lime Doodle Design, was on using shimmer sprays. Since the set she used is still on my wishlist, I started out with the Lotus set and colors used in the May 2017 Inspiration Challenge:

I don’t have the Altenew shimmer sprays, but did have another brand, but only the light pink and greens matched the inspiration colors. So, I grabbed my Altenew Coral Berry which is just like the hot pink and, by mixing it on my craft mat with the glimmer mist, the entire flower came out all shiny!

The aqua ‘pond’ background is made EXTRA shiny by adding a mix of Distress Mica Spray and Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Mist.

Tips: I love the tip Debbie gave to add aqua to the pink and yellow to the greens for some extra shading and depth!

Also, if you don’t want your white foam tape to show up under black paper, run a Sharpie Marker along the edges BEFORE adhering. (The voice of experience says that trying to do it afterward can lead to some oopsies!)

If you’re like me and don’t tape your watercolor paper down and it warps, Tombow Xtreme adhesive holds it flat/

Materials used:

Altenew Lotus tamp and die sets
Altenew Beautiful Day stamp set (sentiment)
Tsukineko Versamark Ink
Stampendous Glamour Detail Gold embossing powder
Altenew Crisp Dye Ink: Coral Berry
Tattered Angels Glimmer Mists: Bubble Light Green; Dazzling Diamonds, Forest Green, Lime Light, S.W.A.K., and Sunflower
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Mica Spray: Brushed Pewter
Canson Cold Press Watercolor paper 140#
Simply Defined 5×7 Bright White card base 200#
Tombow Xtreme adhesive
Aleene’s Clear Gel Tacky Glue

I am entering this in the following galleries and challenges:

Altenew Creative Watercolor Media Student Gallery.
Altenew May 2017 Inspiration Challenge: Watercolor Lotus Card

So far, there have been some excellent tips from each lesson (including one on die-cutting that I needed!). Although they are geared toward Altenew products, you can easily adapt them to similar products you may have on hand. I’m looking forward to working on the rest of the classes!

Hopefully I’ll see you again tomorrow!

~D.Ann

p.s. any ads on this page are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed by me.

Altenew Creative Watercolor Media Class – Lesson 1

Posted on May 27, 2017 by dannscraftingwhims

Hello and welcome! I am tickled pink that one of my favorite watercoloring bloggers, Debbie Hughes of Limedoodle Designs, gave me the opportunity to attend the Altenew Creative Watercolor Media Class in which she’s one of the teachers! Thank you, Debbie!!

Lesson 1, taught by the talented Jennifer Rzasa, was on watercoloring with re-inkers. I don’t craft enough to have needed many re-inkers for my dye inks (other than Memento Tuxedo Black), but I did have two from Stampin Up! – a burgundy and mustard… would they go well together? They seem to have done ok:

I used a regular Distress ink cube on my craft mat to get the green and it mixed fine with the re-inker for a nice variety of color on the leaves, too. It was fun watching the inks spread out quickly on the pre-wet petals! When I was satisfied with the color, I took the nearly dry brush and flecked a few lines on the petals and leaves.

Jenn recommended using hot pressed watercolor paper, since it’s smoother. I’ve never used hot pressed paper before, so I made a quick stop at nearby Jerry’s Artarama. They had the pads she recommended online for about $12. In store they were $44! I asked the clerk to double check the price and then showed him their online price. “Oh, on-line. That’s different,” he replied. You betcha!!! So I toodled over to Hobby Lobby and got a different brand with my 40% off coupon it came close and I didn’t have to wait on or pay for shipping. It’s probably not as white as she said the Arches brand which became the bane of my project when I went to mount it on my card as the heavy 200# card I have is bright white and I didn’t like the look of the cream against it…

To solve this problem, I ran a couple of brush width’s of water along the edge of my #200 cardstock and then touched the brush to a drop of burgundy re-inker and quickly had DIY card color that matched my project and made for a better contrast for the gold frame, too.