Hello FRIENDS! Today is day two of the Simon Says Stamp Blog Hop announcing their new Making Spirits Bright release. It is full of holiday goodness from Halloween, to Thanksgiving, and all the way to Christmas! I have a new set of watercolor cards as part of this release called Gratitude. Here is an image:
I want to give you a little background to why I drew this set at this time (besides the fact that it fits with a Thanksgiving theme!). As I was trying to decide what to make my newest set about, I was watching the devastation on the news from Harvey in Houston. I was so impressed with how everyone was helping those that were affected by the storm. It made me think about how grateful I am that no matter how hard life gets, people are good to each other. I drew all of these during that tragedy trying to focus on being grateful for our blessings even during times of trouble. Then came the next storm devastating the Virgin Islands and the Florida Keys. There was so much damage to Puerto Rico and then a horrible earthquake in Mexico. I was just in shock at all the sad stories and horrible things happening to our world when I woke up to the news of the shooting in Las Vegas. And now as I write this, my home state of CA is battling wild fires with so many lost lives, people missing, and homes gone. It feels like it is never going to end, but I do "still think to myself, what a wonderful world" as I watch people serve and love one another over and over and over again. And for that view of the world, I am grateful!
I have colored them all for you so you can see what they will look like in full color all dressed up with lots of sequins, Nuvo Drops, glitter pens, watercolors, and love added to them. At the end of all these photos, I'll give you some general tips to help you make your set as pretty as possible!
TIPS FOR COLORING YOUR IMAGES:
- I use Daniel Smith watercolors on all of my images. They are all printed on Ranger Watercolor Paper so they hold up very well with water and these paints. But ANY watercolor paint will work as well as any other coloring medium. You can use colored pencils, markers of any kind including Copic, or any paints you have.
- After I paint the images, I add details and shading with gel pens - I use the Kaiser Craft Glitter Pens (you can purchase them alone or in a set of 24 or 48 all linked below). I absolutely LOVE these pens as they add shading when it is hard to get dark shading with watercolors. I color some on and then blot the color before it dries (using my finger haha) so the lines and color soften.
- I also use a Uniball white gel pen on many of my images because honestly it's the best white gel pen out there.
- I use Tonic Nuvo Drops to dress up my images. They aren't only for drops although I do use them quite a bit for that as you can see! I love the glitter ones the best and I use a lot of the clear one over letters and other items I want to make raised and glossy. Think of that color as Glossy Accents. On the Count Your Blessings letters, I used the clear Nuvo Drops and then sprinkled glitter on the bottom half of the letters while it was still wet.
- I splatter paint on most of my images. I get a wet brush and then dip it into a lot of color and just tap the brush against my finger over the images.
- For backgrounds, I use a wet on wet technique where I wet the paper (liberally!) and then add color to it with a wet paintbrush. This lets the color spread outward and develop into a nice soft wash. I often drop multiple colors in it and let them blend as they mix together.
- I add shadows to letters either using a gray Copic Marker or my glitter pens.
- I use a Wink of Stella over flowers and letters to give it a glittery sheen.
- I die-cut the cards with either a full size stitched rectangle (I use a Lawn Fawn one) or with an embossed rectangle that is one size smaller than a card base so it shows as a mat for the watercolor card (using MFT Blueprints 1).
- I finish my images with twine and sequins.
And now, back to the blog hop. Next on the hop is Amanda Korotkova. If you leave a comment on this blog post, you will be eligible to win a $25 gift certificate to the Simon Says Stamp Store. The winner will be chosen over the weekend and announced on the SSS blog on Tuesday. And don't forget this is a two day hop, so if you haven't seen yesterday's hop yet, visit the SSS blog to start that one. Thanks so much for visiting today and have a GREAT weekend friends! Suzy
Oh my goodness. I am in awe of the creativity. Fabulous release.
Posted by: Vivian | October 13, 2017 at 05:40 AM
Beautiful work! Thank you for the ideas!
Posted by: Kris Schleich | October 13, 2017 at 05:40 AM
These are fantastic! I need to get some!
Posted by: Shari Czerwinski | October 13, 2017 at 05:42 AM
WOW such pretty cards love them all.
Posted by: Sally Sherfield | October 13, 2017 at 05:53 AM
Love your coloring! These are great!
Posted by: Sarah M | October 13, 2017 at 05:57 AM
I simply love the quotes on these cards. Lovely water coloring- thanks for the inspiration.
Posted by: Lori B | October 13, 2017 at 05:58 AM
These are so great. love the affirming messages, the lovely coloring and the great tips and tricks!
Posted by: Pai | October 13, 2017 at 06:06 AM
Super! I love the coloring and he sentiments they are inspiring..thank you!
Posted by: Amanda Lanager | October 13, 2017 at 06:07 AM
The coloring on the cards and the sentiments are awesome. Really like them all.
Posted by: Angela R | October 13, 2017 at 06:09 AM
Wow, amazing coloring and accents. Thanks for sharing
Posted by: Jennifer | October 13, 2017 at 06:09 AM
What fantastic coloring!
Posted by: Kelli M | October 13, 2017 at 06:19 AM
The cards are amazing. Love the illustrations and the gorgeous coloring.
Posted by: Nandini Karmarkar | October 13, 2017 at 06:43 AM
All of these cards look great and would be amazing to share!
Posted by: Aimee LaCroix-Slocum | October 13, 2017 at 06:51 AM
Gorgeous cards!!! Great colouring!!!
Posted by: Arianna Barbara | October 13, 2017 at 06:51 AM
Oh my word! You are amazing! great watercoloring!
Posted by: Cindy | October 13, 2017 at 06:59 AM
This is clearly a great set for those of us who love to color in our stamped images!
Posted by: Donna Gourley | October 13, 2017 at 07:02 AM
Your designs are so beautiful and unique. I love the way you colored them.
Posted by: Jackie P | October 13, 2017 at 07:03 AM
I love each and every one of these lovely and inspiring cards. Thank you for sharing the background info and the tips - very helpful! Your cards provide hope in the midst of these often dark times.
Posted by: Cecie H | October 13, 2017 at 07:06 AM
Lovely cards!
Posted by: Barbara Chmura | October 13, 2017 at 07:06 AM
I love your cards! So fun.
Posted by: Debbie Rumpza | October 13, 2017 at 07:08 AM
You have so found your niche! The quotes with your art is the best!! Thank you for the inspiration.
Posted by: Therese A | October 13, 2017 at 07:16 AM
These are just beautiful quotes - your art work is fabulous!
Posted by: ConnieG | October 13, 2017 at 07:19 AM
Love how you colored in these cards - super pieces of art:)
Posted by: Dee Earnshaw | October 13, 2017 at 07:25 AM
Great cards, and beautiful watercolorimg
Posted by: Debbie | October 13, 2017 at 07:26 AM
You've been very busy making all those cards. Thank you for sharing your talent.
Posted by: Judy R. | October 13, 2017 at 07:37 AM