Simon Says Stamp Send Happiness BLOG HOP - Day 1

Yesterday, the newest release from SSS went live called Send Happiness. There is a whole lot of happy in this release! I posted a "one stamp, five ways" post yesterday HERE using the Chillin' Gnomies stamp set. Here is an image of the five cards I made:

I will also have a "one stamp, five ways" post on the SSS blog on the 30th using the new Fairytale Spinners stamp set. Here is a sneak of those five cards:

And now for today's business! I have a new set of Suzy's watercolor cards as part of this release called "Under The Sea". Here is an image of them as they are sold (all printed on watercolor paper):

I painted all 12 of these cards, but after making the 10 cards above first, I ran out of time to do a few things I normally do. I finished coloring them RIGHT before it got dark today, so I shot the photos with just envelopes and no fancy photo props! I actually like them this way though as it is less distracting I think! What do you think? I also didn't add greetings to the 6 cards that came without. They will be nice as notecards this way, or I can add the greetings right before I use them in the future. Sorry they are not completed as I would like, but I am glad I get to share all 12 colored! Here is an image of all 12 together:

I have photos of the 12 below and then I will list some tips/techniques I use for coloring them (I do this every month, so forgive me for the repetition). I will also have the details for the blog hop at the very end of this post.

12 UNDER THE SEA WATERCOLOR CARDS ALL COLORED:

 

TIPS/TECHNIQUES for coloring these watercolor cards:

First, I have to tell you about my newest purchase I bought myself for Mother's Day. I saw Kathy Racoosin watercoloring with the Karin Brushmarkers and I really wanted them, so I bought the full set at SSS. I used them on most of these cards and I LOVE THEM SO MUCH! To be honest, at first I hated them and thought I wasted my money. But then I went through a learning curve and now they are my favorite coloring tool ever - I DIDN'T EVEN PULL OUT MY COLORED PENCILS!!!! I'll cover the "how to" in my tips. Now back to that!

• These cards are printed on Ranger Watercolor Paper and it is thick and works with any coloring medium including colored pencils, watercolor, or Copics. I tend to use all of these on each one sometimes. I definitely MIX my coloring mediums - no rules here peeps.
• One of my favorite coloring mediums for the backgrounds on these cards are my Tonic Nuvo Shimmer Powders. I love these as they have multiple colors in each color and they shimmer too! Also, they don't stain the paper like some inexpensive watercolors do so they work really well as you can move them even after they dry. You can use them with a lot of water for very light/transparent color or with less water for more intense color.
• There are so many different types of watercolors that work great for these cards. I usually use my Daniel Smith tube watercolors, but this time I used my new watercolor markers. There are 3 ways that work well when using these markers or any watercolor marker. Color them on a plastic surface and pick up the color with a wet brush, touch a wet brush to the tip of the marker to pick up color, or apply the color right on the paper with the tip of the marker. When you do it this last way, I usually wet the paper first so the color bleeds outward. What is so magical about these markers is the way you can add multiple colors to the same area mixing them together for a mottled look. A good example of how cool this works is the turtles body and the seahorse's head.You can also let the color dry and then layer different colors on top of each other also for a cool look as I did on the crabs body. 
• Use colored pencils or watercolor pencils to add shading or texture once your watercolors are dry. I did this on the last card on the seal, sand, and water. I usually do it on all my cards, but the watercolor markers gave me enough shading, so I didn't feel like I needed to this time - yay.
• Add dots to your coloring for added texture as I did on the body of the jelly fish. I painted them one color first and then went over it with the tips of my watercolor markers and a white gel pen with lots of little dots. 
• I go crazy with my Nuvo drops decorating the cards when I am done coloring. Use them on flat areas by moving the drops around to cover an entire area (they don't need to be used only for drops). I used Nuvo Glaze on most of the bubbles. I love my glitter drops and use them the most. I used them on the top of each wave on the first card with the whales for a fun look.
• Decorate your cards with a white gel pen and/or glitter gel pens to add details as I did on the funky fish card (I love those crazy fish on that one!). I used the Karin brush markers on them, so if you look at the bottom one with the pink and orange you can see how the colors blend so well together.  
• Die-cut the cards with rectangle dies to give them a more finished look. I use a large stitched rectangle for a full size card to give the outlines texture. I use the SSS A2 largest rectangle (toss the frame) to make them one size smaller than a card base so the card color mats them to make the colors pop more. 
• Enlist the help of your kids when coloring these cards. I had the BEST day 2 days ago when I got both of my girls to help me color (they are 18 and 20). They were really bored and it was too cloudy to go to the beach, thus they were desperate for something to do. My 18 year old is a really good artist and she painted the one with the big yellow fish with my new Karin brush markers. I loved how it turned out so different than my usual style. She used the brush markers for the sky so it looks very textured where I always use Shimmer powders for skies so they are smooth. It was fun to see what she did with the cards and now I will always want her help. But she spent about 4 hours on this card though, so she might be too slow to help me again haha! (((I had to fire the 20 year old as she colored my shells ugly non-realistic colors and didn't finish as she got bored))) 

Every month I try to come up with different tips, so check any of my last posts for additional ones (on each blog hop) and to see each set of my watercolor cards colored! I have a total of over 40 sets now all sold at SSS under the heading Suzy's Watercolor Cards. 

BLOG HOP DETAILS:

• All cards made with the new release are in the Send Happiness Gallery HERE. It is so nice being able to see all of them in one place when you are looking for inspiration. Don't forget to add your cards to the gallery as well!
• There is a free gift with purchase on this hop - see details on the graphic at the end of this post
• SSS is giving away a $25 GC on each stop of this 2 day blog hop from the comments section. They will draw the winners this weekend and announce them on the SSS blog next Wednesday, July 1st. You can email them to claim your prize.
• Next on the hop is BIBI CAMERON. If you are lost and want to start over, you can go to the SSS blog for the full list of participants. Tomorrow is day 2 of the blog hop, so start on the SSS blog to see much more inspiration tomorrow!

Thank you so much for visiting today. All of the products I used on this post are listed below with links to the SSS store. Thanks in advance for all the nice comments you are hopefully going to leave me - haha. I love reading them - it makes all the time I spend drawing and coloring these images so worth it. The new release is HERE if you want to head there now. Have a great week friends and STAY WELL please!!! xoxo suzy

Comments

[Jenny N]

Stunning coloring ...... love your cards!

[Jennifer Rasnick]

I never was a big fan of the gnomes until now! Love your beautiful cards!

[Liz Eagles]

I love these watercolor cards ! and thanks so much for your great tips for creating them

[Melanie Barrett]

You have been quite busy! Thanks so much for all the different cards! They are all beautiful!

[Mary-Anne V]

Wow you have been busy and it was a great idea to get help from your girls.

[gail]

Oh my, so many great cards to choose from.

[Giselaine Ellison]

Suzy, your cards and colouring are beautiful. Love this SSS release. So many favourites.

[Colleen]

so true, and ocean breeze puts a mind at ease. Your cards brought some wonderful memories.

[Larissa Heskett]

WOWOWOWOOWOWOW!! LOVE these!! THANKS SO MUCH for sharing!!

[tina z]

wow, such happy and cheerful cards!

[Heather Jacobs]

Wow so many stunning cards! Great job!!

[gayle]

That's not fair, you made too many lovely cards. I can't choose just one to love.

[Manda M]

So beautiful, I really love the gnomes

[Carol E. Wortman]

Just when I thought the gnome was over. Yay!! You appear with these fabulous cards!! Love the coloring, the fun, the spinning and super cute content! This must have taken you weeks. Just beautiful coloring! Mega inspiration!

[Anne McColley]

Your coloring is so beautiful! :) I agree with Lauryne above and would love to watch you in action! Thanks so much for sharing your work.

[Vicki K]

Wow!! Lots of creativity here. Just love the gnomes and mushroom cards. The 12 watercolor cards are so bright and cheerful. Just love the big crab.

[Connie Johnson]

WOW Suzy :) You've been one beautifully busy lady!!! The gnomes are adorable! The fairies are precious! And your watercolor cards are amazing!! Thanks for inspiring me :)

[Carole Anne M Patterson]

So much eye candy to look at in your post. Love the cards and painting. Thanks for the great tips with the Karin’s, I have a set waiting to be used.

[tina z]

such beautifully colored cards, I love them all, they are stunning!

[Brenda]

I'm really enjoying this new release but your coloring cards are my favorite thing about it!!