Hi there! My name is Ashlea from AshleaCrafts.com, and I’m thrilled that you could join me today on the SCT blog and Youtube channel! Today I’ll be exploring some simple and beautiful ways to incorporate different types of watercolor into your projects. I’ve learned so much from watching crafters on Youtube and have picked up a few things on my own while practicing with watercolor, and I thought this would be a wonderful opportunity to share some tips with you. The great thing about watercoloring is that you can create beautiful designs without needing a ton of experience. The more you practice, the better you’ll get, but my video is packed with techniques and tips to make a beginner look like a pro! Check it out below:

The first card I showed in the video uses the liquid watercolor set from Pinkfresh Studio. These are great for creating backgrounds, washes, and though they are very pigmented, they are easily watered down to create gorgeous transparent colors as well. I decided to go for a rainbow background here that lent itself well to the sun’s image peeking out of the clouds.

AshleaCornell1forScrapbook&CardsTodayMagazinePinkfreshStudio

Creating this background was a piece of cake after watching one of my crafty heroes, Laura Fadora share her tips on a similar technique! I chose my rainbow colors and diluted them just a bit with some clean water. The colors I used, in succession are Cherry Red, Clementine, Sunshine, Key Lime, Sapphire, and Lavender. Using a flat, square tip brush, I dipped the tip into a bit of the pigment and created a stroke on the watercolor card stock. To be sure the appearance of the brushstroke stayed intact after adding other colors, I made sure to dry each stroke with my heat gun (if you’re a more patient person, you could totally let it air dry, instead). I repeated the same process for all six colors, trimmed my cardstock to 3 1/2″ x 4 3/4″, and added my die cut pieces onto the watercolor. Finally, I added the birthday sentiment with Versafine Onyx Black ink and adhered the entire front to an A2 sized card.

AshleaCornell1forScrapbook&CardsTodayMagazinePinkfreshStudio-2

Next, we’ve got a super simple watercoloring technique using dye ink refills! I used the new Color Crush inks from The Stamp Market to create a fun Christmas card. Dye ink refills can be used in a similar fashion to liquid watercolor, however the tend to be a little less pigmented especially when diluted with water. The great benefit to using dye ink refills is that they’re two-fold and maybe something you already have on hand to refill your inks!

AshleaCornell3forScrapbook&CardsTodayMagazineTheStampMarket

For these ornament stamps in the Mini Ornament Bundle, I used a very simple technique and basically just colored them in. To add a little bit of dimension I made sure to add a second layer of pure pigment to the lower curve of the ornaments to give shadow and depth. Even though there isn’t a ton of detail added to these images, I think the watercolor wash look gives such a great soft texture and brings out the feel of a real homemade card. To achieve a more “artsy” look I made sure to add a couple layers of color. The first was quite diluted with clean water, the next slight less diluted, and finally I ran over the entire image after it had dried with a slightly wet brush to reactivate certain parts of the watercolor. This gives that fun texture once it dries back.

AshleaCornell4forScrapbook&CardsTodayMagazineTheStampMarket

Last but not least, I used this Hero Arts + Altenew collaboration stamp set, which is in my top 3 stamps released this year. The image is not only gorgeous but also huge, which is great for playing around with color combinations and washes with watercolor. I love the look of a loosely colored flower image, but I tend to add details trying to make an image look more lifelike. The large surface area of the flower, lends itself perfectly to this type of loose-watercolor technique.

AshleaCornell5forScrapbook&CardsTodayMagazineAltenew

I especially love the pink to yellow color combination. I love that when mixed, the two colors create a fun orange color that varies depending on the hue of pink and yellows used. Achieving the blend on these petals specifically, couldn’t have been easier. I outlined the base of the petal in a deep fuchsia color and then outlined the tip of the same petal in a bright yellow. I then dipped my brush in clean water and loosely blended the two colors together which, in turn, created that gorgeous orange shade.

AshleaCornell6forScrapbook&CardsTodayMagazineAltenew

I kept the card clean by adhering the flower to the lower portion of the card front and stamping the sentiment in black ink just above the flower. I finished it off with white enamel dots and called it done. This is my favorite type of card, one that comes together easily with striking images and colors incorporated.

Thank you so much for joining me today! I hope you’ve enjoyed learning some of my favorite watercoloring tips using different mediums of watercolors, and try them for yourself! I hope to see you again soon. Have a great day!

~ Ashlea Cornell

Be sure to visit Ashlea on her website HERE or follow her on Instagram at @ashlea_crafts