A Waterfall of Watercolors

Watercolors are versatile. They can be used by adding water to the dry pigment, painting on wet paper, by using a wet brush, or by combining these methods. The versatility increases exponentially as we explore using other mediums to achieve a watercolor effect.

Watercolor Pencils- You can draw or shade with the pencil just as you would a regular lead pencil. Then, use a brush dipped in clear water to spread the color and dissolve the lines. You can also, dip the watercolor pencil in water and then draw to achieve bolder color. Another option is to “kiss” your wet brush to the tip of the dry pencil, and then color with the brush.

Chalk- A great background can be achieved by coloring your paper with chalk, and then adding water with a wet paintbrush. Close, pressured lines will give bolder color, while lighter pressure, grazing the paper will give subtleness. You can achieve the result you want by changing the intensity and amount of chalk, intensity and amount of water, or a combination of the two. As with the watercolor pencil, dipping your chalk in water and then coloring with it gives a more intense amount of color. You can use chalk to create your own watercolor by crushing or shaving it into plain water. Because of its powdery consistency, chalk is useful for adding texture to a project.

Inks and Stains- Inks and stains already have a moisture component. Used as is, their colors are concentrated and bold, even in a lighter shade. If you place some ink or stain on a slick craft mat, you can pick up the amount of color you need with your wet brush. You can also create an unstructured design by placing your ink or stain on the slick craft mat, spritzing the ink/stain with water, and then placing your paper face down into the puddle. Inks and stains have different properties based on whether they are based with water, alcohol, pigment, or dye—this means, experiment.

My Daily Journal by Dr. Irit Shalom

Supplies: Paper, Stickers, Alphabet: Bo Bunny Press, Embellishments: Handmade Halo, Specialty Inks: Tim Holtz (Ranger Industries), Ribbons: May Arts, The Paper Studio.

Design Notes: This layout has 3 ribbon tricks. The first one is this ribbon overlapping all around a plastic base, recycled from this orange tacky tape. The lover ribbon was pleated with zig-zag hand-stitching and then inked a bit for the same blue ink color as all inks on the page. The third one is a simple ribbon pleating and inking of this dotted ribbon. Another fun technique is those paint splatters made directly from Distress Tim Holtz Stains over the page. I also added some paper piercing without stitching and some cross stitching.

Journaling: I feel free like a bird.

Enjoy, Explore, Believe by Cheryl Boglioli

Supplies: Watercolor Paper: Fluid, Ink: Ranger Industries, Watercolor Pencils, Gelatos, Color Pencils: Design Memory Craft (Faber-Castell), Other: gesso. Tools: Stamps: Unity Stamp Company.

Design Notes: Be willing to play and experiment with colors and different mediums and don't feel that you have to limit yourself to one medium per project. While this is mostly a watercolor canvas, I used gesso for the frothy wave crests, colored pencils for the sea grass, and Faber-Castell Gelatos for more depth in my sunset. I also found that to make sure the sun was really bright, it needed to be all white in the center. We think of a sun as being yellow, but to make it appear as a blinding light, you need to leave pure white.

Journaling: Trust in your potential, enjoy the process, try something new, explore possibilities, but most of all believe.

Swimming with Seals by Lauren Tomecek

Supplies: Paper: Imaginisce, Cardstock: Kaisercraft, Charm: Enchanted Planet, Sketch: Sketches with a Twist, Pen: Zig, Other: fabric, acrylic paint. Tools: Stamp: Imaginisce.

Design Notes: Watered down acrylic paint can create similar effects to watercolors without the expense of buying a whole new set of paints.

Journaling: Best birthday pressie ever! Pet Porpoise Pool,Coffs Harbour.