I send cards to my In Color Club each month focusing on a different new color. For June, I highlighted the new In color Soft Succulent. I took photos of each step I did while making this card, thinking you may like to see how to create it too. It’s a fun card and technique to make: Easy Watercolor Wash Using Water Painters & Ink Pads.
When you introduce water to card stock, you want to use either Watercolor or Shimmery White paper. Both are thicker than normal card stock and can hold the water without pilling. Normally, I use a permanent ink such as StazOn Black because it won’t bleed when I introduce water. For this card though, I wanted the watercolor washed look, so I used Soft Succulent ink to stamp my image.
I stamped the succulents on Shimmery White card stock in Soft Succulent ink.
I colored in the leaves with my Water Painters using Highland Heather and Soft Succulent inks.
Water Painters come in a pack of 3. A fine & medium tip and a thick brush. You can unscrew the pens and fill them with water. There are several ways to use these painters. Below is just one way of using them.
A close up shows that my “painting” is not very exact. I literally dabbed the watered down ink (read below to see how I do this) onto the leaves and let it dry.
Tips on Watercoloring with Ink Pad & Water Painters:
1. With your ink pad closed, turn it upside down and squeeze front & back together with fingers and thumb. I find it squeezes better when upside down.
2. Open pad and you’ll see a circle of ink on the inside cover.
3. Or, squeeze some re-inker drops on the inside cover (instead of squeezing pad together).
4. Squeeze some water from your Water Painter into the reservoir (inside cover) and swirl together.
5. Paint a “wash” onto your card stock. Nothing complicated. Back & forth or circles.
Each watercolor wash background looks different and unique (and can be done very quickly).
I will admit, I was being a bit lazy here. You can tape down your card stock with painters tape and then do your wash so the paper doesn’t bow when wet. Since I wasn’t looking for a perfect background, I did my wash untaped and then placed a weight, in this case, a re-inker bottle on top of the paper to prevent the bowing when drying. You may get some pooling of ink on the sides, but I like the look of that when it dries. If you want even coloring, then I would suggest taping your paper down.
Once dry, adhere your pieces. I cut the stamped images with the coordinating Potted Succulent dies. I glued the pot down with my favorite Multipurpose Liquid Glue and used Dimensionals to adhere the succulents.
The finished card. I love how they came out. All similar, but each a little different – just like the plants themselves. The card base is Soft Succulent, tied it with Linen Thread and stamped “thanks” in Evening Evergreen.
