The Sea Watercolour Layout

Hi and welcome! I can't believe July is soon over, it just seems to have disappeared. This week we have a mid-summer challenge at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. Do a summer project, or interpret it to mean something like heat embossing. Lots of options!

 

I already did a project using a photo from the Swedish Midsummer celebrations, see this Configurations Book. When thinking of what to do for this challenge, I came up on a photo taken a few years ago and decided that it was time to do something with it. I extended the scene in the photo with watercolours. After picking and mixing my colours - you always want to mix enough paint before starting, I simply sketched some lines continuing the photo onto the background.

 

I painted the sky by first applying clean water to the sky area and then a wash of blue and blue-grey. The clouds were lifted out with a tissue paper. When the sky was dry, I continued with the sand banks, dropping in a darker shadow colour and finished with the beach. Some dry-brushing was done to add texture. I also stamped a Tim Holtz flower with Frayed Burlap ink, misting the inked stamp with water before stamping. I was a little heavy handed with the tracks in the sand, and they are not quite as I wanted them to be.

 

A few birds were painted in the sky, and I sanded the edges of the photo to make it stand out a little. The title was done with Industrious stickers and since there were red elements in the photo, I stamped two compasses with Red Geranium ink and cut them out.

I stamped a Tim Holtz sentiment into the sand with Potting Soil ink and added a little Heart Charm. Linen Ribbon is perfect for a beach feeling, especially if you pull it apart a little bit. I also added some twine.

Tim's Sizzix mini Seahorse die is so cute. I die cut them from mat board and dropped some watercolour paint onto them, letting the paint mix the way it wanted to. The eyes are pearls with a dot added with a marker.

I also stamped some mini Nautical Blueprints with Tree Branch ink, cut them out and inked them lightly.

I couldn't help myself, but just had to add a quote too. I liked this quote since even though you don't see the sea in this scene, it is very clear that it is close by.

 

I hope you'll join us in our mid-summer challenge, and as every week, one random participant wins a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp.

 

 

Thank you for looking! Enjoy summer!

 

Anna-Karin

 

Supplies:

Surfaces: Ranger Watercolor paper; Neenah Smooth Solar White cardstock

Dies: Sizzix: Mini Sand & Sea

Stamps: Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz: Words for Thought, Nature's Moment, Warehouse District, Mini Blueprints #6

Ink: Archival Ink: Potting Soil, Red Geranium, Tree Branch; Distress Ink: Frayed Burlap, Gathered Twigs

Paint: Winsor & Newton Cotman Set

Embellishments: Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Linen Ribbon, Chiseled Industrious Stickers, Heart Charms

Tools: Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Tiny Attacher; Sizzix: Big Shot