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Thursday, September 12, 2019

Watercolor Florals Tutorial

Hello friends! Today I have a borderless watercolor tutorial to share with you. I used a floral stamp, but the technique works for other images too, and for any type of project. 

I hope you aren't missing all the inspiration at Simon Says Stamp during STAMPtember®. Today, the brand of the day is Memory Box, and I used one of their lovely stamps here.  

Layers of ink - Watercolor Florals Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

This started out as an art journal page, but then I changed my mind and framed it instead, so that I can give it as a gift to someone. I had a cheap frame that I got in a sale box at our local grocery store recently. This project might look hard, but it is much easier than what it looks like. I used a beautiful Rose Bouquet stamp set by Memory Box. 

Layers of ink - Watercolor Florals Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

Working on watercolor paper, start by stamping the floral stamp with Antique Linen ink. We want to use a light ink, so that the edges will almost disappear. For a different effect, emboss with white embossing powder, or stamp with waterproof black ink.

Layers of ink - Watercolor Florals Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Watercolor the flowers.

Mix up some watercolor paint. I always test my paint on scrap paper first, to make sure I have the shades that I want. Start with the lighter blue and then drop in a darker blue towards the center. Before the blue paint dries, drop in yellow in the center. You can also do the same technique with Distress Ink, by smearing the inks on a craft sheet, mist with water and pick up with a paint brush.

Layers of ink - Watercolor Florals Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

Continue with the roses and the leaves. Don't cover the whole design with paint, but instead leave some of the paper showing, which creates highlights, and gives the coloring a loose look. I decided that the light was coming from the top left, and made the roses and leaves lighter on that side.

Layers of ink - Watercolor Florals Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

Continue with the rest of the design.

Layers of ink - Watercolor Florals Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Add highlights.

The background was painted with very watery light brown paint, since I wanted it to be a little darker. I forgot to take a photo of the shading step. Mix a relatively light shade of grey and paint a shadow on the darker side of the arrangement. This grounds the flowers to the paper and adds dimension. When everything was dry, I decided to add some lines and highlights with a white gel pen too.

Layers of ink - Watercolor Florals Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

Splatter a tiny bit of dark grey watercolor paint on the background, focusing on the shadow areas.

Layers of ink - Watercolor Florals Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Stamp script.

Stamp randomly with a script stamp with a light brown ink. I used Vintage Photo Archival Ink and stamped once on scrap paper first. The script stamp comes from Tim Holtz's French Marketplace set.

Layers of ink - Watercolor Florals Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

I stamped the sentiment on a different paper first and cut it out, but then decided it would look better stamped directly on the background. It comes from Simon Says Stamp Uplifting Thoughts.

Layers of ink - Watercolor Florals Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

Here's a closer look at the shadows and the white gel pen work.

Layers of ink - Watercolor Florals Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. With Memory Box Rose Bouquet.

If you don't want to add the script, you can skip that step.

Layers of ink - Watercolor Florals Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

Some of the lines still show, and I liked that, since they almost look like a soft shadow. If you want them to be invisible, paint over them.

Layers of ink - Watercolor Florals Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. With Memory Box Rose Bouquet.

I cut the paper down to 8 x 6 in, so that it would fit into my frame. You can leave the paper a little larger if you want to, with more space around the flowers.




Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my blog today!  

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

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5 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing your beautiful painting. I feel that I could create this project with your directions. Well done!

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  2. Your project is absolutely stunning! I cannot wait to try it. I love your style and have followed you for a long time. Thank you for the inspiration.

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  3. I am just getting into water color and this makes a stunning frame able piece look doable. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  4. What a delightful beautiful watercolor! Your card is fabulous. So glad to have found you through the Memory Box linky party with SSS.

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  5. Wow Anna-Karin, fabulous watercoloring of these lovely flowers! (and framing, what a great idea as the final composition and colors are so beautiful!!!)
    Hugs, Coco

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