New for 2020 Art Impressions Watercolor Stamps

It's always fun when new product shows up at my door... and the new Art Impressions Watercolor release for 2020 did not disappoint!  There are four new sets making their debut on the Ai blog today (and they are available through the website, too!)  You'll be seeing lots of projects from me using the new sets in the coming weeks.  Here's what I have to share today:

 I am featuring one of the two images from 5260 - WC Large Shops Set.  I started by colouring my stamp with Tombow Dual Brush Marker #565 Deep Blue, stamped it on scrap paper, then coloured it again with #969 Chocolate before stamping it onto some Bristol Smooth Cardstock.  I loved the crisp look of the image on the smoother paper, so I didn't soften the lines, and decided not to add any kind of a background to it either.   I stuck mainly with primary colours, using #856 Chinese Red on the tiny floral image from 5009 - WC Mini Flower Set that looks like little hearts (love them!), and using my #1 Paintbrush, I softened the colours, then stamped again to add back the deeper tones.

Using my palette, I scribbled #991 Light Ochre, and picked it up with a damp brush, adding it as the main shop colour.  I used #476 Cyan for the sign and door, and painted stripes on the awning.  I added a lot of water to #969 Chocolate to make a taupe shade for the roof and window boxes.  I used #N57 Warm Grey 5 for the stone chimney.  I picked up #565, adding it to the windows, keeping some white areas as reflections, and then used it to add shadows under the eaves and canopy, and on the stairs.  I used the fine point of my #177 Dark Jade marker directly on the paper to add in the suggestion of leaves.  And that was it!  A very quick image to paint up.

I used 5061 Square Double Stitched Dies to cut out my image, mounted in on some red cardstock and adhered it onto my patterned paper base with 3D pop dots.

Head over to the Ai blog to see what Tricia & Dot have to share, and you'll see the other 3 sets that are being released *and check back next Thursday to see 4 more!

Swing Scene

I haven't painted a scene with my Art Impressions stamps for a little while, so for this Watercolor Weekend edition, I put together a few of my favourites:

 

I began using the largest hanging swing image from the 5195 - WC Swing Set, colouring it first in my Tombow Dual Brush Marker #565 Deep Blue, stamping it off on scrap paper, and then colouring it again with #879 Brown.  I stamped it onto my Canson XL Watercolour paper.  *Instead of masking, when I coloured the swing, I left an open area in the corner where I intended my bunny to sit.  I've used the bunny from 5016 - WC Mini Critters Set, coloured him up in #N45, and used my stamp positioner to place him where I wanted him.  With my damp #4 brush, I softened the lines of the swing, pulling out the colour to fill in the shaded areas on the wood frames, and between the cushions.

To create my floral vine, I started with one of the smaller twig images from 4964 - WC Branches Set, and colouring it with #879, I stamped it numerous times, in different directions, creating the flow of the vine.  Using the trailing foliage stamps from 5126 - WC Foliage Set 4 coloured in #177 Dark Jade, I stamped the greenery along the same path, winding it around the swing frame in first & second generation.  Before stamping the flowers, I softened the images with my damp brush.  Using the Daisy Bunch from Flower Set - 4052, I coloured a few of the blooms in #993 Chrome Orange, and created the yellow floral sprays around the base of the swing, stamping them in a cluster.  I filled in any open areas with the tiny dot flowers from 5009 - WC Mini Flower Set coloured in #533 Peacock Blue, and then I added clusters of them along the twisting vine - then touched all the flowers with a damp brush.  I used the fine point end of my #993 marker to draw in the stripes on the seat cushions.  The bunny got a touch of #850 Blush in his ear, and I used a fine tip black marker to define & darken his eyes & nose.

On my palette, I scribbled #992 Sand and picked it up with a wet brush to add colour to the wood frames, keeping it streaky to suggest a wood grain pattern.  I did the same with #565 Deep Blue, and used this to add shadows where needed to the swing, bunny, cushions and under the swing.  Using the smaller mountain stamp in 5198 - WC Mountain Set, I selectively coloured it in #533, omitting the largest peak, and used my stamp positioner to place it in the background.  Then using my brush and picking up colour from the palette, I used #565 to paint in the mountains and sky, and #177 to add a grassy hillside.  Since some of my twigs were 2nd generation, they were a little too light, so I went in directly with my fine Twintone Chocolate marker to darken them up.  I diecut my scene with a stitched square die, and mounted it on a dark brown cardstock.  The sentiment is from 5136 - WC Sentiment Set 2, stamped in Versafine Onyx Black ink, and diecut with a small stitched tag from 5132 - Tag Stitched Dies, and it got a small yellow Baker's Twine bow.  I did some zigzag stitching with my sewing machine on my background papers, and mounted it all onto a 5 1/2" square card.