Window card for Watercolor Weekend

This is one of the cards that I taught at my recent card class at the Crafter's Workshop, and I'm sharing it on the Art Impressions blog today for Watercolor Weekend!  The class featured the 5014 WC Window Set from Art Impressions:

 The base is cut with a 3 1/4" x 4 1/2" stitched rectangle die, from Canson Watercolor paper, and I started by colouring the smaller window in the set with my N55 Cool Grey 7 Tombow marker, stamping it about 3/4" down from the top edge.  Still using the N55, I stamped the kitten from 5016 WC Mini Critter Set on the window sill, and the pot from 4869 WC Small Container Set about 3/4" below the window.  I masked off the pot, and stamped the bricks from 5018 WC Cobblestone Set with N55.  With the fine point of the marker, I sketched in the curtains directly on the paper. (If you're nervous about adding details with a marker, use a pencil to get it exactly as you like, first!).

I used my damp #4 paintbrush to pull the colour out of all the lines, dragging it towards where the shadows would fall.  I scribbled 992 Sand onto my palette, and painted it in streaky strokes to suggest weathered wood on the shutters.  I used 947 Burnt Sienna to add colour to the kitty, and the terra cotta pot, going in a second time to add another layer of colour where the shadows would be.  With 177 Dark Jade and a sprig from 5007 WC Foliage Set 3, I created the vine leading up from the pot, through and over the shutters, adding a few smaller sprigs using the tiny greenery in 5009 WC Mini Flower Set to fill in a few areas.  With 533 Peacock Blue/177 Dark Jade I coloured the floral cluster from the Mini Flower Set and added it to the pot.  With the tiny dotted flowers from the set, and the 533 marker, I put clusters of flowers throughout the vine.  I dabbed all the foliage with my damp brush to soften all the lines.

With the tiny grass from Foliage Set 4051, and my 126 Light Olive, I added grass around the pot & cobblestones, then pulled out the colour to add a suggestion of a grassy area on the ground.  I picked up 565 Deep Blue from my palette to paint in the shadows on the window, around the shutters and cobblestones to add a little depth to my scene.  You really can't see it in the photos, but there is a faint wash on the wall of 491 Glacier Blue, which softens the look of the wall quite nicely.  Be sure to check out the Art Impressions blog today, to see what Dot & Tricia have to share!  Happy painting!

Watercolour Weekend Scene

I loved putting this mix of stamp sets together - I was really happy to see that the smallest bicycle in the 5124 - WC Bicycle Set was the perfect scale to work with the 5013 - WC Door Set, allowing me to create a little scene today!

 I coloured the door with my N65 Cool Grey 5 Tombow marker, and stamped it slightly to the left of center.  Still using N65, I stamped the bicycle and the bricks from 5018 Cobblestone Set, using my stamp positioner to get everything just so.  I used 2 pots from the retired 3498 Series 6 Set 2, but the ones in the 4869 WC Small Container Set would work here.  With my dampened #4 paintbrush, I softened the lines on all the images, and pulled out the colour to create a few shadows.  From the 5009 WC Mini Flower Set, I used the tiny greenery stamp with 158 Dark Olive and the dotted floral stamp with 565 Deep Blue and  991 Light Ochre to add the flowers and foliage to the pots, bike basket and over the door.  I dabbed all of these lightly with my brush, as I didn't want to lose the definition of the images.

 Using my N95 Cool Grey 1 marker and a stamp from the 5019 - WC Wall Texture Set, I added the pale grey stones on either side of the door.  To keep them from looking repetitious, I flipped the stamp upside down for the second side, and didn't colour all of the stones.  I picked up 515 Light Blue from my palette with a fair bit of water to give an aqua-coloured wash to the stone wall.  After scribbling 856 Chinese Red and 969 Chocolate onto my palette, I coloured the door and bicycle in red and used the brown to create a wooden doorframe and pots.  I wanted everything to look well worn, so kept my brush strokes fairly streaky.  I used 565 to add shadows in and around all of the images. With the small grass from the WC Foliage Set 1 and the 158, I added grass in around the bike & bricks, and with the excess colour after painting them with my brush, I added a pale green wash to the ground.

 To finish, I used the 5062 Rounded Rectangle Double Stitched Die to cut out the image and used the smallest one in the set to cut out my sentiment (Hello! is from 5136 - WC Sentiment Set 2).  Both were matted with some brown cardstock and the sentiment was attached with 3D pop dots.  Be sure to visit the Ai blog on Saturday to see what Dot & Tricia have to show you this week.

Ai Watercolour Wooden Door - Fantasy version

This week I am teaching classes at The Crafter's Workshop in Stouffville, and we are using the Art Impressions Watercolour set: Wooden Door (Sku #4702).  The stamp itself has snow on the roof, and a snowy tree that leans up against the door.  Part of the class is to show how you can use your sets for more than what they're intended for - so I've done up samples for other seasons.  When I began to create a spring version, I decided to do more of a fantasy scene - more like the Hobbit Door set, or the newer Fairy Tree.  After stamping and painting the door and some flowers around it, I added a grassy mound overtop, making it look like a Fairy door.  I used the cobblestones from the WC Cobblestone Set (Sku #5018) to add to the quaint theme.

 Here's a closeup of the door: