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.

Happy Birthday, Allie!

My niece Allie is my crafting partner-in-crime.  Sadly, we live on opposite sides of the country... but we still manage to share supplies, enjoy inspiration on the internet and on each other's blogs.  We have a mutual love of all things from "The Greetery", so it was only fitting that I reached for those supplies when I made her birthday card:

 When I visited with her last summer, she gifted me with the Just Mason Around stamp set & die, which started my Greetery collection.  While together, I stamped off a bunch of flowers using her Fleur Impressions set (the blue & pink flowers).  And finally, I placed my own order this fall where I got the Budding Beauties Autumn set (the wheat) along with the stencil you see in the background.

 I've used Distress Oxide inks for both the stamping and stencilling, and then pulled out my Pumice Stone ink and blending it lightly to create the background frame.

I adhered the jar & flowers with pop dots for some added dimesion, and there are highlites on all of the pieces from my Wink of Stella pen.  A few sequins, and we're done.  Happy Birthday, Allie!

A Vintage Shoe for Watercolor Weekend

Art Impressions came out with this wonderful shoe stamp set in their watercolor line last summer, and this is the first time that I've put it to use!  I've paired one of the vintage shoes with a teapot, and went very girly with the colours that I chose.  Here's what you'll see on the Ai blog this Saturday:

Today I'm using the 5194 - WC Shoe Set, along with 5123 - WC Decorative Jar Set.  I coloured my shoe with my Tombow Dual Brush Marker #565 Deep Blue, and went over it with #N57 Warm Grey 5.  I stamped it on my Canson XL Watercolor paper, and then pulled out the colour with with a damp #4 paintbrush.  I concentrated the colour in the areas where the shadows are strongest - under the arch, the heel and under the rolled top edge.

I've used two of the flower images from 4761 - Watering Can, starting off by colouring just the bloom of the hydrangea-like image with #533 Peacock Blue, and stamping it multiple times.  After cleaning, I stamped it several more times coloured with #991 Light Ochre.  Using the multi-bloom image, I coloured the flowers with #772 Blush, and the stem in #312 Holly Green.  With the tiny foliage stamp from 5009 - WC Mini Flower Set, I stamped it repeatedly in #312, filling in spaces, and allowing the greenery to spill out the sides.  After dabbing the flowers with my damp brush, I went in directly with the fine point of my #312 marker, darkening some areas, drawing in leaves on the tall flowers, and adding dots around the bouquet.  I did the same with the other markers, adding shading to all of the blooms.

After masking off the shoe & flowers, I used my #4774 stamp positioner to stamp the teapot slightly higher, so that it would appear to be tucked in behind the shoe, colouring it in #565 and #N57 again.  I pulled out the colour with my damp brush, concentrating the colour close to the shoe where it would be in shadow, and on the undersides of the teapot, keeping in mind that it is quite curved, so I wanted to leave some white area.  After scribbling some #565 onto my palette, I picked it up with a wet brush and painted in the suggestion of a background, and a few sideways strokes to indicate the surface they're sitting on.  I also added the blue to the shaded areas of the shoe and teapot to deepen the shadows.  I added just a touch of the blush colour to the background and teapot to look like reflections.  The Decorative Jar set includes 3 small images that you can use to embellish the containers, so I stamped a swirly one onto the teapot using #533.  To finish things off, I used the 5062 Rounded Rectangle A2 Double Stitched dies to cut out my scene, then matted it with a periwinkle blue cardstock and used 3D Pop dots to adhere it to my background.  I tied some pink organdy ribbon under the image and tied it in a bow, and added a few tiny pearls.

For My Stud Puffin

Yup.  Had to buy this one.  Lawn Fawn comes out with the cutest stamps... but the sentiment is what really got me!  So here is what my hubby will be getting on Feb.14th:

 I kept it pretty simple, using some Dots & Stripes paper from Echo Park,  and matting my image with an orangey-yellow that matches their feet.  The puffins are coloured with Copic markers.  The image and sentiment were die cut with stitched square and rectangle dies, and matted with black.  I added a few red die cut hearts.

Lawn Fawn - Clear Photopolymer Stamps - Stud Puffin
from: Scrapbook.com

Crazy Birds Valentines

Well, you may or may not know that I've always loved the Crazy Birds stamp set by Tim Holtz from a few years ago... I hadn't used it in a while, but have pulled it out several times recently to make masculine birthday cards.  Today I've made up a couple of masculine Valentine cards.  I have a nephew whose birthday I missed around Christmas, so he's getting a valentine from his aunt instead!

 After colouring with Copic markers, I fussy cut out the hearts (they are part of the Crazy Birds Accessories stamp set), used an x-acto knife to cut slits in the wings, and tucked the heart between them:

 I used the fun polka dot papers from Echo Park, enamel dots and sentiments from Close To My Heart.  Inside says simply "Happy Valentines Day".

Build My Life

I am trying something a little different for this edition of Art Impressions' Watercolour Weekend!  I love the beautiful quotes & phrases in the Ai Bible Journaling collection - and their fabulous scripty fonts.  I saw an idea similar to this on Pinterest, where it is less of a scene, but more of an artistic representation, that focuses on the quote.

I started by die cutting my Canson XL Watercolour Paper with one of the 5062 - Rounded Rectangle Double Stitched Dies, and then I selected my colour palette of Tombow Dual Brush markers.  I began by scribbling #991 Light Ochre onto my palette, and picked it up with a very wet #6 paintbrush, creating a background wash.  I dropped in touches of #947 Burnt Sienna to add a little warmth.  I took all three of the pine tree stamps from 5010 - WC Tree Set 1, and coloured them in varying shades of #098 Avocado, #177 Dark Jade and #249 Hunter Green, making some 2-toned.  I stamped them to look like a forested hillside, doing second and third generation stamping to create some trees in the background.

Using a damp #1 paintbrush, I went over the tree boughs to blend the colours, and then pulled out the colour to pool below the trees, adding more colour where necessary to have the colours drip & blend together.  I picked up a watery brush full of #493 Reflex Blue and dropped a few bits of colour around the scene where needed.  I purposefully kept a lighter area in the center of my scene, and after my background was dry, I stamped the quote from 5127 - Build My Life Set using Versafine Onyx Black Ink.  I spattered a little black paint around, and then using a black fine point marker, I drew in the birds in the upper left corner.

On my creamy cardstock base, I blended some Vintage Photo Distress Oxide ink , then mounted a piece of kraft cardstock cut 1/8" larger than my scene.  I added 3D adhesive squares to my panel and adhered it to the card base.  Here's a second version that I tried as a landscape orientation, and this became my husband's birthday card!

Be sure to check out the Art Impressions blog on Saturday to see what Tricia & Dot have created this week!