A simple watercolour technique for cardmaking

I post some of my cards on a couple of Facebook Groups. A few people have asked me about one of the watercolour techniques I use in my cardmaking, so I want to share the process here. I will also have a video coming up on it very soon.

Step 1

I decide on the image I want to stamp and paint. Floral images work well with this technique.

Step 2

I tape watercolour paper to a wooden board using white painters’ tape. I prefer white rather than blue as it doesn’t change my perception of the colours I’m using. Taping will prevent warping of the paper when wet. When making cards, I tend to use hot-pressed paper 300gsm which is smooth. When I’m creating fine art pieces I use cold-pressed or rough paper.

Step 3

Once I’ve decided on the colours to use (about three or four that mix well together) and using a large brush or spray bottle, I wet the paper with water and, while wet, I drop in paint which starts to spread and blend on its own. I only use a light wash for this and I’m not bothered about where the paint travels on the paper. The only thing I do at this stage is to soften any hard edges with a baby wipe (a handy little tool when watercolouring).

Step 4

I then let the paint dry. Generally, when using watercolour in cardmaking, I use a heat tool to speed up the drying process. With my fine art work, I let the paint dry naturally but this, of course, takes a longer period of time.

Step 5

Before stamping, I use a powder tool on the paper. This is especially important as embossing powder likes to stick to watercolour paper.

Step 6

I then stamp the image I want to paint with a clear embossing ink (eg Versamark), cover the embossing powder of choice, shake off the excess and heat emboss until the powder is smooth and melted.

Step 7

We’re almost there! At this stage, I look at where the image lies on the watercoloured paper and, using the same colours that fall in the different sections, I deepen the tones. If working with a floral stamped image, I start from the inside of the petals and gradually lighten as I move towards the outer edge of the petal. The thing that makes this look quite ethereal is that you are basically using a darker version of the colours you painted in the first wash. And don’t worry if a leaf is blue and not green, or if a petal is partly red and partly yellow. This all adds to the beauty of the technique.

Step 8

The final step is to let the piece dry. I tend to let it dry naturally at this point because I don’t want to run the risk of melting the embossing by using a heat tool. Once dry, I decide how I want to use the image on a card.