Beauty of The Season Watercolor Cardinal

Current Classes & Special Promotions!

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Online extravaganza headerHi Stamping Friends!

Set your alarms early for Monday morning, so you can take advantage of the AMAZING Door Buster Deals that will kick of next week's Online Extravaganza!  I posted a sneak peek list yesterday about the two Door Buster Days and some of the awesome discounted items throughout the week!  While supplies last only!

Awesome Starter Kit Special Starts Monday—25% off the kit, plus all new recruits will receive 5% cash back on all December orders (which includes the Spring Occasions & Sale-A-Bration pre-order period!).

Peggy - santa curvy keepsakes box►►FREE Class Kit For Your Online Extraganza Order—Earn a FREE Santa Buckle Stocking Stuffer Class exclusively from Too Cool Stamping when you place a qualifying order OR purchase a Starter Kit during this special event!  The FREE class, valued at $15, will feature treat boxes & stocking stuffer packages decorated with a Santa Buckle theme! 

Stay tuned for complete details on Monday!  Woohoo!  Can't wait!

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Beauty cardinal - two cool    

Oh, I just love how these Beauty of The Season watercolored cards turned out!  So artsy and surprisingly easy!  If you're a little intimidated by the idea of "painting," don't be!  I felt the same way, but with the combination of the watercolor paper and Aqua Painters, the scene nearly "paints" itself!  If you can color, you can do this!  Join us on Tuesday, November 25, and see how fun and easy it is!    

Beauty cardinal - peace joy  

Background Basics—I started with a Soft Suede card base and added a 3-1/2" x 4-1/4" piece of Cherry Cobbler to the background.  I kept the foundation simple, so that all of the attention would be on the watercolored piece.

Beauty cardinal - peace joy 2   

Watercolor Wash Background—Before stamping the pretty cardinal image, I created a watercolor wash background.  I used an Aqua Painter brush and picked up color from the lid of my Soft Sky ink pad, then washed the color over a 4-1/4" x 3" piece of watercolor paper.

As you paint across the paper, squeeze a little water from the brush.  The more water, the softer and lighter the color; the less water, the more harsh the strokes will be and the darker the color. I kept my color toward the center of the paper, leaving some of the white paper showing on the edges. 

Options: You could also use a few drops of Refill Ink on a palette for a more concentrated color wash. 

TIP: Practice the wash technique on a piece of scrap paper to get a feel for the flow of the ink and water.  Keep in mind that the flow will act a little differently on the textured and absorbent watercolor paper. 

Let the background dry completely before stamping your image. The color lightens a bit when it dries, but you can always add more color to get the intensity you like.

Sweet Sentiment—I used the retired Good Greetings stamp set, but the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set would also work in this small space.

Beauty cardinal - peace joy 3

Stamping On Watercolor Paper—Once the paper was completely dry, I stamped the Beauty of the Season image in StazOn Ink.  TIP: Make sure that your ink pad is well-inked, and that you get good coverage on your stamp for best results.  The textured surface of the watercolor paper really soaks up the ink, so if you don't have a lot of ink, your image could look lighter than you'd like it to.

Aqua Painter Tips—I used my small Aqua Painter brush to color in the image details.  Wipe off your brush on a paper towel to make sure that the water runs clear, then use the ink from your Ink Pads lids to pick up the color.  Take care not to get water on the actual firm foam ink pad!  You don't want to dilute the color for future stamping.  This also means that you should wipe off the watered down lid when you are done coloring.

Watercolor Paper—You'll get the best watercoloring results when you use actual watercolor paper, rather than card stock. Card stock has a smooth finish and will not absorb the water and color very well. If you want to use card stock, I recommend coloring with Blender Pens or Blendabilities Markers instead.

Watercoloring The Image—There are several ways to approach watercoloring and it all depends on the look you desire.  I wanted the image to stay fairly crisp, so I kept the background dry and kept my brush tip just wet enough to spread the color easily.  Having a drier brush also kept my color more intense.

For a lighter colored bird, for example, you could spread water over the entire cardinal image first, then add color.  The color will spread to the water's edges and dry to a light red.  You can go back with a drier brush once it's dry and add in darker shading for dimension.

For a softer, flowing watercolor look, try wetting the entire background.  Your color will bleed and flow freely outside the lines. While it's wet, you can dab up the color with a paper towel to make corrections.  

Colors—I used Cherry Cobbler for the bird and berries, Soft Suede for the branch and bird face, and Hello Honey for the beak and feet.

Beauty cardinal - peace joy 4  

Inside—I stamped some of the branch images from the Beauty of The Season set in Soft Suede, then added Cherry Cobbler berries.  I stamped on 5" x 3-3/4" Whisper White card stock, so I kept a very dry Aqua Painter for the dab of color on the berries.

Beauty cardinal - greetings

My vertical example left room for a Bright & Beautiful greeting at the bottom.  I stamped it in Cherry Cobbler on a 3" x 1" piece of Whisper White, then fish-tailed the ends to make a banner.

Beauty cardinal - greetings 2

Complete Supplies List

Find all the supplies to create this project & more at my Online Store!

Angie  

Thank you so much for ordering from Too Cool Stamping

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Last thurs - four cool"Last Thursdays" Card Class

Tuesday, November 24, 6:30 pm

  • Class Fee—$10 OR it's FREE with a minimum order* placed at the event! 
  • Class-To-Go Kits Available—Supplies are pre-cut—just add stamping & adhesives.  PDF instructions will be emailed. Class fee: $10, plus $5.60 for Priority Shipping. OR, get the kit for FREE when you place a minimum $50 order at my Online Store by November 24 using this Hostess Code: CUT2PGNG

See Complete Details For The "Last Thursdays" Class!

Register by November 28 at 5pm.

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Get Your Santa On - ensemble

Get Your Santa On Stamp-of-the-Month Class

Thursday, December 11, 6:30 pm

Create 7 jolly projects featuring Santa and his festive attire!  Class kit includes the Get Your Santa On stamp set, Trim The Tree DSP, a Blender Pen, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine & Dazzling Details glitter.

See Complete Details For The Get Your Santa On Class!

Register by November 28 at 5pm.

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