This card was made using Gina K Designs One in a Million stamp set.

Along with a number of other cardmakers, I donate cards to the local oncology ward for patients to give to friends who’ve helped them during their illness. These are generally very basic cards, with not a lot of height to them. The reason for this is they are placed in a box for the patients to take what they want/need, so if they have 3D embellishments they could get damaged.

But I digress.

Today I want to talk about watercoloring, which is how I’ve colored these images.

Watercolouring, is very easy, and it’s super quick to do. I’m not fussy when I do it, as I believe (especially with flowers) that it looks more natural if the coloring is not perfect.

There are two ways to do it, and it really depends on whether you want a full-bodied look or more a water-wash look.

With both techniques, you’ll need a water brush. (That’s a pen that has a brush head, and water in the base.)

For a water-wash look, using a water brush, pick up the ink directly from your distress pad (or whatever ink you choose to use – needs to be water-based though). Then paint directly onto the image. I always do a test on a scap of paper first to ensure the color is what I’m after.

For a more full-bodied look, I “blob” distress ink directly onto a clear acrylic block. Then, again using an water brush, I pick the ink up, and paint it onto the image.

In both cases, if you want a deeper color, just go over the color again. You can also shade using this technique.

Here’s another card I made using this same technique: