Watercolors with re-inkers- A Tutorial

I had so much fun painting last weekend.  When I saw these stamps, I knew that they had to be mine. They remind me of the view I live with every day and could not live without.  It is truly magnificent here in Virginia.  I used stamps from Close to my Heart and re-inkers and Aquapainters from Stampin' Up. The best part of watercoloring is that it is forgiving...If you make a mistake you can minimize it with more water or just layer another color on top.   I hope you enjoy the pics and the tutorial.

Step 1:  Heat emboss an image onto 140 lb cold press watercolor paper.  This paper is very thick and absorbent and in my opinion, the best for this technique.  Lighter weight papers will curl with this much water. 

Step 2:  Prepare re-inkers by placing 2-3 drops of re-inker in a palette with some water.  For a darker and richer color, use the re-inker alone.  Use an Aquapainter to paint.  It will provide additional water which allows for increased spreading.

Step 3:  Begin with the lightest color first.  Apply color lightly, you can always add more later.

Step 4:  Continue adding colors until you are satisfied with the look.  If you get color in an area that you do not want it, you can remove it with using extra water from your Aquapainter and a short flicking motion.  To get the colors to run together, work in areas adjacent to one another.  Let each color dry shortly between applications so that a depth of color will be achieved. 

Step 5:  You can add shimmer with one of my new favorite things, Twinkling H2O’s.  They are like regular watercolors, except they have an extra pearly finish when dried.



Step 6:  Continue adding color until you are satisfied with the results.



Step 7: Add random squiggles with a white gel pen so that it emulates sun shining on the picture.  Finish the card as you wish.