How-to Video | Easy Watercolor Card w/ White Heat Embossed Image (ft. Altenew Watercolor 36 Pan Set)

Hi, crafty friends! Today I have an easy watercolor card to share with you all featuring the Handpicked Bouquet Stamp Stamp & Die Bundle and Watercolor 36 Pan Set from Altenew.

Do you remember a set of my floral-themed cards that I created for November 2018 release blog hop? I really loved the rose bouquet image from the Handpicked Bouquet Stamp Set with multiple coloring layers.

To learn more about my cards, check out my blog post HERE or video tutorial HERE.

So I decided to use the Handpicked Bouquet Stamp Set again for today’s project, but this time I tried watercoloring instead of color layering.

Video Tutorial

I made a video tutorial to show you how to create a watercolor card from start to finish. You can watch it above or in HD on YouTube.

This video includes:

• Techniques: watercoloring, heat embossing, watercolor wash background, splattering
• Watercolor paintbrush size recommendation for an A2 card project
• How I choose colors for my coloring project
• How to mix watercolor paints to create your own colors
• A trick on how to stamp outline image that lines up with die cut perfectly
• How to choose the right sentiment that goes with a card design
• How I proceed with my project when I make a mistake
• My craft desk after my project is done – I hope you can relate to my messy desk.
• And more!

I started by die-cutting my image first from the Handpicked Bouquet Die Set out of Arched Cold Pressed 140LB watercolor paper. I placed the negative side of my die cut panel and inlay my die cut inside the opening.

I did diecutting first before stamping just because I wanted to use the die cut to position the stamped image to line up correctly!

Next, I stamped the image from the Handpicked Bouquet Stamp Set with Altenew Embossing Ink and heat embossed it with Pure White Crisp Embossing Powder.

Heat embossing an image in white helped my colors stay inside the outlines – it’s also good for watercolor beginner or someone who doesn’t like outlines stamped in black.

I watercolored my images using Altenew Watercolor 36 Pan Set and round watercolor paintbrush #3.

My go-to paintbrush size is #3 as it’s easy to add details while allowing me to cover the quite large areas as well. I think #3 or #4 round paintbrush should be good enough for painting images when you make an A2 size card project. 

FYI, here are the paint colors I used for watercoloring:

• Flowers: Fresh Lemon, Rouge, Mountain Mist, Lagoon, Emerald
• Leaves: Industrial Diamond, Moon Rock, Jet Black

I lightly coated the first layer with Fresh Lemon, Rouge, and Mountain Mist after diluting paints with water. Then I added the second layer with darker colors, Lagoon and Emerald, toward the bottom of each petal.

To create a gradient look of the color, it’s important to rinse off your paintbrush with clean water and wipe off the excess paint using a towel in between before you pull out the color. I also worked on small areas at a time and painted slowly with light pressure on my hand.

After my coloring is done, I created a watercolor wash background on the A2 size watercolor paper leaving some white areas intentionally.

I used lots of water to create a lighter shade of colors and added a few layers with darker colors later. If you tilt your panel down to one side, you can also create an unexpected result by dripping your paints.

Then I mounted it on the A2 size white top folding card base using double-sided tape. Next, I splattered the background with the paint colors I used for my flowers and leaves to create a seamless look.

I stamped the sentiment from the Build-A-Flower Coral Charm using my new favorite black ink, Obsidian Pigment Ink. After that, I mounted my watercolored die-cut on the card front using 3M foam tape.

I also stamped the sentiment inside my card and another sentiment on the back of my card using the Crafty Life Stamp Set. This was just a small finishing touch to my handmade card.

I didn’t like how my watercolor wash background turned out. It looked too intense compared to my soft watercolor image. So I decided to cover them with some Iridescent Bubbles from Studio Katia as an embellishment.

I was watching Gilmore Girls on my iPad while watercoloring and it took me about one hour to color the entire image. It was so relaxing and fun coloring this beautiful floral image.

Don’t forget to watch my video tutorial to learn how to create a watercolor card. You’ll also see a peek at my craft room at the end of the video. 🙂

That is it for today. I hope today’s post was inspiring or informative for you guys. If you have any questions, just write them below and I would be happy to answer them for you. Thank you so much for stopping by. Happy crafting!

Supplies

I have listed the supplies I used below. I participate in several affiliate programs including Altenew(AN), Simon Says Stamp(SSS), and Ellen Hutson(EH). It means I get a small commission at no additional cost to you when products are purchased through links I share here. Thank you for your support.

Altenew Handpicked Bouquet Stamp & Die Bundle Shop at: SSS | AN	Altenew Handpicked Bouquet Stamp Set Shop at: SSS | AN	Altenew Build-A-Flower Coral Charm Shop at: SSS | AN | EH	Altenew Crafty Life Stamp Set Shop at: SSS | AN | EH
Altenew Watercolor 36 Pan Set Shop at: SSS | AN	Altenew Obsidian Pigment Ink Shop at: SSS | AN	Altenew Embossing Ink Shop at: SSS | AN | EH	Arches Cold Pressed Watercolor Pad Shop at: SSS | AZ | EH
EK Success Cutter Bee Scissors Shop at: SSS | EH	Tim Holtz Tonic Paper Trimmer Shop at: SSS | AZ | EH	Wagner Embossing Heat Tool Shop at: SSS | HA | EH	Inkadinkado Embossing Magic Powder Bag Shop at: SSS | EH
Spellbinders Platinum Diecut Machine Shop at: SSS | SB	3M Foam Tape 1/2 Inch Shop at: SSS | AZ	Original MISTI Stamping Tool Shop at: SSS | HA | AN | AZ | EH	Altenew Pure White Embossing Powder Shop at: SSS | AN | EH
Altenew Watercolor Palette – Medium Shop at: SSS | AN	Tonic Nuvo Crystal Glaze Shop at: SSS | EH	Studio Katia Iridescent Bubbles | Drops Shop at: SSS | SK	Uchida Jewel Picker Shop at: SSS