Do you love the look of Watercolour but don’t have the confidence to try it out? Today I share some of my favourite tips to take away the fear and get colour to paper!

I decided that a LIVE video would be a fun way to share my tips and tricks so that you could see the colouring in real-time. The flower I used on today’s cards comes from Altenew’s Castle Garden Stamp Set and the sentiments are from the Magnolia Ballerina Set (scroll down for more pics and to see the video).

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I kept the design basically the same for both cards and you could use whatever floral stamps you have in your stash. This is basically the tip of the iceberg, but to get started here they are…

My TOP 10 TIPS For Watercolouring on Cards.

1. You don’t need fancy supplies, in fact, you may already have everything you need to get started! Did you know that you can watercolour with dye-based inks such as those from Catherine Pooler, Altenew, and one of my faves Distress Inks? Have you got re-inkers? You can also use them or even water-based Markers, such as the ones I used in this VIDEO HERE. Use whatever brush you may have and once you decide if this is something that you enjoy and will continue, then you can upgrade as you want.
2. Use the correct ink. Something like the Nocturne ink I used is perfect, it’s a pigment ink that will not ‘bleed’ when touched by water.
   PRO TIP – allow a few minutes of drying time before you start painting. You could also try something like a Contour Ink if you want a no-line look (although this is more advanced). Or, take the easy way out and use Versamark and heat emboss your image, the ‘wells’ of embossing will hold the paint and prevent unwanted colour mixing.
3. Use water tolerant cardstock such as a Bristol Smooth or Watercolor Paper. I prefer to choose one that is smooth to make stamping easier as well as one that is a nice bright white. Regular cardstock such as Neenah, will not tolerate much water, though I have used it with my Inktense Pencils with success.
4. Practice… I can hear you groaning you know lol. But it’s true, take the time to learn what you have. You will have more success and so enjoy the process more. I would recommend stamping out an image multiple times and preferably one that you have coloured before. Whichever medium and brush you choose to use keep using that and you will get a ‘feel’ for the products/paper and how much water you need and how long it takes to dry.
5. Start small. Choose an image that isn’t too complicated or large. This floral sprig is perfect with its open petals and combination of flowers. And if your preference is critters, have you seen those amazing stamps by Anita Jeram, they are built for watercolouring.
6. Layer colour. It’s fun to layer it up in watercolouring, and it’s one of the attributes that I love the most with this medium.
7. Use pre-mixed colours. Don’t complicate it, if you don’t have confidence in mixing your own colours start with the 1000+ options of colour that we have available to us. Ink pads are a perfect example of this. If you do choose to mix your own colours make sure that you mix plenty for the project you are creating as it is very difficult to recreate a colour exactly (ask me how I know hahaha)
8. Work in sections. To prevent unwanted mixing of colours, colour in sections of the image that are not directly adjacent to each other.
9. Allow drying time. Underpainting can reactivate if you do not wait long enough for it to dry before adding the next layer. This will cause a loss of colour and unwanted edges in your painted image. But of course, if you like that look, go for it. I sometimes use the low setting of my heat tool to speed up drying times although I personally prefer the look of watercolour that has dried naturally. PRO TIP: To test if your paint is dry, touch it with the back of your hand (because it is clean) and if it feels cold then it is still too wet.
10. KEEP GOING! Seriously this is the most important tip of all. There is always a point in every watercolour that I do where I want to chuck it. TRUE! But, take a breath, be strong and keep going, even if you have to walk away for a little while, when you come back to it, it’s often not as bad as you originally thought. What’s the worst thing that could happen? It’s only paper after all!

You can see my LIVE video here or Watch it in HD at YouTube.

I hope this has been helpful and if you are inspired to try a little watercolouring, I’d love you to share them with me on Social Media, I always love to see what you are creating. Hugs,

Other Supplies:

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