Crisp or Messy? 2 Floral Card Coloring Techniques to Try (+ Video)

When do you give up on a card design… and when do you just keep going?

Today, I had TWO of those moments! And they both involved a lily bouquet. Let’s take a look at today’s cards.

Grab a cuppa and watch how I used this ideas to make 2 cards Click HERE to watch the video at YouTube.

This post is part of my Take 2 Series with Altenew, which means you get double the inspiration, and if you want to see MORE ideas like this, CLICK HERE.

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Floral Card Coloring Techniques!

One floral design, two very different looks! For these cards, I used the Altenew Lily Bouquet hot foil plate and coordinating stencils to explore two colouring styles – one crisp and controlled, the other loose and messy.

And if you watch the process, you’ll see that neither card went quite to plan! But sometimes a little creative problem-solving is all it takes to turn things around.

Card #1 – Crisp Stencil Florals

For my first card, I used brass hot foiling to create the floral outlines, then added colour with the coordinating stencils. I chose a bright mix of orange, yellow, pink and pale blue flowers with deep green leaves.

I fussy cut the bouquet and popped it up on a Misty Morning cardstock panel, adding some white hatching die cuts underneath for a simple highlight. A small, bold black and white circular sentiment finished the design.

PRO TIP: The lily started out a little too pink for my liking, so rather than starting again, I blended some deeper pink-red and brown-orange inks over the top. Don’t be afraid to layer more colour to adjust the look!

Card #2 – Messy Watercolor Floral

For my second card, I wanted a completely different look, so I swapped the crisp stencil blending for some loose, messy watercolour and I decided to keep a similar color palette.

This style of watercolouring would probably make a traditional artist cringe, but it’s a great way to achieve that loose, messy look! I added rough layers of colour, deliberately painting beyond the floral outlines, then added some blue watercolour around the bouquet to bring it all together.

A few splatters of brass metallic and dark blue watercolour added the finishing touches.

PRO TIP: Trust the process! Loose watercolour can look a little chaotic before it all comes together. I thought about starting again more than once, but sometimes those imperfect layers are exactly what give a design its character!

Crisp or Messy – Which Floral Style Would You Choose?

I love how exploring different floral card coloring techniques can give the same design such a different look. And as these cards proved, things don’t always go to plan, but that doesn’t mean they won’t work out!

Are you more comfortable with crisp stencil blending, or would you give messy watercolour a try? And more importantly, when a card isn’t going to plan, do you push through or start again?

I’d love to hear – let me know in the comments below!

Happy papercrafting,

Special thanks to my crafty assistant, Chad (aka ChatGPT), for helping me stay on track with my Gemini brain, grammar, and spelling… well, all the things!

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Today's Supplies

Lily Bouquet – Spark Joy Shop at: ALT | SSS	One-Go Solid Circluar Sentiments Shop at: ALT | SSS	Linear Crossroads Shop at: ALT | SSS	Nesting A2 Rectangles Shop at: ALT | SSS
Altenew Hot Foil Shop at: ALT	Watercolor Compact – Bold Ember Shop at: ALT | SSS	Artists Watercolor 24 Pan Set Shop at: ALT	Metallic Watercolors Shop at: ALT
Foundation Brush Set Shop at: ALT | SSS	Medium Palette Shop at: ALT | SSS	Gel Pen Set Shop at: ALT	Mini Grid Mat Shop at: ALT | SSS
Watercolor Paper Set Shop at: ALT	Go Press N Foil Shop at: OTH

Basic Supplies:

Neenah Solar 110 Shop at: SSS | AMZ	Neenah Solar 80 Shop at: SSS | AMZ	Nocturne Shop at: SSS	Fresh Dye Inks Shop at: ALT | SSS
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Bone Folder Shop at: ALT	Score Board Shop at: ALT | SSS	Paper Trimmer Shop at: SSS	Mini MISTI Shop at: SSS
Stampwheel Shop at: ALT | SSS	Sticky Grid Mat Ultra Shop at: ALT | SSS | SB US	Platinum 6 Shop at: ALT | SSS | SB US | SB UK	BetterPress SB Shop at: ALT | SSS | SB US | SB UK
Glue Tape Shop at: ALT | SSS	Foam Tape Shop at: ALT | SSS	Bearly Art Glue Shop at: SSS | AMZ	Satin Masking Tape Shop at: ALT