Watercolouring with Inks: Stampin Up Under My Wing Stamp Set
The new Stampin Up Under My Wing Stamp Set immediately caught my attention with its beautiful large bird image. It is perfect for colouring techniques, so for this week’s card I decided to get a little messy with watercolouring, ink blending and plenty of texture.
Under My Wing will be released as part of the September Online Exclusives, which means you won’t find it inside the new September–December Mini Catalogue. It will be available to view and purchase online from 1 September.
My colour combination for this card is from a Colour Inkspiration Challenge – Soft Sea Foam, Fresh Freesia & Blackberry Bliss (as per rules, you can use Crumb Cake)
A Soft Watercoloured Background
I began with a piece of Basic White Thick Cardstock and created a loose watercoloured background using Fresh Freesia and Blackberry Bliss ink.
Basic White Thick is a handy option when you are adding a small amount of water because it gives you a little more working time than regular cardstock. I used a broad paintbrush and pounced the diluted ink onto the cardstock, keeping the colour soft and allowing the brush to create plenty of texture.
Blackberry Bliss is a strong colour, so I began very lightly and gradually added more ink. Once the first layer was dry, I decided the background needed greater depth and added a more concentrated section of Blackberry Bliss along the bottom.
It looked alarmingly dark while it was wet, but it softened as it dried and created a gorgeous ombré effect. Sometimes you simply have to let a watercoloured background dry before deciding whether you love it!
Watercolouring the Stampin Up Under My Wing Bird
The bird image was stamped onto Fluid 100 Watercolour Paper in Versamark Ink and heat embossed with black embossing powder. The raised embossed lines help contain the watery ink while also giving the finished image lovely definition.
After stamping, I carefully fussy cut around the complete image. To cut inside the small enclosed areas, such as between the bird’s legs and the branch, I first made an opening with a hole punch. I could then insert my scissors and neatly cut away the centre.
The bird and branch were watercoloured with Crumb Cake, Fresh Freesia and Blackberry Bliss. Instead of brushing the ink on in smooth strokes, I used a pouncing motion to try to create a soft, mottled texture across the bird’s body, however, as the card was slightly damp, the ink smoothed itself out.
Using Underpainting to Deepen a Light Colour
Soft Sea Foam was the only green included in this Colour INKspiration combination, but it was a little too pale for some of the shaded leaves. To create more depth without introducing another green, I used an underpainting technique.
I painted a very light layer of Fresh Freesia into the areas where I wanted deeper shadows, then added Soft Sea Foam over the top. The hint of purple beneath the green made those areas appear darker and more dimensional.
This is a useful technique whenever your colour palette is limited. Try placing a complementary or contrasting colour underneath your main colour to create natural-looking shadows.
Finishing the Card
A die-cut negative from my scrap pile became a Soft Sea Foam ink-blended frame for the bird. Using the leftover negative space from a die is an easy way to reduce waste while adding an interesting peek-through element to your design.
The bird was raised with Stampin’ Dimensionals, leaving parts of the leaves and branch free for a more natural, dimensional finish. I completed the card with a hot-foiled thank-you sentiment, shimmering dots embellishments and a light touch of Wink of Stella.
The Stampin Up Under My Wing Stamp Set is a beautiful choice for watercolouring, colouring with Stampin’ Blends or simply stamping as a striking focal image. Look for it in the Stampin’ Up! Online Exclusives from 1 September.
As always, the PDF Tutorial for this card is in my Freebie Library.
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