Liquid Watercolor Backgrounds + GIVEAWAY
Hello! Today I went super overboard creating cards with liquid watercolor backgrounds. It was such fun! Along with the techniques and examples, I have fun giveaways.
[All supplies are linked to multiple sources in the thumbnails at the end of this post. Multiple stores are also linked in the parentheses following the product name. Compensated affiliate links may be used at no cost to you.]
One of my favorite ways to craft is to sit down with a stack of paper and create a bunch of backgrounds. This is a great way to explore techniques… try new things… have fun… and get more comfortable with the products you have. In this video I share many ways I used the new Hero Arts Liquid Watercolor (HA | SSS). Keep in mind – I am not a watercolor expert! I just had fun playing and thought you might, too. And I have LOTS of examples!
Again, all of my cards feature backgrounds created with the new Hero Arts Liquid Watercolor (HA | SSS) and Tim Holtz Watercolor Paper. They come in 8 colors and are bright, pigment-based, transparent liquid watercolor. They are easy to blend and mix and you can dilute them to any desired color intensity with water. SUCH fun to play with!
My first several examples show backgrounds I created by quickly applying Hero Arts Liquid Watercolor (HA | SSS) onto Tim Holtz Watercolor Paper along with a good amount of water. I like to use my heat gun to form puddles and lines in the color as it dries. I love the look! (Watch the video to better understand.)
Since this background has so much bold color as is, I kept the rest of the card simple. I created a frame with the Hero Arts Floral Border with Frame Die (HA | SSS) and added a Hero Arts Hello Stamp & Die (HA | SSS) sentiment to the center. Quick and easy!
Even though there are only 8 of the Hero Arts Liquid Watercolor (HA | SSS), you can very easily mix them to create any colors you want. And by using more or less water, you can change how intense the results are.
I *really* like moving the watercolor around with my heat gun as it dries. So cool…
The next two cards show how you can get different looks just by changing the process a bit. For both, I put down a good amount of water and added drops of Hero Arts Liquid Watercolor (HA | SSS). The card on the left shows the results after I moved the colors around a bit with my brush for a smooth look. The card on the right shows the results if you just leave it to dry after adding the watercolor drops. Really like the variety!
This next card shows a blue and purple watercolor background and features the Hero Arts Birds and Branches Frame (HA | SSS) and Bird and Banner Dies (HA | SSS), along with a sentiment from the Hero Arts Layered Topiary Stamp Set (HA | SSS).
Another die that works great for this style of card is the Hero Arts Reef Border & Frame Die (HA | SSS). I used it along with the Hero Arts Mermaid Kisses Stamp Set (HA | SSS).
For many of these next cards, I created windows using the new Hero Arts Nesting Rounded Rectangle Die Set (HA | SSS). This set has quickly earned a permanent spot on my desk. 🙂
This example also features the cutie Hero Arts Swan and Cattails Stamp Set (HA | SSS). What cuties! The sentiment is from the Hero Arts Support Prayers Love Stamp Set (HA | SSS). This set is special because 100% of the net profits go to the Kind Campaign!
I also used a slightly bigger Hero Arts Nesting Rounded Rectangle Die Set (HA | SSS) and Spellbinders Embossing Mat to emboss/impress around the window.
Another new stamp set that is really amazing is the Hero Arts Elephant Stamp Set (HA | SSS). SO realistic! I used my elephant along with a sentiment from the Hero Arts Huge Thanks Stamp Set (HA | SSS) and a window showing a watercolor piece.
The next few cards showcase a “drip and spritz” technique. I simply put small drops of Hero Arts Liquid Watercolor (HA | SSS) onto my watercolor paper and spritzed them with water. The watercolor moves and creates fun results!
This card also features the Hero Arts Elephant Stamp Set (HA | SSS)…
Isn’t this next background fun?! I used a Hero Arts Nesting Rounded Rectangle Die Set (HA | SSS) to create an off-the-edge window and added a butterfly and sentiment from the new Hero Arts Swallowtail Stamp Set (HA | SSS).
I can’t get enough of this background technique! SOOoooo easy to do, too. Here, I added a Hero Arts Swan Die. Simple white die cuts can look amazing against busy backgrounds.
I wanted to keep the focus of this next card on the crazy-cool background, so I just added a simple Hero Arts Feather Die (HA | SSS) and simple sentiment.
My next card has two different watercolor pieces together to create a scene of sky and water. The water was created using the “drip and spritz” technique. The sky? That was a simple wash of color created my mixing a drop of Hero Arts Liquid Watercolor (HA | SSS) with water. I also added a Hero Arts Swan Stamp Set (HA | SSS) swan and a sentiment from the Hero Arts Support Prayers Love Stamp Set (HA | SSS).
I like that the Hero Arts Swan Stamp Set (HA | SSS) includes the swan’s reflection that you can stamp on the water!
The Hero Arts Liquid Watercolor (HA | SSS) are also excellent for adding color to stamped images. The color moves so well with the water that it takes little effort to get great results. Here, I used the gorgeous Hero Arts Magnolia Stamp (HA | SSS).
Since Hero Arts Liquid Watercolor (HA | SSS) are so easy to mix, you can easily add Perfect Pearls to create shimmer watercolor. It is hard to see the shimmer in the photo, but it is gorgeous in real life.
And finally, I created used my “shimmer watercolor” for this background. And I added a topiary created with the new Hero Arts Layered Topiary Stamp Set (HA | SSS).
Whew! That’s a lot of cards. However, Lila and I had SUCH fun making them!
BLOG HOP
Today I am excited to be a part of the Hero Arts 2018 Catalog Blog Hop. As you likely already know, Hero Arts is my favorite stamp company. I worked with them for many years in the past and still love them tremendously. Their new catalog is fun and unique!
You can find all the new products HERE.
The next stop on the hop is the blog of my wonderful friend Kristina Werner. You can always start at the beginning of the hop at the Hero Arts Blog.
GIVEAWAY
Interested in a $50 shopping spree to Hero Arts? There will be three winners! For your chance, leave a comment below and on all the blogs i the hop by 11:59pmEST on 2/22/18 telling me your favorite of these new Hero Arts products. (To leave a comment, head to blog, scroll down to the bottom of this post and click the green “leave a comment” button. The winner’s name will be randomly selected from all of the blogs on the hop and posted on the Hero Arts Blog nex the following week.)
SUPPLIES
Want to find the products I used? I have listed them below. (Compensated affiliate links used at no cost to you. Thank you! Affiliate and product disclosure can be found here. All products were personally purchased except those from Hero Arts. As always, this post was NOT paid for or sponsored.) Click on the icons below each product picture to go to a favorite store.
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