Water Colored Peaceful Place

I love to water color. By that I mean, I love to stamp an image and then color it with Stampin’ Up! Watercolor Pencils, Stampin’ Write Markers, or Classic Stampin’ Pads and water. I also love to color with Stampin’ Blends, but that doesn’t really qualify as “water coloring,” because those are alcohol markers. They’re super fun and easy to use, though!

I would love to be able to water color a painting, but, sadly, I did not get any artistic talent from either side of the family. Both of my brothers were quite artistic, but me? Not so much. That’s why I love Stampin’ Up. I created this watercolor scene today.

Here’s how I created this project.

First, I pulled out a lot of Stampin’ Write Markers – Shaded Spruce, Old Olive, Granny Apple Green, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Gray Granite, Smoky Slate, Pool Party, and Balmy Blue. You can get four of these markers by purchasing the New Color Assortment Stampin’ Write Markers. The other returning colors are Old Olive, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Smoky Slate and Pool Party. To get these (if you don’t have them already), you’ll need to purchase the Regals, Neutrals, and Subtles Stampin’ Write Markers. If you don’t have any of the markers, you can order the three color families and the new color assortment, but it’s actually cheaper to order the Many Marvelous Markers. And the best way to do this is to join my team, add the Stampin’ Write Markers to your starter kit, then add a color collection of Classic Stampin’ Pads to your kit (if you join by 11:50 MT, July 31). So. Much. Color!

So after gathering my colors, I positioned the stamp in my Stamparatus with some Watercolor Paper. I started with the evergreen trees, because they were the easiest. I colored them with the Shaded Spruce Stampin’ Write Marker, then closed the plate to stamp onto the Watercolor Paper. So easy!

Next, I inked some of the leaves on the other trees with the Granny Apple Green Stampin’ Write Marker. I wanted a watercolor look, so I spritzed it with a bit of water using a Stampin’ Spritzer, then closed the plate.

I let this dry for a few minutes. That was easy, because at the same time I was coloring this, Amelia was stamping her unicorns. She has commandeered my previous stamp positioner from another company, as well as all my current and retired Classic Stampin’ Spots. I was looking for my positioner the other day and found it in her craft basket. Hmmmm. I guess since I have two Stamparatii (Stamparatusses?), she thinks she should have my original positioner. Here’s how the conversation went.

Me: Amelia, why is my Stamp Positioner in your box?
Amelia: It’s mine now.
Me: Amelia, It’s my positioner. You can’t just take it.
Amelia: You have that one. I use this. It’s mine.
Me: No, Mike gave that to me for my birthday a few years ago. It’s still mine.
Amelia: No, it’s ok. It’s mine. (Then she gave me a thumbs up. Like that’s supposed to seal the deal.)

You can’t reason with a three/four year old. And I think she has a future in politics.

Anyway….I took several minutes to show her how to line up the stamps on the paper, then attach to the plate. I’m not sure she gets it, but at least my project was dry by now.

I inked branches and limbs with Crumb Cake and Soft Suede and stamped. Then I added a little Old Olive to the trees and stamped. You need to keep adding color and stamping until you’re happy with the results.

I used Old Olive on the hills, then added some Soft Suede to the river banks. The rocks in the stream are Gray Granite. I also used a little Crumb Cake on the ripples in the water.

I kept inking and stamping until I was happy. You can clean off the stamps if you want, but I didn’t always. The only time I cleaned was after I spritzed, because I didn’t want colors to bleed.

After I had the complete image stamped, I scribbled colors from the markers on a clear block, then used an Aqua Painter to pick up the color and fill in some of the images – like the grass, the rocks and trees. I didn’t want a totally blue stream, because that’s unrealistic – at least around here – so I used a little Pool Party to fill in around the Crumb Cake ripples.

The last touch was the sky. I scribbled just a bit of Balmy Blue in the sky and blended with an Aqua Painter so I’d have a hint of sky.

After I stamped my Peaceful Place image, I decided I didn’t want to send it; I wanted to frame it. I found a wooden frame on sale at a craft store. I bought it for a “future project,” but had never used it, so it was just sitting on my craft table shelf. It was perfect for the rustic look of this creation. I probably should have painted it, but I was too excited to have my masterpiece framed. I’ll probably paint it one day, if I can convince Amelia to share her paints.

I contemplated several colors to mat the image, but none seemed right. Finally, I channeled my “inner Jackie” and used Wood Textures Designer Series Paper. Perfect! (I’ll be CASEing Susan tomorrow. I love those two, and they inspire me so much.) And don’t forget – you can get a free pack of Designer Series Paper (DSP) if you order three by 11:50 p.m. July 31. Don’t miss out on this! Seriously – if you order four packs of the Wood Textures DSP you won’t be sorry!

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Have a lovely day!

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