No PINK was used in the making of this card!
I know you don’t believe me now, but by the time you finish this post and video, you’ll see how it happened. I was really looking for an amazing mottled gray background for this project, we took a hard right turn – fast! It’s a story of getting some lemons, but making the best lemonade ever, so keep reading!
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Class #6: Creative Watercolor Media
This project was created with lessons from the class Creative Watercolor Media in mind. If you take any class from Altenew, take this one! It is a collaborative course with lessons from Jennifer Rzasa (Altenew co-founder), Debby Hughes, andLaura Bassen. I mean, can you get any more amazing teachers?
My Project
I wanted to create a mostly one-layer card by combining an ink-smooshed background with a watercolored image. I certainly accomplished that goal, but maaaannnn, it was touch and go for a minute there…
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The Technique & Design
I started the design by stamping the vase and the floral stem as well as the sentiment. After that, I took quite a while to use masking fluid to cover the vase and the flowers so I could work on the background without worrying about getting any stray ink on those parts. All is good, so far!
Once the fluid was dry, it was time to have some fun with ink smooshing. I started with Silver Lake ink – because, you see, I wanted a beautiful mottled-gray background. So, I put some of the ink on a piece of acetate, added some water and spread the ink around, then smooshed!
I’ve done this hundreds of times before, so I was confident. But, then, I turned the paper over and to my horror, it was PINK! Ugh… it was so NOT what I wanted. Since the panel was “ruined” I thought I’d try one of the darker colors to see if it was a fluke, but it certainly was not. All of the shades in the Gentleman’s Gray color quad had PINK in them.
Well, after I got over it, I realized that the pink and gray and little bits of greenish were really quite beautiful, so I continued on and finished the design. It ended up being one of my more favorite designs, but it came with a big reminder: Always swatch your inks!
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Crafter’s Toolbox Video
I thought we’d take a deeper dive into swatching grays and blacks so you can see exactly what happens and how you can test out your inks. It’s super-important for dye inks, but really, if you swatch all your inks (including markers and watercolor pans) you’ll get to know your color mediums so much better which will make you a more skilled crafter!
Thank You!
Time is precious and I’m truly grateful that you chose to spend a few minutes of your day here!
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6 down, 4 to go!
I’m just a few weeks away from finishing my Level 2 journey. This has been a wonderful educational experience, and a great way to occupy my time over the cold winter! I’m starting to think about ways that I will fill in these bi-weekly posts with new content, so if you have a request for something you’d like to see me cover in the Crafter’s Toolbox or a Project Tutorial, please leave a comment to let me know!
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I love your “lemonade” background. While I haven’t experienced this dramatic a color change, your advice to make swatches is so wise. It is amazing the variety of colors to choose from. I’ve found that so many pink shades vary widely in undertones.
I like your unexpected surprise on your beautiful card and thanks for all the tips on swatching your inks.
Love everything about this card, Nicole! The use of vintage and subdue colors really makes this design super elegant! I am so glad that you enter your beautiful work in Altenew AECP assignment Gallery. Awesome details and design! Super work! Thumbs-up from me and I am one of your new You Tube Subscribers now. 🙂
Love love love this! What a gorgeous, mottled background! You have really stepped up your game and I love it! I hope you keep up your excellent work! Thank you for entering your wonderful project to the AECP gallery. Well done!