BLUF: Necessity is the mother of ingenuity
BLUF = Bottom Line Up Front. (It’s one of my favorite military acronyms and completely unrelated to today’s post – kinda like TL;DR…) But, I digress! Today’s project was born from one of those “I wonder if”… scenarios. I really, really, really wanted to have some bold, vibrant florals on vellum, but after stamping, I was not happy with the result.
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Class #8: Irresistible Inking Techniques
Altenew’s Irresistible Inking Techniques class has four lessons that can help you approach ink in new ways that you might not have considered before. It was a great reminder of techniques I’ve used in the past, and of course, one of my favorite techniques – watercoloring (using the ink from an ink pad).
My Project
Inspired by the class, I new I wanted to share a technique that achieves a watercolor look on vellum. But that “what if” moment came when I wanted to add in embossing.
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The Technique & Design
The watercolor technique is simple. Stamp the images on vellum, then use a watercolor brush to move the ink around. When dry, it achieves a watercolor look! BUT, I wanted to keep the bright, vibrant color, so, I thought I would add some embossing. The problem was trying to use an anti-static bag without drying the ink. Once the ink was dry, it took on a dull look, which I didn’t want to lose. So, I skipped the anti-static bag all together! Normally, I wouldn’t advise this as the powder will stick everywhere – especially on vellum. But, since it was clear, any stray would only add to the texture. So, I took a chance!
The embossing powder stuck beautifully! It stuck more thickly on the wetter parts of the watercoloring, and less where it was more dry. Once heat set, I ended up with an amazing, organic kind of embossing that really accentuated the lines of the watercolor underneath. Perfection!
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Crafter’s Toolbox Video
A picture can show a lot, but video is even better in this case! I think you’ll really enjoy learning more about the two techniques I used!
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8 down, 2 to go!
Level 1 is almost within my reach! Do you have a favorite project yet? I’d love to hear if this one is your #1!
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You’ve made a wow card with this technique! I definitely will try this. I love the bold colors.
Great watercoloring love your cards. Thanks for sharing
Lovely! Looks wonderful!
Thanks so much for entering your beautiful work in the AECP assignment Gallery. Beautiful colors and design. Well done!
So festive with the fun colors.