Techniques | How to create a hard lines watercolour background

StampinByHannah Techniques How to create a hard lines watercolour background

Some weeks working out which technique to share can be a struggle… but not this week! I made the card in this post last week, after I spotted a card on one of the Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator Facebook groups, and just had so much fun creating the background that I knew I HAD to share it!

This card would be so lovely as a Wedding congratulations, or engagement card. I have used a sentiment from the Oh So Eclectic stamp set, mainly because it coordinates with the dies… but looking at it now a Congratulations sentiment would have worked better!

This is one of those cards with lots of layers… so I will give you a quick run down:

• Watercoloured technique on Shimmery White card stock (check the video for all the details on this one!)
• Die cut area using the Eclectic Layers dies. The whole watercoloured panel is popped up on Dimensionals, and I have added some of the die cut pieces back in (in an almost inlay die cut style) with some Gold Glimmer Paper pieces added in too
• Two leaves punched from Champagne Foil with the Leaf Punch
• A vellum Everyday Label (punched)
• Flower die cut from the Eclectic Layers dies in Blushing Bride with a Clear Faceted Gem in the centre
• Sentiment heat embossed in White, punched with the Classic Label Punch

The focus of this blog post isn’t that card though… it’s about the techniques right!

The background is created with a fun, and quick, watercolour technique that I am calling Hard Lines Watercolour (I’m sure someone else has a better name for it!). I LOVE doing this for a quick and easy background. It’s super pretty when you use a soft colour like Blushing Bride, but it can be really striking in a bolder colour too!

I think I have covered everything in the video… it’s really just about adding layers, and drying in between. Using a Heat Tool really helps as the ink drys before it has time to spread out, and therefore gives those lovely hard lines! I could totally play around with this for hours… different colours, different sized paint brushes, different amounts of water all create different effects but they are all so pretty.

The panel I created in this week’s Techniques Video has also been made into a card… and you can see that if you subscribe to my emails in my Stampin’ Inspiration Monday Video!

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Hannah McCurley

Stampin’ Up! UK Independent Demonstrator