Spring Flowers - Sparkle Watercolor

Hi everyone!  Just wanted to drop in to share a quick project with you.  You may have already seen photos of this project when I shared it for the Simon Says Stamp Reason To Smile Blog Hop.  In fact, it seems to be the fan favorite from that release.  I wanted to show you exactly how I created this sparkling watercolor card.

I'll be using the new Simon Says Stamp Spring Flowers stamp set for these cards.  I love the whimsical design of these stamps.  Even though they're very whimsical, they still feel very sophisticated.  When I saw them, I just knew I needed to watercolor these beauties. 

I used the MISTI tool to stamp several of these card fronts.  By using the MISTI, I didn't have to worry about aligning each of the flowers time after time.  It's a one and done deal with the MISTI.  I knew I wanted to make several of them...just in case I screwed one up.  I tend to do that pretty often.  And it never hurts to make more than one card at a time.

For the first card, I did some simple watercoloring with the Koi Sketchbook Watercolors.  I will add sparkle to these later by overlaying some of the Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Pen.  LOVE these pens.  I'll share a video comparing them to the Zig Wink Of Stella pens next week.  Stay tuned.

For the second card, I actually used the Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pens for the watercoloring.  These pens are a little different than the Zigs.  Unlike the Zig Wink Of Stellas, these pens blend with water and blend with each other.  This allows you to create a watercolor look and seamless blending.  I started by laying down some color at the base of the petals and then blended it out using the Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Pen.  To build the color even more, I added some darker color to the base of the petals and then blended it out with the lighter color and then the clear sparkle pen.  I'll show you this in the video tutorial below.

The one thing I really love about these Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pens is the color of the glitter.  It is a true clear glitter.  I feel like the Zig Wink Of Stella Glitter Pens have a gold tone to the glitter.  And these Spectrum Noirs SPARKLE like crazy.  I wish I could show it better in the video.

To finish the cards off, I did a little partial die cutting to allow the flowers to hang over the edge of the stitched rectangle.  I used the On The Edge cutting pads from Sizzix.  They're smaller than the standard cutting pads and it allows me to rotate them and send them through the Big Shot at an angle.  They're my secret weapon for tricky partial die cutting.

I layered up this partial die cut piece with some metallic card stock, some patterned paper and a touch of vellum to tone down the black and white stripes and really spotlight the flowers.  I also added a little stitching to the edge of the card with my sewing machine and some gold thread.  The stitched detail added just the right golden touch.

Don't forget to check out the video tutorial below.  I've also listed the products used in these projects below.  Just click the link to go directly to the product page.

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you've enjoyed this sparkly watercolor project.  Be sure to keep an eye out for my Zig Wink of Stella and Spectrum Sparkle Pen review and comparison.  You can subscribe on YouTube so you don't miss a thing.  Or follow me on Instagram.  I usually give you a heads up there when something goes up on my blog.  Until next time I hope you have a fabulous day!

Pink Flower

  • Solar Red
  • Red Berry

Peach Flower

  • Pink Champagne
  • Solar Red

Leaves/Stem

  • Emerald Green
  • Holly Leaf
  • Soft Jade
     

Supplies

*affiliate links used*

WatercolorTim AndersonComment