Falling Snow

Inspiration: Simon Says Stamp Monday (Make your own background) + Try Stampin' on Tuesday Tic-Tac-Toe #6 (glitter + trees + winter) + Mix It Up challenge #49 (colours)

The starting point of this card was a video I spotted on YouTube of an artist sketching with watercolor pencils and it made me wonder if I could get an equally cool background using my Stampin' Up! watercolor pencils (she was using Faber Castell watercolor pencils). So I pulled out a piece of watercolor paper, masked the edges and scribbled colours on the paper using Pacific Point, Rich Razzleberry, Flirty Flamingo, Night of Navy and Balmy Blue. It took a few layers before I achieved this saturated look. The result is not bad, but the watercolor pencils are still not my favorite medium to use. I did find that by rubbing my Aqua Painter brush on the tip of the pencil until I built up a nice amount of pigment on the brush, I was able to transfer more colour to the page and get nice saturated colour without getting pencil marks (which tend to remain even when using a very light touch when putting pencil to paper). Based on the result I was seeing in the video, I would think there are different qualities of watercolor pencils (as with every colour medium) and because the Stampin' Up! pencils are affordable, the pigment is not as rich and blendable as some others. They are a great options for beginners to discover watercolor, but as of now, they are still not a preferred option of coloring.

Another fun tip I discovered, though, is that you can get a nice splatter effect easily by flicking your Aqua Painter brush directly on the tip of the pencil over the paper! This might be the easiest way of getting colored speckles I've found so far.

The branch and snowflake dies come from the Seasonal Layers Thinlits dies set. I used Dazzling Diamonds glimmer paper for the snowflakes and adhesive sheets on the back to simplify gluing them in place. I used a white gel pen to add snow to the top of my die-cut branch. The sentiment comes from the Making Christmas Bright stamp set and reads something like "May these Holidays be sparkling with joy," which goes well with the shimmery snowflakes. I'm a little mad that I got a smear on the bottom sentiment. I should have known - purple inks are always more pigmented and tend to smear more than other Classic inks, and they don't dry as fast on watercolor paper, so this is made worse. I stamped my sentiment and then cut my paper to size and that's when I smeared the ink while manipulating the paper. I decided I could live with it, so I finished the card as is.

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Illuminez les Fêtes (Making Christmas Bright)
Cardstock: Rich Razzleberry, Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper, Watercolor Paper
Ink: Night of Navy, Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Watercolor Pencils, Seasonal Layers Thinlits Dies, White Gel Pen

 

Comments

[Macarena]

Very pretty scene, I love the soft pastel background, lovely blended colors. Thank you for joining us over Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.

[Heather H]

Another pretty card - love that gorgeous background, and the simplicity of the branch - very lovely. Thanks so much for playing at TSOT!

[Jo - Let's Art Journal]

Wonderful card! The soft colours showcase you pretty snowflakes beautifully 😀. Thanks so much for joining in the fun at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge! J 😊 x

[Kerin]

Wow, what a gorgeous background for your beautiful snowflakes! Thanks for joining us this month at SugarPea Designs :)

[Jeanne J.]

So clean and beautiful.. looks like a peaceful night! Love it!