Masked Water Colour with Stencils

 

MASKED WATER COLOUR and WATER COLOUR WITH STENCILS    January 2023

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I’m inspired by many types of art starting when my third-grade teacher loved paper mache’ and sculpting more than she loved teaching math.  My gram enrolled me in “kit of the month” craft kits and the next 60 years? Filled with ideas and projects.  I am an Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator, have been making cards for 35+ years, and I love making cards because doing so is a way that I can Love what I do and share them to cheer up the world!

TODAY’s projects are taking the ink on water colour paper and masking part of the area BEFORE you add the ink to add details to the print.  The second project is my version of a technique I saw on “Make It Artsy” Ink & Stencils.

PROJECT #1 - MASKED WATER COLOUR

SUPPLIES I USED (Stampin’ Up! unless noted) Click on the products to find them at my Stampin' Up! shop.

Re-inkers – BLUES: colors Night of Navy, Starry Sky, Orchid Oasis, Tahitian Tide, or any combination of blue shades you have. Be aware that some of the blue shades split in color when water is added. GREENS: Parakeet Party, Mossy Meadow, Old Olive and any shades of greens.  BROWN: Early Espresso (dark) and Crumb Cake (Light).

Water Spritzer good to have two

Lucite Block(s)

Water Colour Paper

White Crayon or Piece of Unscented white or clear wax

Paper towels (roll) and a mat to protect your work surface. Because you’ll be spraying water, you may want to work in a box or cover the surrounding area with a towel or paper.

Plastic gloves or something to cover your finger tips with

Silicone baking sheet or similar to protect work surface, 12x12 cardboard to guard work space from spritzed water/ink.

Fine Tip Drawing Marker – Stampin’ Write Basic Black Marker or same color as ink, which are .5 mm or Pandafly brand Micro-Line Pen

Your fingers will get full of ink.  Wear light-weight rubber gloves if you don’t want ink-stained fingers/nails, or use plastic finger tips, I found at the Dollar Tree for use with nail polish or silicone finger tips to prevent your fingers from burning by hot glue.

NOTE: DON'T spritz the paper before you add the ink because the ink will spread, and we don't want that to happen with this technique. When you’re finished with your print, spritz the back of the water colour paper with water, lightly, and set it to dry under a book or heavy object to keep it flat.  

MASKING WITH WAX: With white crayon or wax piece, make a solid circle, moon/sun shape; draw clouds, waves, mountains.

Apply your ink carefully – put a few drops of ink on the lucite block, spritz it with water, then in one movement, tip it upside down on your paper and pull it across your paper.   

If you didn't see the video for this instruction, here's the basic info:   Drop a few drops of ink on a lucite block, and spritz it with water - not too much and not too dark; starting on the left side of your paper, flip the block over and drag it quickly across the page starting at the top.  Repeat with different colors.

Sky, water and land. Don’t think too much about this – just push the ink across the page. 

USE paper towel to dab off excess ink or drips on the paper where you didn’t want it. 

Clean off the block if you're adding a new color; then clean off your hands, so that the ink on your hands doesn’t become part of the print. (This might be common knowledge, but we all need a Reminder.)  

After you've rubbed off the excess ink on the waxed areas, set it aside to dry. When its dry, trim it, make it into a card front.

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PROJECT #2 Water Colouring on Masks (Masks are Stampin’ Up! product name for Stencils)

Project #2 was inspired by “Make It Artsy” where Julie Fei Fan Balzer sprinkled ink powder on the stencil, squirted it with water, and ……..well, let me show you how I took that idea and applied it to my favorite coordinating products.  Isn’t that just the best thing about Stampin’ Up!? Everything coordinates – so if you don’t have the artful ideas you can still make beautiful prints and projects then share them!!

I used a 12x12 piece of water colour paper – its easier to use a large piece and score it into individual pieces. Ideally it would be 4x6 sections, but my sample is 6x6. 

Whether you use 4x6 or 5x7 or 12x12, remember that we are using DRY water colour paper to start with.  We are NOT taping the stencil down like you do when you use a blending brush to apply the ink.

Add 3 drops of ink from a re-inker bottle into a water-filled Spritzer. We’re NOT using alcohol ink on this project.  This is your ink. 

**Before you spritz the ink, make sure your space and surrounding supplies are covered, as the fine ink spray gets every where.

Place the stencil down on the paper.  Hold it with one hand or not at all! Spritz the open spaces quickly, and just as quickly, lift up the stencil being careful not to tip the puddled ink/water that has collected on the top of the stencil.  Wipe off the excess liquid and place it in another dry space and spritz it again.  Do this randomly across the paper, making sure to use a dry paper towel to absorb the puddled ink on the paper – OR leave it there to dry.   Clean off the excess ink on top of the stencil and move it over and spritz again.   Look at the whole piece of paper and see how it looks to you.  Since the water colour paper is dry to begin with, the liquid ink will absorb fast as long as not too much was spritzed on. 

I added the second layer on the flower but I thought the veins of the flower in the darker color took away from the natural look of a water color print.  You decide how much to add.

Once the prints are nearly dry, add the layer for the leaves.  Use a sponge dauber, or water painter to add green to the leaves. This is another way to add color to these prints. Be free with it, and don’t be too concerned if you get it in the exact frame of the stencil.

This is a technique that shows the stenciled print as a water colour print.  I love the pastel, light print.  

To make the print look dimensional, I used a fine tip black pen, .3 mm, and outlined the edge of the leaf and the flower petals.   On the blue sample print the black outline gives dimension.  While I first used black on the pink print, I also tried the same color ink.  I think the same color ink might be better.  You’ll have to try it and see what you think looks the best for your own print.  So if you’re looking for something exact, this may not be the technique for you.

Please post your prints – I love seeing how inspired we are from each other. As I’ve said, the print will reveal itself to you as you work on it.  Each print is different, and might not turn out the way you thought it would!

Thanks for stopping by.  Be Blessed!sb

Join me in person at Card Making Class, on my Face Book Class page: Card Connoisseurs - Cardmaking with Susan Boback or Instagram.    Find out more about Stampin' Up! catalogs, products and how you can get a 20% discount as part of my team: www.susanboback.stampin.net