In Praise of Sunflowers! Watercoloring with Distress Inks. By Nancy Sheads for The Queen's Ink

GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE! It seems like forever since I’ve seen those of you who are local. Like many of you, we are sheltering in place and hoping that better days will be here soon.

Sheltering in place is a lot like retirement, except that I have more toilet paper. And like retirement, I thought my house would be a lot cleaner now that I don’t get diverted by running errands or visiting friends. And I have even more time to craft….

However, the past few days it seems like nothing I’ve colored has turned out the way I wanted. I’ve torn up a lot of failed colored images. Some days are like that although I’ll admit that I’ve had several in a row now. So I decided to ditch my Copics for a few days (GASP!) and play with some other mediums.

As some of you know, I’m a frustrated watercolorist, but this seems like the wrong time to give that another shot. But I do understand Distress Inks — how they react with water and how the colors blend. So I pulled out the In Praise of Sunflowers stamp set by Power Poppy and decided to see what happens.

I stamped the image on Distress Ink Watercolor Paper using Versafine Clare ink. I immediately covered the ink with clear embossing powder and heat set the image. From there, I pulled out a water brush and a variety of Distress Inks and got to work. Since the image was embossed, I had little trouble staying within the lines so I could apply the color rather loosely. I smushed some ink onto my glass mat (a silicone mat works just as well) and picked up the color with the water brush. I had to play with the colors a bit because using the water brush diluted the ink. By using a combination of layers of color and varying the ratio of ink to water, I was able to get a variety of shades.

I also tried not to overthink the coloring. This was just meant to be a no pressure, easy going, and fun craft project.

Hope this project brought some sunshine your way! Thanks for stopping by!

SUPPLIES

PAPER: Neenah Solar White 110#; Distress Watercolor Cardstock by Ranger; Eat Cake from the
Party Animal Collection by PhotoPlay; Heavyweight Cardstock in Natural by My Favorite Things
STAMP: In Praise of Sunflowers by Power Poppy
INK: Versafine Clare in Nocturne by Tsukineko; Distress Inks in Mustard Seed, Ripe Persimmon, Candied Apple, Mowed Lawn, Forest Moss, Peacock Feathers, Shaded Lilac, Stormy Sky, and Brushed Corduroy
DIE: Large Stitched Rectangle Stackables by Lawn Fawn
EMBELLISHMENTS: Nuvo Fine Detail Embossing Powder in Clear by Tonic Studios