GIU Day 2: LEARN SOMETHING

Welcome back, Shannonians. Day 2 according to Johnny Karate's life lessons is LEARN SOMETHING! I'm so happy to share with you something I have learned this last year, and maybe you will learn from as well.  Unity continually inspires me to explore new techniques, from their Design Team videos to their Unity Show and Tell challenges.  I had never even tried watercoloring until this previous spring, but now it is my go-to for coloring images and backgrounds!

Just so you know, I am not claiming to be an expert on water coloring... far from it in fact.  However, I have watched a lot of videos and have picked up a few things to add to my CGBOT (Craft Geek Bag of Tricks).  So be kind as you see my process for water coloring this card!

First I started with stamping the image in Versafine Onyx Black Ink on Canson XL watercolor paper.  I added a skin tone for her from my Reeves watercolor set.  

Her skin turned out a little light after it dried, so I went back in and darkened some shadowy areas.  The great thing about Angie Blom stamps is that she makes it easy to see where shadows would be.  Look at those little lines on her hand add so much detail!

Next, I wanted to color some of those sweet flowers and vines. I thought it was easier to see what the hair was once the flowers were already colored.  

I decided to do hair next.  Coloring hair can make or break your image.  I am not a coloring genius, like some artists are, but I follow a lot on Instagram and Pinterest.  One of the techniques I picked up from their tutorials is to leave some negative space or light color to add shine and depth.  I started with a light gold wash over almost all.  Then when the hair looked as it was being tucked away or on the thinner parts of the waves, I went in and added shadow with some darker browns.  Leaving light spots is so hard for me to do, but I know that those light spots are what make a watercolor image look polished. 

We are not done yet.  I had already chosen my paper for matting and I knew I wanted her shirt and accessories to have some light teal.  

To make her pop off the page, I decided to give her a little shimmery shadow using some shimmer water colors I got from Michael's.  They were really cheap, and I don't even know the brand, but they had this lovely little purple color that I thought this girl needed.  She looks so ethereal. 

She still seemed a little plain, so I matted the girl off with some scrap paper I had lying around. Then flicked some teal and purple shimmer watercolors on top to add visual interest to the background. I also took some wilted violet and black soot distress oxide ink and distressed the edges of the card.

The amount of water I used for the background made it pucker a little, but once I matted it, I knew she would look fine.  So I matted the image in a purple scrap I had, added a little teal polka-dot ribbon, and a sentiment from a different kit that I loved.  I stamped the sentiment words in three different colors that reflected the colors I used in my painting. Glue, tape, attach and voila!

Kits used:

What Will Be Will Be

Feather Flight

You can follow me on Instagram @shannon.edwards where I post all my little projects during the week.

Thanks for sticking around and following my process.  I have many more things to learn and share with you this week.  I hope you will come back tomorrow to see how I KARATE CHOP something.  Also, remember to comment below to have a chance to win 25 beautiful red rubber stamps from Unity Stamp Company!