Happy Anniversary to our dear friends at Altenew! It’s always a good day when we celebrate crafting partners doing well, and we extend our congratulations to them – and thanks for their partnership in bringing beautiful craft supplies to us all! You should have arrived here from Karen Brown’s blog. If not, the fun starts on the Altenew blog.
Giveaway Prizes
Over $1,400 in total prizes! Altenew is giving away a $70 gift certificate to 5 lucky winners and one Altenew Academy class to 15 lucky winners. There are also 19 awesome companies/crafty friends who are celebrating with us, and they are offering the following prizes:
• Altenew: 5 $70 Altenew gift certificates
• Jennifer McGuire Ink: $100 Altenew gift certificate
• Gina K. Designs: $100 gift certificate
• My Sweet Petunia: $100 gift certificate
• Spellbinders Paper Arts: $100 gift certificate
• CiLi in Papers: €75 gift certificate
• Lawn Fawn: $75 gift certificate
• Online Card Classes: 3 online class spots
• Altenew Academy: 15 online class spots
• Auzz Trinklets N Krafts: $50 gift certificate
• Concord & 9th: $50 gift certificate
• Hero Arts: $50 gift certificate
• My Little Attic: $50 gift certificate
• Scrapbook.com: $50 certificate
• Simon Says Stamp: $50 gift certificate
• Pinkfresh Studio: $50 gift certificate
• Bumbleberry Papercrafts: £25 gift certificate
• Waffle Flower: 1 prize bundle valued at $32
• Butterfly Reflections Ink: $25 gift certificate
• Ellen Hutson LLC: $25 gift certificate
• Scrapbook & Cards Today: 1 copy of Scrapbook & Cards Today Spring 2021 issue
Be sure to leave comments by 4/18/2021 for a chance to win one of 41 prizes! To make the hop more exciting, start your comment with “Hi from (city or country where you’re from)!” 41 winners will be chosen at random from the comments left on any of the blogs listed above and will be announced on the Altenew Card Blog on 4/24/2021.
I’m Sandy Allnock, and I’m excited to get out pencils, brushes, and paints to make a card….especially when it’s a floral when I have an excuse to use my favorite color yellow!
I chose to use Book Engravings – yes it’s a floral stamp set! It’s a layering stamp set, but I’ll use it without the layers and color in my own; you can also get dies and stencils that coordinate. But the teaching moment here is about when you might consider using watercolor pencils vs watercolor paints. Because, well, sometimes one is easier for a particular job than the other!
I stamped the flowers in VersaFine Onyx Black ink pad —- it’s waterproof and gives me a great crisp outline. My favorite watercolor paper for cards is Arches Cold Press; not so much texture to make stamping hard, but enough to keep the watercolor moving nicely. The card was finished off with a layer of Ebony cardstock popped on dimensional adhesive on a Cherry Red card base.
Watercolor pencils are often easier for small areas, for shading, and for moments when you get nervous about all that watercolor splashing around! You can take your time coloring slowly, nothing will bleed or blend yet – then just pick up that brush once you’ve taken a deep breath…or maybe a little glass of vino for courage!
Backgrounds are a great place to use watercolors – large open areas can be covered quickly and smoothly with color and a brush. I like to recommend using a brush larger than you think you need just because it keeps you loose! But in this case, I wanted the round 8 so I could get in between the flowers.
You can check out my swatching of the pencils and watercolors on my blog or YouTube!
Why paint a background at all, you ask? Well how about those of us who go outside the lines!?! Yep that’s why I first started painting and coloring backgrounds. It hides my oopses!
I hope this project has given you a little bit of courage to try some watercolor, and maybe when to try pencils to keep things under control!
Blog Hop
Now go visit the rest of the blog hop – there’s a ton of inspiration out there waiting for you! Next on the hop is Seeka! In case you get lost along the way, here’s the complete hop listing for today:
Altenew Blog
Jennifer McGuire
Jaycee Gaspar
My Sweet Petunia
Agnieszka Malyszek
Kristina Werner
Tenia Nelson
Paige Evans
Reiko Tsuchida
Auzz Trinklets N Krafts
Karen Brown
Ellen Hutson LLC –> You are here!
Seeka
Katrina Howe
280 Comments
Hi from Dublin, Ireland! Absolutely beautiful, love the vibrant colours!
Hello from the central west coast of Florida. Wow, stunning card. The coloring is gorgeous. thank you
Hi from California. WOW – I LOVE this card. The colors are beautiful and it just POPs with “happy”.
Hi from North Carolina! Orange and red are my least favorite colors but this card is absolutely gorgeous!
Hi from Missouri! Beautiful background! Thanks for sharing your ideas!
Hi from SoCal!! Beautiful card.
Hi from Orange County,CA. I can’t believe how gorgeous that looks. You used my favorite colors, and I love how you made the background and flowers blend into each other. I am going to go back and see how you did this!!
Hi from California. Love the colors used. Awesome watercoloring.
Hi from Elk Grove, CA!! Thank you for making beautiful products for us to enjoy!!! Congratulations Altenew on your anniversary!
Hello from Idaho! I was happy to see that Sandy would be sharing her painting expertise with these wonderful Altenew products for EH! I appreciated seeing the different ways she use the two water color products and love that beautiful result!
Beautiful water coloring. Happy anniversary Altenew.
Hello from Crystal Lake, IL! Love the colors you used on this card. I really need to explore more with watercolors! Thanks for sharing this card and your creativity with us.
Love your water coloring. Just beautiful.
Hi from Olmsted Falls Ohio. Sandy you are a master in the art of color. I continue to learn from you through your videos. Thanks for being so inspiring.
Hello from Illinois! Thanks for this introduction to Altenew’s watercolor pencils – another thing I need to add to my wishlist!! You always explain things so well and I like that you have more control with the pencils!
Greetings from Austin, Texas! Great job on your watercolors!
Hey from Florida. Fabulous watercoloring. What a beautiful card.
Hello from Seattle! What beautiful cards, Sandy! Happy birthday to Altenew!
Hello from Merritt Island, I love your work. Gorgeous cards!
Hi from southern Minnesota, Happy Anniversary Altenew!
You make the painting seem so easy, possible. Thank you for sharing your card and talent.
Hi from Switzerland ! Your card is so vibrant and beautiful ! I did not know these pencils … but I mean … how amazing they are !!
Hi from the Texas Gulf coast. Sandy, your coloring always amazes me, and interesting to learn a bit about the differences between watercolors and watercolor pencils. I love the look of watercolor but really need to practice a LOT more! Your results are always so gorgeous. Thank you for sharing!
Hi from Nebraska! LOVE the watercoloring!!
Hi from Bradley Illinois! I love the nice warm colors on your card!
Hello from Minnesota! I love the watercolor cards! I am thinking I need to purchase those water color pencils!! Beautiful colors!
Beautiful rich coloring. Love it! Currently practicing with some watercolor crayons, so this was quite inspiring. Thank you!
Hi from Bozeman Montana! I love your coloring & this one is stunning!
Hi from Potsdam (Germany)😊 love those vibrant colors. Spring vibes incoming
Hello from BC, Canada. I love the card and enjoyed the video seeing how to combine the two forms of watercolor.
Hi Cathy here from WA State. You are so talented. Such good inspiration, I can’t wait to try. Thank you
IF my name is pulled, I would love the woodless pencils
Hi from Helena, Montana! Happy Anniversary Altenew! Your card is exquisite with all the beautiful, rich autumn colors!
Hi from Waukesha, Wisconsin! I love all of the sweet projects I am seeing. Altenew is also one of my favorite companies for sweet images! Thanks for the opportunity to win some awesome prizes
The saturation of color really makes this card!
Hi from Germany. Thank you for the Inspiration
Hello, Wisconsin here. Your coloring is gorgeous.
Hi from New York! I love your bright yellow/orange/red watercolor flowers and your tips for using w.c. pencils vs. paint.
Hello from sunny Florida. My watercolors are pencils too. I am glad you have a video as I am still learning how to use them. Thank you!
Howdy from Prescott, Arizona!
Hi from Utah! Amazing watercolor!
Hi from California!
Your coloring is always so AMAZING
Oh I LOVE the beautiful watercolor. Hello from CT.
Hi from Wisconsin! Beautiful card. Such depth.
Watercolor is my favorite! Hello from MIchigan.
Stunning! Love the colors and the intensity, beautify coloring too. Intriguing – no wood body? Wow
Hi from Canada! So bright and beautiful! Thank you for sharing!
Hi from Denton TX WOW!!! what fabulous water coloring. So vibrant!
Hi I am from Alberta Canada…wow Fabulous card…
Hi from Ohio. This is absolutely beautiful, thanks for demonstrating the Altenew watercolor pencils and paints!
Hi from northwest Alabama! Pretty card! How creative you are to use a layering set but actually color it in yourself! Wonderful job!
Love the colors you used!
Beautiful card, thanks for sharing.
Hi from Dallas Texas! Beautiful card! I love the warmth of the oranges, reds and yellows!