Want the Watercolor Look? Try This EASY Method Using Dye Inks!

Did you know that you can achieve a beautiful watercolor look even without watercolors? Today, Therese is here to show you an amazing watercolor technique using the inks that you already have in your stash!

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Hi there it’s Therese, and I have 2 elegant floral designs to share with you today. The beautiful Mondo Orchid is perfectly sized to be the centrepiece of your card design and I thought it would be great to take this image a step further and do some watercoloring. But not just any watercoloring, I am stretching my supplies and this time I decided to use ink pads to get the ‘look’.

For my first card I wanted a bold outline so I stamped the image with Nocturne Pigment Ink. Then I used some Catherine Pooler inks to get the watercolor look.

And, can you see the ‘debossed’ outline of the coordinating die? It may be subtle but adds just that little something extra to a clean and simple design such as this.

PRO TIP: Use a silicon or tan mat with a die to add debossing to a card design. It’s very easy to do!

And, what should I do with the leftover inks on my palette? Why, make another card of course! It was easiest to keep the same design but this time I thought I would add a little ‘extra elegance’ by Gold Embossing the image and sentiment.

This time I die cut the image and popped it up on the front of the card and added some gold splatters.

TIPS TO WATERCOLOR WITH INKS

• Use Watercolor Cardstock, this allows you to add ‘more’ water and shading without pilling and too much warping.
• When stamping an image use inks that will not bleed when water is added (ie. Pigment or Archival).
• Many brands of ink can be used to watercolor with. Dye inks are fabulous for this technique as they are waterbased.
• Smoosh the ink pads onto a ‘palette’ or a non-porous surface such as a plate and then use a paint brush to add water and paint the ink.
• You can also use ‘reinkers’ to achieve the same result.
• Use more water to dilute colour or less for a bold vibrant result.
• Allow drying time between each layer of watercolor. To speed things up you can also dry with a heat tool between layers.
• Another fun way to use the ‘leftover’ ink on your palette is create some quick backgrounds using the ‘smooshing’ technique. Spray some water over top, pick up the color with a sheet of acetate and lay it onto some cardstock!