Transformations Meets Mixed Media

Welcome to the Club Scrap Tranformations Collection Blog Hop! You can return to the start of the blog hop Here.  This month is was my pleasure to be the guest artist for this months' Greeting to Go cards on the Club Scrap Blog. You can see all my card interpretations Here.  For today's Hop I'm going into give a tutorial for two the techniques from the GTG cards. 

Greeting to Go Card

The first technique is fake water coloring as used on the card above.  For this card I stamped the Bamboo background Stamp from the CS Transformations Collection stamped in Club Scrap Hybrid ink Sandstone onto watercolor paper 140# hot press finish. Then I heat set the ink to make it waterproof in preparation for water coloring. Next I outlined the image in Inktense Watercolor Pencils as shown below.

Stamped Image Outlined in Pencil

Next, I lightly colored in the green areas with the pencil. When I wet the area with my brush the Inktense pencil becomes much more vibrant. If you are using regular watercolor pencil note that the color will lighten when wet.  After the green I followed the brown outline with a wet fine tipped brush. Finally I colored in each background block lightly and used a wet bush to smooth the color over each rectangle.

Image Colored with Pencils and Water

For my final card I coating the image in a wash of Lindy's Stamp Gang (LSG) Starburst Rusty Lantern Lime and acrylic glaze to tone down the brightness as was fitting for the Transformation Collection colors.

Super Simple Version

If you really want to keep things simple try the technique above. I stamped the image in CS hybrid ink moss then heat set.  Next I colored in the background squares with the pencils and spray with water. Below is the card I made with this watercolor.

A Simple Watercolor Card

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Greeting to Go Card Detail

My Demo Card

The second technique is a salt watercolor adapted using colored sprays as shown in the cards above. I did not take pictures as I went so I made a couple of new items using the same technique.  I start by heat embossing the Nautilus Stamp from the CS Transformations Borders and Backgrounds in LSG Dessert Moon Copper Teal embossing powered using Versamark Ink on watercolor paper.

Heat Embossed Stamp Image

To start I wet the image and then brushed blobs of color all over the image using a lighter and darker colored LSG Starburst Sprays Cape Cod Coral and Wild Honeysuckle Coral.

Wet Paint Brush Drops of Colored Sprays

Next I added rock salt anywhere I wanted color to collect.  I add the salt and then dribbled on more color over the salt. The salt causes the color t collect and pool, so use a lot of color and water at this stage.  Then leave the paper to dry overnight! I know that is a long time but the technique just doesn't work if you use a heat tool to dry it.

Rock Salt added to Images

In the morning brush off the rock salt and buff off any spray on the embossing powered.  You'll have an image very much like this one, but each salt wash is unique.

Nautilus 1

Nautilus 2

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Here is a second panel using the salt watercolor technique.  This time I wanted to create the image of leaves floating on a pond.  I started with a raindrops stamp from the CS Serenity collection and CS hybrid ink in ash.  Again, I heat set the image before continuing. 

Heat Set Stamped Image background

 I used the two Ginkgo leaf images from the CS Transformations collection and CS Tranformations Borders and Backgrounds with Versamark ink and CS verdigris embossing powder from the 2012 Holiday WOW collection.  After heat setting this embossing powder has a wonder multicolored shine to it.

Embossed Leave Image Detail

Next I began layering water and sprays. I used three different LSG Starburst sprays from lightest to darkest: Ocean Breeze Blue, Blue Hawaiian Blue, and Azure Sea Asters.  I put steps, but really I just wanted to create puddles of color by alternating spray applied with a brush and water until the paper was the color I desired. Because the paper gets soaked a heavy paper specifically for mixed media or water coloring is needed. In addition, I taped down the paper to keep it from curling too much due to water addition.

Image Ready to Paint

Step 1 - Wash with Lightest Color

Step 2 - Add Darker Colors

Step 3 - Add Rock Salt Clustered at Edge of Leaves

Step 4 - Dribble Sprays Around Salt

Again wait until morning to brush off the rock salt and buff off any spray on the embossing. Then cross your fingers that this looks like the pond image that I wanted.

Leaf on Pond - Final Panel

Final Leaf Card

This one turned out as I hoped, but I made another that I did turn out so well. On that one I was not as careful about salt placement and used too dark of blues for my sprays. Not wanting to waste an art panel I made a card that did not focus on the pond effect. This card uses Retro Sketch #183 and I will link to the challenge site.  All supplies are from the Club Scrap Transformations Collection. 

Another Card RS#183, Made from my Rejected Leaf Panel

Thank you for stopping by today and I hope you try one of these two techniques.  Your set stop is with the artistic Cathy Grey at The Artful Gamut. To get back to the start of the Blog Hop click here. 

Happy Creating,

Debby