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Watercolor Framed Art

By: Bea Rosenleaf
Trailblazers
Mixed Media Team Designer

I have wanted to learn this particular technique forever! I love watercolor art, but my drawing skills leave much to be desired. This technique allows me to use rubber stamps and achieve the great watercolor effect I love so much; it was SO easy!  With this project, you not only learn the watercolor technique, but, also, how to use masks and a stamp positioner to create depth to your project. You will, also, learn how to use markers with rubber stamps instead of the traditional stamp pads.

Thanks to Bonnie at Art Impressions for developing this great technique! Check out the Art Impressions website (www.artimpressions.com) for a great DVD on Bonnie’s watercolor technique and great How-To projects.

Supplies:
Stamps: (Art Impressions)

Small Foliage (A-1732)         
Bracken Fern (D-2728)       
Salvia (B-2432)                   
Small Grass Clump (AA-1378)
Leaves (AA-1366)               
Umbrella (K-2730)
Tropical Foliage (E-2720)      
Cobblestone (X-3297)
Sm. Wild Grass (AA-1370)      
Teeny Tiny Grass (AAA01374)       
Wheat (AA-1367)                        
Veggie Cart (M-3286)
Leaves (AA-1366)                       
Basket (E-3292)

Stamp Positioner (Stamp-a-Ma-Jig)
Marvy Uchida LePlume Markers:

#02 Red                      
#06 Brown                   
#08 Violet                   
#12 Grey                     
#15 Olive                     
#40 Brownish Gray         
#43 Brilliant Yellow
#45 Sepia
#49 Vermillion
#50 Ultramarine
#72 Pine Green
#102 Jade Green 

#1 and #4 Round Tip Watercolor Brushes (Royal)
Watercolor Paper (90# cold-press; a heavier paper would be nicer)
Small container with water
Paper towel
Scrap paper
Plastic palette or plate 

How to use a stamp positioner:

1.  Place the piece of plastic into the corner of the positioner. Make sure you have the smooth side of the plastic facing up.

2.  Ink up a stamp and making sure the stamp is lined up in the corner of the positioner and stamp onto the plastic. Lift stamp straight up.

3.  Take the plastic piece with the stamped image and line it up wherever you want the image stamped to be. Place the positioner into the piece of plastic and remove the piece of plastic.

4.  Take the inked stamp and carefully stamp the image lining it up in the positioner. Make sure you lift the stamp straight up!  Remove the positioner, and voila…your image is places exactly where you want it!

5.  Clean the image off of the piece of plastic.

I would suggest you practice using the positioner on a scrap piece of paper a few times until you feel comfortable using it. This is a great tool once you are familiar with how it works. Every stamper should have one in his/her arsenal of tools!

Instructions:

1.  Using the #45 marker, color the veggie cart stamp and stamp onto the center of the watercolor paper.

2. Re-ink veggie, stamp onto scrap paper and cut out. Make sure you cut just inside the lines of the image. This is your
    mask.

3.  Place cart mask over the cart image just stamped on the watercolor paper.

4.  Ink the basket with the #45 marker and stamp next to cart. Remove the mask.

5.  Using a damp #4 brush, pull the color out of the lines on the cart and the basket.

6.  Use the fine tip of the #45 marker and color in the dark areas of the image (wheel, metal bars, basket rings, handles, etc.).

7.  Scribble #45 marker on the palette (I use the plastic piece that comes with the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig for a palette and clean off the colors before using it to position a stamp.). Dip brush in water (not too much water) and pick up the #45 color from the palette and brush in the shaded areas of the baskets and the cart. Be careful not to get too much water on the image or it will run.

8.  Using the #15 marker, ink the small foliage stamp and stamp in the basket on the ground area of the picture. Using a damp brush, soften the image by pulling the brush over the image.  You may want to practice on a scrap piece of paper!

9.  Make a mask of the basket and place over the image.

10. Ink the salvia stamp with the #8 marker and the leaves with #50 marker. Using the stamp positioner, stamp these images in the basket. Soften with damp brush.

11. In the next basket, use the following markers: #15 with the tropical foliage stamp; #72 with the small wild grass stamp; and #8 with the wheat stamp. Soften each image as you stamp them with the damp brush.

12. Going to the third basket (middle one on the cart) with the following markers:  Ink up the leaves stamp with#43; ink up the leaves stamp with #50 and place behind the yellow leaves. Soften each image with damp brush as you stamp them.

13. Ink up the leaves stamp with #2 marker and stamp in the fourth basket. Ink up the bracken fern stamp with #15 marker and stamp in this image.   Soften colors with a damp brush after adding each image.

14. Using #15 marker, ink the small grass clump stamp and stamp above the red and blue flowers. Soften images with damp brush.

15. Using a #40 marker, ink the rod and frame portion of the umbrella. Use #40 for the canvas portion of the umbrella. Refer to finished project for placement of the umbrella. Use the #1 brush and very carefully drag the color from the lines of the umbrella. Scribble a #2 marker on palette and mix with some water. Brush the color onto the umbrella – leave some white space for highlight. Use the fine tip of the #45 marker and make the rod and frame on the umbrella darker.

16. Mix #102 marker with some water on the palette and very lightly brush onto the cart.  Be careful not to get too wet.

17. Ink the cobblestone stamp with the #40 marker. Lay basket and cart masks over images. Use the stamp positioner to stamp the cobblestones over the image. Remove masks. (Notice how the cobblestone now looks like it’s in the foreground?) Soften the cobblestones with damp brush.

18. Mix a #45 marker with some water on the palette and brush in the shadows under the cart and around the basket.

19. Ink the teeny grass stamp with a #15 marker and stamp randomly on the cobblestones. Soften image with a damp brush.

20. Mix a #15 marker with water on the palette to create a wash. With a larger brush, pick up the wash color and create ‘clouds’ of green in various shades to give shadow and depth to project.  Refer to photo.

21. Mix a #50 marker with water on the palette to create a wash and repeat step 20 to create the sky. See finished project for reference.

22. Scribble markers #43, #6 and #102 onto the palette.  Pick up color with a damp brush and paint the baskets.

23. Mix a #102 marker with water on the palette and very lightly brush onto the cart. Be careful not to get too much water or the images will bleed.

24. Sign your work! Matt picture, place in frame and proudly display. You don’t even need to give away the secret that you didn’t really create the scene by hand! Let your friends and family believe you’ve taken up the art of free-hand watercolor!

And here's the mate I made to go with the Flower Cart. This is the Veggie Cart.

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