Watercoloring Tips with Hello Gorgeous

Hello, Altenew friends! Thank you so much for stopping by today. Today, I would like to share some watercoloring tips using the newly released Hello Gorgeous Stamp Set with the coordinating dies and the Altenew Watercolor 36 Pan Set.

Hello Gorgeous is a must-have set that includes two floral images that are perfect for practicing your coloring with any medium. I chose to use watercolors because I have been working on improving my skills as a watercolor artist. I love the colors that Altenew released in their watercolor pan set.

I started by stamping the images on watercolor paper using my MISTI and dark gray ink. When I first got into watercoloring, I had no real patience for it. I wouldn't wait for layers to dry, which led to a “messy watercolor” look. Although I grew fond of that look, I decided I wanted to learn detail work. I know I have a long way to go, but I have been proud of my progress so far.

One tip is to start with very diluted layers. I use the blank palette side of the Altenew Watercolor 36 Pan Set to water down my paints. It's best to start light and then be able to add more pigment over time. As I allow each layer to dry, I try to pay attention to where petals fold so I can add some darker shades there. To achieve a really dark shade, I mix my base color with Jet Black Ink.

For laying down my layers, I use a size 2 or 4 round brush, depending on how large the image is. For detail work, I use a size 0 round brush. To add highlights and to “color” the stamens, I diluted white gouache with a little bit of water. Gouache is a water-based medium that mimics watercolor but has high opacity so it can sit on top of underlying layers.

I like to add some color to the base of my card so I did a watercolor wash using the greens from the Altenew Watercolor 36 Pan Set and added some black paint splatters once the wash dried. If you don't wait for it to dry, the black dots will blend out into the wet layer. The sentiment is from the Best Dad Stamp Set. I love when sentiments are versatile enough to use with different projects. I cut apart one of the colored images and arranged them behind the purple calla lily instead of using two of the same exact arrangements. You can also just mask the images to create one unique floral cluster. I finished off the florals with some white paint splatters.

I hope that you will incorporate some of these tips next time you watercolor. Be sure to tag us on social media (using the hashtag #Altenew) when you do. Thanks again for visiting and for leaving me some love!

SUPPLIES USED:

Hello Gorgeous Stamp Set [ ALTN ] Hello Gorgeous Die Set [ ALTN ] Hello Gorgeous Stamp & Die Bundle [ ALTN ] Best Dad Stamp Set [ ALTN ] Watercolor 36 Pan Set [ ALTN ] My Sweet Petunia MISTI – Original [ ALTN ] Jet Black Crisp Dye Ink [ ALTN ]