2023 Possibilities | Watercolor Weekend | Art Impressions Stamps

I am so excited for our first Watercolor Weekend post of 2023!  Happy New Year everyone.  I hope you all had a wonderful New Year.  I am so grateful for all of you and I hope to have a lot of inspiration, Art Impressions and beyond, to share with you.  Today, I have a simple possibilities card for 2023.

I love to create cards that I can use my current stamp collection to think outside the box.  The Gazebo stamp is a favorite, but sometimes I don’t want it to take up the entire card.

THE CARD

Because this stamp is so large, I used my MISTI to make sure I was able to ink where I wanted. I inked up only the top two-thirds of the Gazebo (don’t ink the lines on the roof as those would be covered with snow) and all the posts except for the middle two, with 569.  In order to lighten it up, I stamped it off once, then stamped it in the upper two-thirds of the paper.

Next, I inked the bottom half of the stamp (only the lake, no mountains) with 569.  I did not stamp this off, I wanted to be able to pull really dark color into the sides to create an ice rink type of feel.  The best thing about white is all the shadows that you can create.  TIP: start light and build up darker colors in just the shadowed areas.  I tend to have a heavy hand.  You can I bet that Karen’s rendition would come out a lot softer.

I softened all of the lines and pulled some of the color into the background.  To create the look of a snowbank along the water, hold your card upside down and with a damp brush pull the color out by swiping the brush along the line.  This will create a darker value at the bottom and a gradiant color along the bank with the pure white on top.  It gives the illusion of a banking.  I added additional 569 to the banks bringing it lighter as I got to the center.

I painted in the mountain using some jagged brush strokes.  Build the color up slowly with the darkest parts being under the snow.  For the sky, I brushed in some 565 between the columns and around the mountain and gazebo.

As final touches, the bench from the wrought iron set was a perfect spot for them to rest. It reminded me of the old movies with people ice skating. I added a fence from the Barn set between the columns using my stamp positioner and masking tape.  I kept feeling like someone would just fall off the rink without them, lol.

For our skaters and dog, I inked the girl with 636 and N25, the boy with 565 and N25, and the dog with 879 and N25 on her back (looks like my dog :3).  They are so easy, just ink, stamp and add just a smidge of water.

After it was done, I felt like it was missing something, so I added the pine tree from the Tree Set I.  After I added the water and it dried, I added some bleed proof white.  I love to add bling with my Wink Of Stella, so I added it to all the white snowy areas (really pretty IRL).   Lastly, I signed and dated!

For the 2023

Using the stamp die, from the journal rectangle dies set,  I traced inside the box for spacing of the numbers on a piece of scrap watercolor paper.  Using the small alphabet set inked with 569, I placed them inside the square.  These are clear so I didn’t need a positioner to line them up.  Once they were stamped, I cut them out with my die machine.  To color them, I added water to my palette and laid the outside piece into it, smooshing it around.  This is a great way to use your leftover paint. I dragged just the edges of the inside square in as well.  Using dimensional tape, I popped it up and added it to the left corner of the gazebo (after I assembled the card).  I hand lettered “possibilities”.  I feel like that may be my 2023 word.

Once that was complete,  I cut the piece out with my Gina K Designs master layouts die and the mat is also from Gina K called Edible Eggplant (one of my favorites).  I added this to a white card base with Connect Glue.

I really liked the simplicity yet the awe that it makes me feel when I look at it.  I hope you enjoyed spending some creative time with me.  I do appreciate it and I hope I have inspired you to make something today!  Remember, be easy with yourself, practice makes progress!  Happy New Year, let’s make it a great one!

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