Watercolor painting combined with stamp art is growing in popularity, as stampers discover this versatile medium.
Memories of “cheap” watercolor sets in elementary school may have “colored” (pun intended) your view of this technique, but with enough practice, these paints can be used to great effect. In this article, five stampers who work with watercolors share their art and techniques. A list of helpful supplies and terms is included with the story.
(Stamp credits: Grass, geese, big pines—Stampin’ Up!; fisherman and dog—Stamps Happen;
mountains—Inkadinkado; towering trees—Posh Impressions/JudiKins; medium tree—All Night
Anticipation, a cover-sized piece, was painted on 300-pound watercolor paper and required quite a bit of planning, according to Judy Larson of Boulder, Colorado. “A basic box of 24 watercolors and stamps was all I had to work with. But I had an idea! I love the boy and his dog image, so for weeks I thought about what I could do with them. I realized I had a mountain stamp and trees in every size, so the idea for the piece started coming together.”
Judy soaked sections of her paper by wetting them with a spray bottle. Her colors were mixed in the paint pan and loosely applied with a #14 round brush. Painting the background went quickly. And, once the paint was dry, she was able to start stamping images with permanent black ink.
Winter Chickadee / Cathy Forehand
(Stamp credits: Chickadee, small branches—Penny Black; bird flock—Stampscapes; branch—Beeswax; tall oak, small fairy fir tree—Lavinia Stamps; small pine—Joy Crafts; die cut—Gina K Design.