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i would love to do this.. i have never done it before.. what is the best way to get started? what supplies do i need?
also how do i color with primas and gamsol..or whatever they are called.. i think primas are the paper flower..hmm the pencils i am talking about start with a p also.. any help would be great!!
I use a blender pen or aquapainter and pick up ink from smooshing my pad (or I put a dot of reinker if I want rich color in the top of the pad). I also have used my watercolor pencils/crayons with both the blender pen and aquapainter as well.
I think if you search the resource section of this site, under techniques there is a tutorial on prismacolor pencils and gamsol (odorless mineral spirits). I've just started using them and like that look as well.
__________________ Bran Bran
I know that there are people who do not love their fellow man, and I hate people like that.
~Tom Lehrer
If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.
Prisma colored pencils and gamsol. On the Splitcoast resources page you will find a technique called "Gamsol Magic." Click on that and you will get a good tutorial.
I don't do much water-coloring, but here is my technique....
1. Stamp image with a good indelible ink. I like Memories brand.
2. Use an "Aqua Painter" - it holds water in the plastic handle.
3. Squish some colored ink onto a flat surface - I use old CDs
4. Pick up some color with the wet brush and...... PRACTICE
Here's what I like to do,
stamp with a waterproof ink my favorite is Palette Noir
scribble on paper with watercolor pencils and pick up with aqua painter.
I also use watercolor crayons and just touch my aqua painter directly to the end of the crayon and paint my image stamped with Palette Noir ink. You can also color directly on your stamp with the crayons and lightly spritz with water I've never had much luck with this method so I don't use it much. I also color directly on my stamp and lightly brush with with water and stamp.
I've been wanting to try Gamsol Magic but have not the tutorial on it is fantastic though.
Just practice, practice, practice.
__________________ "I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every second of it!"
Another tip--use watercolor paper. It comes in two main types--hot press and cold press. Hot press is very smooth and my preferred paper just 'cause it's easy to get a really good stamp impression to start. Cold press is more textured and prettier and lots of people have fab results with it. Regular cs can't handle much liquid, but watercolor paper is much more forgiveable and workable. You can move stuff around on it to get the look you want without pilling the paper. It makes a HUGE difference.
Experiment with reinkers, watercolor pencils, and watercolor crayons, and with brushes, aqua painters, and blender pens. Most people develop a preference. And practice. It's not hard at all (in fact, the more relaxed you are the better the results), but as with any materials, you need to learn what they can and can't do.
Subscribing to this! I've tried to do watercoloring with a regular paint brush (like little kids use with their watercolors), but it didn't work too well. I guess I'll just have to buy an aquapainter or blender pen .........BTW, which are best?
Martha - I had some defective SU aquapainters. I'm sure the real ones are fine, but mine leaked like a siv. So, I bought the $6 Niji on the recommendation of a friend, which I know is pricey ($6/one), but it works like a dream. It doesn't leak AT ALL. It's amazing. I found mine at Michaels. The brand is Niji.
__________________ Bran Bran
I know that there are people who do not love their fellow man, and I hate people like that.
~Tom Lehrer
If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.
Subscribing to this! I've tried to do watercoloring with a regular paint brush (like little kids use with their watercolors), but it didn't work too well. I guess I'll just have to buy an aquapainter or blender pen .........BTW, which are best?
~Martha
EWWW! Those paintbrushes that come with kids' watercolours are trash!!!
If you get a nice very small fine-tipped artist's paintbrush, it makes all the difference in the world!! You can do detailed work with a fine-tipped one. And then you can use a larger size one to paint large areas, like sky.
I have brushes AND aquapainters. For the aquapainters, I started with SU's, but since they only had medium and large, I also bought a small sized one from a local art store. Remember to test for water content after you squeeze - at least until you get the hang of estimating how much water will come out depending on how hard you squeeze. With the brushes, it is much easier to control water content, but you have to keep dipping and dipping.
Sometimes I paint with the ink colour from the ink pad. Most of the time I'll paint with Winsor & Newton or Grumbacher watercolours - the kind that come in a tube. It is much easier for me to control the intensity of the colour that I want, and also I can mix colours much more easily.
I use a blender pen or aquapainter and pick up ink from smooshing my pad (or I put a dot of reinker if I want rich color in the top of the pad). I also have used my watercolor pencils/crayons with both the blender pen and aquapainter as well.
I think if you search the resource section of this site, under techniques there is a tutorial on prismacolor pencils and gamsol (odorless mineral spirits). I've just started using them and like that look as well.
I have been playing with my crayons tonight and wanted to know about the markers .. which were better SU markers or the crayons.. Yes I know a matter of preference, but I like the blog that is shown. It looks better doing it that way than the way I orginally did it.. Thanks for that great site!!!!!!!!! I will try again tomorrow the marker coloring.. I have this set that is just needing to be water colored and not "just" colored..
I use a cheap kids watercolor set (but with my own brushes) and watercolor paper. I love using watercolors. It really makes your image pop...it's so beautiful.
I use:
Watercolor pencils: I color directly onto the image in small circles and then blend using a Niji waterbrush. If I want more intensity, I scribble onto a scrap piece, pick up some color and add layers.
Watercolor crayons: I use these mostly for backgrounds. I lightly color onto the paper and then blend with a medium or wide tip Niji waterbrush. I pick up extra color by touching the tip of the crayon with the waterbrush and then I just layer it on.
Twinklin H2Os: I love these to pieces. Lovely colors with shimmer. They're little pots of color that you can use with a brush or a water brush. Love them. Did I mention that I love them? If not, I do. Love them. To pieces.
When I started watercoloring on my cards, I didn't want to purchase anything special until I had tried it. So you can get started with: your classic ink pads. While the ink pad is closed, press the center of the lid down. This will transfer some ink from the ink pad to the inside of the lid. Use this ink as your "color". Just to give it a try, use any small tipped paint brush you've got and a cup of water. Whisper white doesn't work too well. If you don't have watercolor paper, try confetti or naturals white. Always stamp your image with a waterproof ink. SU! basic black and brown are supposed to work. I like StazOn or Versafine. If you like it, then you may want to buy some "specialized" products.
I was the same way as Bethany. I used my stamp pads and good paint brushes at first and loved the way it turned out. I did it just like Bethany described above. I was very pleased with the results and it continues to be my perferred method of painting. Eventually I got blender pens and the aqua painters. Each has a different *end result* and I use whatever I am looking for with the set I am using at the time. I love the blender pens for coloring in leaves...they turn out awesome!
I watercolor using pencils with paintbrush/water or aquapainter. I also like to pick up color with the aquapainter directly from the watercolor crayon but my favorite coloring now is Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol (bought at M's as odorless mineral spirits). I color with pencil inside the lines, leaving some white space and then wtih a paper stump (from M's) I dip into the Gamsol (about 1/4" for a moment to soak up a bit of liquid) and then run the stump across the coloring for a few strokes to break down the wax and then can move/blend the color. It requires multiple dipping and blending. I keep a small screw lid jaw with Gamsol on my table so its always handy and a stump sits in my pencil caddy on my desk too.
Do you have to use watercolor paper? I have all the pieces for several cards laid out and I wanted to use my crayons to paint part of the card. The design is done on white SU cardstock, and I used the Staz On Black. Any help is appreciated.
I love the watercolor crayons and an aquapainter... use them alot. I have done gamsol magic and like to switch up with that on occasion. But the crayon are my favorite. I used watercolor pencils at first but they now sit on the shelf because the crayons seem easier for me but above all else to get good watercoloring it takes practice.... practice and more practice. Good luck and have fun with it.
Do you have to use watercolor paper? I have all the pieces for several cards laid out and I wanted to use my crayons to paint part of the card. The design is done on white SU cardstock, and I used the Staz On Black. Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
Robin
Well, you don't HAVE to use watercolor paper, as long as you use a fairly dry brush and don't rub the paint around much. Watercolor paper really does work best, though, and once you try it, you'll likely not go back. I sure haven't, LOL!
I went on a colouring class a few months back and the tutor recommended watercolour paper for best results. She also gave us a tip about dampening the paper before you start to actually colour in your stamped image - just damp it not wet it. I think that makes a big difference too.
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Last night, I used the small end of the blender pen. I just rubbed it on my ink pad and colored with it. It gave me the watercolor effect--plus I could get a wide range of one color. I don't know if this is how it is supposed to be done, but it worked well for me. I have the watercolor pencils, but don't like them much, I have a hard time coloring with them, and there aren't that many colors of them.
__________________ Teresa
A COLTS lov'n, Dale, Jr. cheer'n, God serv'n, Braves watch'n, mom, wife, teacher and HOKIE girl!
watercoloring?
