Watercolor Resist Cards

Sharing a couple of cards I made using the watercolor resist technique - something I have been wanting to try for sometime now.

The technique involves creating a kind of a surface using anything that basically resists color. For my cards I used heat embossing as the technique to resist the watercolors.

I made two contrasting CAS cards - one for a birthday party related theme and the other a bit more on the elegant side to say a simple 'Thanks'.

Card 1 - Celebration Card

For this card I used the Birthday Bash stamp set from Paper Smooches. I heat embossed the balloons and the sentiment on Watercolor paper from Canson - the balloons in white and the sentiment in silver. These elements would work as the resist for my technique. I also stamped a cake from the same stamp set using Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink.

I used Zig Clean Color Real Pens to be my watercolor medium. First I applied water with a brush all across the paper. I applied some Blue Zig on to a clear acrylic block and used a brush to apply the color on the entire panel. The embossed parts resisted the color. I also avoided coloring inside the cake. Once I got some color for the background I proceeded to color inside the balloons in a similar manner blending a few colors from the acrylic block. I then colored the cake. I felt the background needed more color so I added more color around the balloons till I got the desired look.
The colors used are Cobalt Blue, Blue and Carmine Red.

I felt the balloons looked bare without the strings. I wanted a bit more of silver on my card as well so I used the Clear Emboss It pen from Ranger to draw strings and then heat embossed them in silver. I finished the card by adding some white dots on the balloons and the cake using white Sakura Gelly Roll pen.

I am entering this card in the following challenges.

• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Party Time

• AAA Cards CAS Game # 80 - Silver

• CAS Watercolor December Challenge - Watercolor Resist

• CAS(E) this Sketch # 202

• Muse Challenge # 197 - inspired by the Background color 

Card 2 - Thank You card

I made this card the exact same way as the previous one. What is different are the stamps and the colors used. The flowers are from the Flower Garden stamp set by Tim Holtz from Stampers Anonymous. The Zig colors used are Pink, Carmine Red, Orange and Yellow.

I adhered the finished panel on to a card base and added a handwritten Thank You sentiment. I splattered drops of pink color around the sentiment to finish off the card.

I am entering this in the following challenges

• CAS Watercolor December Challenge - Watercolor Resist

• CAS(E) this Sketch # 202

Supplies for both Cards

• Birthday Bash stamp set by Paper Smooches - Card 1
• Tim Holtz Flower Garden by Stampers Anonymous - Card 2
• Canson Watercolor Paper
• Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens
• Versamark Watermark pad
• Ranger White and Silver Embossing Powder
• Ranger Heat It Tool
• Sakura Gelly Roll Pen - white
• Sakura Micron Pen - black
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink pad
• Ranger Clear Emboss It pen