Watercolouring

[hot cross bunny]

Hi all,

This is my 1st time posting on UK Scrappers (despite spending lots of time browsing on here!).

I've only been card-making for a little over 6 months and wondered if you could help - I enjoy watercolouring with Whispers pens or my Sakura pens :wub:, but no matter how much I dry the brush my card ends up warping because of the water - do you use special watercolour paper or am i doing something wrong? :huh:

Thanks!

[maggiemae]

Hi and welcome to UKS

Yes I think most people use watercolour paper to get best results. You can paint on ordinary card but as you've found it tends to warp unless you have a VERY dry brush.

[J0anne2403]

Whispers do a blending pen, it looks like identical to thei watercolour ones but has a white lid, you can use it like a brush and to my knowledge it doesn't warp the paper/card.

Hope that helps

[Mole]

The less water you have on your brush, the better, as it's the water that causes the fibres in the paper to stretch (I think!!!!). Watercolour paper is specially designed to help lessen this problem.

[hot cross bunny]

Thanks for the advice - that really helps - may have to add to the stash (again...) with a whispers blending pen.

Another quick question - where do I get watercolour paper from? And can you use it like other paper, i.e. stamp on it, heat emboss on it, etc...

Thanks again! :rolleyes:

[Mole]

I get mine from the cheapo Bookscene type stores you see on the high street, and yes, I have rubber stamped, embossed etc with it. In fact, I made all our wedding invites from the stuff! You can get it from some of our sponsors, I'm sure, from Hobbycraft and art shops, too. Just watch out for the different kinds of paper - there are some very smooth ones and some very rough ones!

[maggiemae]

WH Smiths had their watercolour pads on offer this week. £4.99 for the A3 size and nice quality paper

[hot cross bunny]

Thanks for the help - I was planning a trip to WH Smith anyway to try and get some bargain watercolour pencils :nono:

I can see this site being responsible for lots more stash and lots less cash! :ph34r:

[Mole]

You are not wrong LOL!!!!!!!

[paddywhite]

Hi there. I am a big follower of Pink Pettycoat creations and their website. A good tip from the creater of that website is to use an inkjet fixative spray by Ghiant, the matt version. I have bought this, and you just spray the card and let it dry for about 10 minutes and then paint it. It really does work. Not cheap, I paid about £8 including postage from ebay, but it is a good sized can and it will last for ages. Hope this helps.:)

[Duffbeer30]

Hi I got the pencils and pad from WH Smith they still seem to have the half price offer on.
Now for my first shot with watercolours probably be better asking one of my neices or nephews to colour in for me as I would get a better result :lol:

Ellen

[Myra]

Hi,
There are several different types of watercolour paper, I use Not finish for watercolour painting it's a sort of general use type paper. Then there is Hot Pressed, that's the smoothie of the bunch. Then there is Rough. Not sure if that would take stamping as there are humps and hollows, will have to try that out.

WH Smith have 30 gel pens on offer for £2.99, at least they did last week.

I haven't used this part of UK Scrappers before, I've been making cards for a lot of years, first on the PC and then I picked up a Making Cards magazine in a local craft shop and didn't even realise you could put things on them. I love gadgets and have a Cuttlebug and Craft Robo, trouble is I spend too much time reading all the posts in here instead of getting on with Christmas cards. It's addictive you know!

[Crafty Beast]

Got some of the half price watercolour pencils for WHS today.... didnt realise until reading that i ought to have got some paper too!!!

Does anyone know where you get those little brushes with the water in? I asked in the shop and felt like i was from another planet.......

[dozyrosy]

Royal & Langnickel who make all sort of art stuff do these water brush pens in a set with three different size brushes, so I would imagine you should be able to get them from good(!!) art shops or craft stores. You could ask sponsors if they stock them

I have a set from Art Kure which I got from them at a stamping show and they also sell via their website.

And I think there's a Japanese brand - possibly Sakura? - sold by Create & Craft; you could also possibly check Stamp Addicts (I think they're sponsors) for these, as I think I've seen them using them on their C&C shows.

Rosemary

[Quizzle]

I'd recomend the pentel water brushes - I keep one in my pencil case these days...

[jayni]

I use the "Royal and Langnickel" water brushes, I'm sure some of the sponsors on here will stock them. There is also a "koi" waterbrush which is more expensive but is supposed to be much better. My R and L one has just started leaking so I'm considering getting the koi one.

[dozyrosy]

The "koi" was the other one that I was thinking of!

Rosemary

[dusty fairy]

i have a bit of a daft question-i have noticed when looking at other peoples lovely work that their coloured images look so beautifully coloured with perfect shading and blending etc.How do you get such wonderful results when i try it looks like a year old has been let loose !!dont laugh too loudly but i feel that i need colouring in lessons-nursery school here i come!!

[Quizzle]

dusty fairy - have no fear, I often feel the same. Although my father (an acrylics man - he paints) seems to think I'm good with my watercolours - little does he know the stress it causes me!

A lot of it is trial and error. People will often post their best work, not the three that went wrong first (or more if they're like me). Although practice and experience can make it all go a little quicker, with less error. The biggest thing I've found is working in a way you feel comfortable. I will sit at a table to stamp (unless I'm only using teeny ones), or to do a full scrapbook page. For a card, colouring a stamped image, drawing/sketching I find myself curled up on the sofa, a piece of kitchen roll over the arm of it to clean my water brush (small pot of water on side table if not using water brush - infrequent these days - but not unheard of - 2 pots if settling down for long evening of colouring - one for the paints and one to wash off in), a sketch book on my knee (or a drawing board if I'm at my dads), and the paints/pencils etc piled on the seat beside me in intricate pyramids. Most people probably can't work that way, but I can.

The other thing is to actually find the right thing for you (and to learn not to worry about perfection). I am still looking for good watercolour pencils, and I tend to prefer cakes to tubes - I get better colour control that way - although it takes longer to get them to mix! If you can, try the other types of watercolour, and keep looking till you find the one that works for you - that makes the biggest difference to blending and shading.

It's also worth not doing your colouring on a 'one off' item, at least until you are confident. That way, if it goes wrong, you only lose the cost of those materials and time - and it is a small investment in the grand scheme of things - because if nothing else you have gained experience.

You might also want to have a look into colour theory - that can help. My father tells with great fondness from his time in art college of spending literally hours mixing two colours in different amounts to get the full spectrum between them. I just have a quick scribble on a spare piece of paper.

There is one final tip. It is the one my father swears by when guiding reluctant artists, or people who feel inadequate in their techniques, or ability. Just go for it! Don't be tentative. After all - only you will know that the effect isn't what you intended...

[dusty fairy]

thankyou for all the info your father sounds like awonderful man.I'mgoing to see what i can get after work:thanks:

[Tanfastic]

And I think there's a Japanese brand - possibly Sakura? - sold by Create & Craft; you could also possibly check Stamp Addicts (I think they're sponsors) for these, as I think I've seen them using them on their C&C shows.

Rosemary

Hiya

The Sakura ones are called Koi Water Brushes, the Pentel ones are called Aquash Waterbrush and I have a Zig H2O Brush by Kuretake. They are all available in 3 sizes.

These water brushes are available from craft and art supply sites so some of the UKS sponsors should have some available or try a Google/eBay search.

Hope that helps.

[Cambiel]

Quizzle, thank you so much for posting that advice. I found it really helpful. Your Dad sounds like a grand fella indeed.

[nanaseaside]

Hi just been reading the posts about water colour paper & thought I'd tell you what I am using after a forum friend put me right, winsor & newton COTMAN 90lbs/ 190gsm is a good one & 140lbs./ 300gsm both very good & dont buckle & stamping images is fine I use stazon or versafine.

Christine :)

I am a new bee so be gentle with me. LOL

[Upsey Daisy]

I'm looking for watercolour paper that is a true white than most. I didn't realise till I read this thread that there were different types so I'm wondering if I need the Not finish or hot pressed. Does anyone know which is the whitest?

Thanks :D