Making A Watercolor Resist Background

Hi everyone-this is Gia back in the Clique Kits Art Studio today with a fun technique for you with watercolors! Paints sometimes intimidate scrapbookers because not only are they 'messy' and wet, many worry that they have to be an 'artist' to try to create their own unique effects with paints.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  First I will show you my technique and then I will let you in on my secret weapon for dealing with the 'messiness' issue. (So you will never have to worry about spilling your paintbrush water on your scrapbooking desk ever again!)

Here is a layout I made using my watercolor design as my background.  As you can see, I hardly used any patterned paper at all, and made use of some pocket page filler cards instead. I also went to town with some really fun embellishments.

Are you crazy about flair and wood veneers like I am? What about washi tape? These are some of my absolute must haves lately and I keep a big bowl of them on my desk since I am bound to want to use them on just about every layout.
Another trend I am crazy about lately is adding embellishments with that DIY handmade look. Last week Erica demonstrated how to add texture and a handmade touch with embroidery. If you missed this post, you can find it here. Clique Kits designer Lacey Gasper Igo made these adorable crochet hearts this month for us to 'test run' for the Clique. I would say they passed my test with flying colors! I couldn't wait to use them on a layout! 

I love all of the details that the Clique Kits gals are focusing on to make our kits special and to go the extra mile in bringing only the best and exclusive products to our subscribers every month!

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So let's get started with our watercolor technique. Here is a raindrop stencil which I chose for this layout about a rainbow! You don't get a rainbow without rain, right?  I taped my stencil down in just a couple places with low tack adhesive on to my card stock to prevent it moving around and ruining the design. Then I spread some embossing paste across the stencil with a palette knife/spatula. Once the entire stencil was coated, I used the knife to scrape off all of the excess. While still wet, the next step is to carefully lift the stencil up. I like to keep a plastic dishpan with some warm soapy water in it close by (but not right on my desk- knowing me that would be a huge disaster waiting to happen)  so I can throw my stencil in there and worry about the thorough wash and dry later. The embossing paste takes about an hour to dry, which can be speeded up by using a heat tool. But for best results, let it dry completely before attempting to paint over it. (I get lots of laundry folded while waiting for my resist mediums to dry.)

The next step is to grab your watercolors and with a wet brush use side to side brushstrokes working your way across and down the area you have stenciled. Watercolors are translucent and the shade depends on how much water is added to the pigment. They also dry quickly, and once dry it is possible to layer more pigment on top which creates very pretty variegated  effects. This translucency and variegated (ombre) look is what allows watercolors to add so much interest.

My last step is optional- but in case you are interested,  I used a water spritzing bottle to wet down the paint again after I had covered my raindrops and then turned my card stock vertically to allow some of the wet paint to drip down a little. I wanted to capture the feeling of our tropical rainstorms in Hawaii which are always followed by a beautiful rainbow!

And there you have a watercolor resist background.  I use watercolor paper a lot as background paper for my artsy layouts but I wanted to demonstrate that you can use watercolors on ordinary card stock you already have on hand!  The only difference is that if it gets very wet it may curl a bit whereas watercolor paper is heavier and more absorbent and doesn't curl as much.
And as promised, I have a tip for those who like to stay dry and clean- and for those who wonder how they could bring watercolors with them to their next workshop or crop. Get yourself some water brush pens like these. They have a hollow compartment you fill with water and then it only feeds the brush droplets when squeezed lightly so it doesn't get wet or drip unless you want it to. They come in different brush sizes and styles. To clean it, simply flush more water through the brush until it runs clear and you are done- I usually keep a paper towel handy for this purpose. I have even brought my watercolors for long plane rides (Hawaii to anywhere=5 + hours) by bringing my water brush through security dry and filling it once I am on the plane! 

I hope that you enjoyed your visit to the Clique Kits Art Studio today! If you have a chance to try this technique I would love to see your projects! Sign in to the Clique Kits Forum and upload your photos (smaller size jpegs work best) to the gallery thread! Hope to see you again soon!
-x Gia