Am I right? I do get accused of a having a grumpy face sometimes, to which I say, “if I’m grumpy, you’ll know it!” LOL None-the-less, I love Big Grumpy at Taylored Expressionsand his ! So much that the new Big Grumpy Valentine sayings arrived on my doorstep this week – can’t wait to make a few loving cards with those. LOL
A week or so ago, I found a YouTube watercolor tutorial done by Jessie Banks through a mutual Facebook group. I loved the layered, dreamy look of her vibrant color, and knew I wanted to give it a try!
[youtube]https://youtu.be/9fr5X2MGInI[/youtube]
Isn’t that video fun to watch? (Please leave Jessie some YouTube love and a thumbs up!) Trust me, it was even more fun to paint!!
Like Jessie, I masked my images with masking fluid. I love this Moltow Masking Fluid Pen, and unlike others I have bought and tried through the years, this one doesn’t gum up on me between uses. I didn’t cover my entire image with masking fluid – just about a 1/2″ border to keep him clean. You can see on the left side of the sign that I got thin coverage in a few spots, but I was really pleased overall. Lifted clean after sitting on my watercolor paper for several days.
The background was painted with Daniel Smith Watercolors that I purchase from my dealer, Lydia Fiedler’s Watercolor Split Group on Facebook in convenient half-pan splits! It’s a great way to purchase beautifully curated collections of top-quality, beautifully granulating color. Above is the mixing chart created with my Janes Split from Lydia. Look at all of the color created with 15-16 colors! Gorgeous color in a tiny palette!
Big Grumpy and the sign were colored with a fairly new watercolor, the Karin Brushmarker PRO from Marker Universe. I love the vibrant color and fluid ink flow from these pens. You can use the color straight from the nib for watercolor or hand-lettering or create a palette. They blend beautifully straight from the nib with a watercolor brush, but I do prefer to paint with the grays from a palette I just scribble on a piece of plastic or acetate.
For the white gauche step, I used Winsor Newton white gouache. love the rich, opaque look. If I’m being super lazy, I use the liquid Dr. Ph Martins Hydrus in a bottle. It’s great for quick and easy splatter.
Can’t wait to try this technique again and improve my “clouds”, but overall I love how this turned out. Let me know if you try it!
I’ve been busy prepping for a guest release spot that I’ll share on Saturday, so stop back by! Have a fabulous Thursday!
