C.C. Designs: Watercolor Rain Tutorial

Happy Tuesday everyone! Today I'm sharing a tutorial on how I created the watercolor rain background for this C.C. Designs Umbrella Swissie Card that I showcased a couple of weeks ago.

  
I remember a few years ago there were a ton of crayon melting tutorials going around creating "rain" around a silhouette of a person holding an umbrella. I knew I wanted to recreate something like that when I saw this umbrella image. A lot of my craft stuff is still in boxes from moving, and I haven't yet located my stash of crayons or my heat gun. I decided to recreate the idea using my Zig Clean Color Watercolor Markers. Here are the steps!

Step 1: Grab the watercolor makers you want to use. Here I'm using Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers in: Light Carmine, Pink, Wine Red, Carmine Red, Scarlet Red, Orange, Yellow, Light Green, Deep Green, Turquoise Green, Persian Blue, Blue, Violet, and Light Violet.

Step 2: Cut a piece of watercolor paper into a 5.5 x 5.5 square and use blue painters tape to make a border at the top. I usually press my tape onto the couch or my leggings or shirt to fuzz it up a bit so it's not so sticky. This is to prevent the tape from tearing the paper.

Step 3: Add lines of the watercolor marker at the top. Don't add any water yet. I don't measure the lines. I just eyeball it to get about the same width.

Step 4: Pull of the blue painters tape.

Step 5: Stamp your image onto masking paper or sticker paper. I could only find sticker paper in my stash. Cut around the top of the umbrella, but leave a border around the body of the image to prevent the watercolor from getting close to the body. After peeling off the backing, I add fuzz to the back like I did the painters tape so the adhesive is not as sticky (otherwise this will stick to your paper and you will tear your paper trying to get it off).

Step 6: Place the sticker where you want it on the watercolor paper.

Step 7: Now grab your paintbrush and water and a paper towel.

Step 8: Add a big blob of water on the first strip of color and let it drip down. If it doesn't want to drip, just guide the blob with your paintbrush all the way down the paper.

Step 9: When it gets to the bottom, you will need to blot it on the paper towel.

Step 10: Go down the line and add blobs of water for each color. I usually take the paintbrush to guide the lines and scribble them down to the bottom of the card so it's not a straight line. If you need more color, take your marker and add color where you want it and use your wet paintbrush to blur the lines.

Step 11: When you get to the umbrella area, use less water. Also use your paintbrush to pull the color around the sides of the umbrella a little.

Step 12: Once the paper is dry, carefully pull your masked image off the paper.

Step 13: Stamp and color your image, fussy cut it, and put your card together.

I hope you give this technique a try! Have an awesome week!

Rosie