Simon Says Stamp | Watercolor Circles Background + CZ Design (Yay! You Are Literally The Best Card). Project by Yana Smakula

Simon Says Stamp | Watercolor Circles Background + CZ Design (Yay! You Are Literally The Best Card)

Hello, friends! You might have already seen a preview of this project on my Instagram page or newsletter – this was a very spontaneous and oh so full of joy project.

You are like me, I’m sure, and sometimes want to sit down and just dabble in something with no particular goal in mind. This is how I came to start working on this project.

Simon Says Stamp | Watercolor Circles Background + CZ Design (Yay! You Are Literally The Best Card). Project by Yana Smakula

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CARD DETAILS

I was cleaning my “Inspiration & Color” board on Pinterest (this is a place where I save all the fun and inspiring ideas I come across on the web) I spotted this simple yet fun watercolor exercise. I felt inspired and pulled out my watercolors attempting to paint something similar.

Image source 

To create a similar look I used a large round #8 brush and painted circles using nothing but clean water onto Arches Hot Pressed Watercolor Panel (Cold Press or even Rough paper would do so much better for this, but I am all out of mine at the moment). Next, I picked colors I liked and dropped them one by one using same large brush onto my water circles.

Simon Says Stamp | Watercolor Circles Background + CZ Design (Yay! You Are Literally The Best Card). Project by Yana Smakula

I played a bit with my colors, added more, moved my paper around (I had it taped onto a board, so it was easy to pick it up and tilt it to either side) and simply watched the colors bleed one into another and interact.

This exercise, I think, is a great one to learn more about your watercolors, to observe how colors react with each other, to see what you can expect in the future when you use them for your paintings.

Simon Says Stamp | Watercolor Circles Background + CZ Design (Yay! You Are Literally The Best Card). Project by Yana Smakula

After my background was completely dry I heat embossed “Yay! You are literally the best” in Simon’s Antique Gold embossing powder. I also send my background through my Platinum die cutting machine using an embossing sandwich and nothing else. The pressure from the machine helped flatten any warping I had from all the water and heat embossing.

Simon Says Stamp | Watercolor Circles Background + CZ Design (Yay! You Are Literally The Best Card). Project by Yana Smakula

I trimmed my panel to 4 x 5 1/2 inches and foam mounted onto an A2 top folding card. Lastly, I embellished my background using a number of Nuvo Jewel Drops (I’m listing exact colors below).

I used my Daniel Smith watercolors to create this background, but feel free to use any other watercolors you might have on hand. Hope you give this idea a try – do tag me if you do and share somewhere, I’d love to see!

SUPPLIES

I’m listing the products I used below. Click on the link to go directly to the product. Where available I use compensated affiliate links which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you so much for your support!

CZ Design Clear Stamps Yay
CZ Design Clear Stamps Yay
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SSS
Simon Says Stamp Embossing Ink Pad
Simon Says Stamp Embossing Ink Pad
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SSS
Simon Says Stamp Antique Gold Embossing Powder
Simon Says Stamp Antique Gold Embossing Powder
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SSS
Hero Arts Heat Embossing Gun PW200
Hero Arts Heat Embossing Gun PW200
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SSS
Spellbinders Platinum Die Cutting Machine
Spellbinders Platinum Die Cutting Machine
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SSS
Silver Black Velvet Brush Size 8 Round
Silver Black Velvet Brush Size 8 Round
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SSS
Arches Hot Pressed Watercolor Pad 9x12"
Arches Hot Pressed Watercolor Pad 9×12″
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SSS
Neenah 110 Lb Solar White Cardstock
Neenah 110 Lb Solar White Cardstock
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SSS
ScraPerfect Crafting Pouch
ScraPerfect Crafting Pouch
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SSS
Hero Arts Daniel Smith Watercolor Dot Palette
Hero Arts Daniel Smith Watercolor Dot Palette
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Daniel Smith Extra Fine Essential Watercolor Set
Daniel Smith Extra Fine Essential Watercolor Set
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Daniel Smith Primary Extra Fine Watercolor Triad Set
Daniel Smith Primary Extra Fine Watercolor Triad Set
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SSS
Daniel Smith Secondary Extra Fine Watercolor Triad Set
Daniel Smith Secondary Extra Fine Watercolor Triad Set
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SSS
Tonic Strawberry Coulis Nuvo Jewel Drops
Tonic Strawberry Coulis Nuvo Jewel Drops
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SSS
Tonic Sea Breeze Nuvo Jewel Drops
Tonic Sea Breeze Nuvo Jewel Drops
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SSS
Tonic Limoncello Nuvo Jewel Drops
Tonic Limoncello Nuvo Jewel Drops
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SSS
Tonic Pale Periwinkle Nuvo Jewel Drops
Tonic Pale Periwinkle Nuvo Jewel Drops
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SSS
Tonic Key Lime Nuvo Jewel Drops
Tonic Key Lime Nuvo Jewel Drops
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SSS
Scor-tape 2 1/2 Inch Crafting Tape
Scor-tape 2 1/2 Inch Crafting Tape
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SSS
White Fun Foam 12 Pack 9 x 12
White Fun Foam 12 Pack 9 x 12
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SSS

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7 Comments

    1. marvelous card Yana – and does sound like a lot of fun 🙂 Thank you!

    1. that is a really fabulous creative exercise — thanks for the inspiration!

    1. Thanks for sharing this exercise with us Yana. This looks like it might just be a relaxing way to try a few combos. ~HUGS~
      #kindnessmatters

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