Simon Says Stamp | Abstract Watercolor Backgrounds with ColorSticks – Thank You Card

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Sometimes I just want to sit down in my craft corner and dabble away without any specific card, idea or outcome in mind. Do you ever feel like that?

The other evening felt just like that, so I played a bit with the ColorSticks by Jane Davenport. This is a new coloring medium in my stash and having used it just once so far I was eager to play with it some more to explore the properties, see what I can use it for and just to have fun.

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CARD DETAILS

I started with a half sheet of Arches Cold Pressed watercolor paper and using a wide paintbrush applied a generous amount of water to wet my paper. It was probably soaking wet and dripping water, but I didn’t mind as I just wanted to play.

Next, I picked several stick colors from Jane Devenport ColorSticks sets and experimented with various application methods.

ColorSticks are silky smooth water-soluble gel crayons that glide onto multiple surfaces like a luxury lipstick.

First, I rubbed ColorStick on a wet brush to apply color. This didn’t transfer much pigment onto the paper, so I quickly abandoned this method and moved to direct to paper application. I rubbed the ColorStick on the paper directly without applying much pressure (if you apply pressure you’ll push the pigment deep into the crevices of the paper and will have a hard time softening it and blending it out). Next, I wet the brush and went over the pigment to spread it on the paper. This method seemed to work better and started to give me a vibrantly colorful background.

I still wasn’t completely happy with how the colors were applied to the paper, the brush seemed to spread the pigment out too far, so I soon abandoned this method as well and used the best application tool out there – a finger. Having added the pigment to the wet paper I dipped my finger into the bowl of clean water and rubbed it on the background. The result? Absolutely perfect color application! I played quite a bit with various colors and amounts of pigment until I was completely satisfied with the background.

My mistake here (although, as I said at the beginning, I wasn’t planning on using this for a card) was not taping the watercolor paper down to a hard surface. As a result, the paper warped significantly, and I had a very hard time keeping it flat. I used a layer of fun foam when adhering the paper down to a card base, yet still, the edges of the panels ruffled a bit and if you look closely at the photos you’ll be able to spot it.

The colors of ColorSticks I used are French Kiss, Make A Moue, Brassy Looks, and Moonkiss.

After I’d finished the backgrounds I felt inspired to turn them into simple cards. I looked through my stash for big bold sentiments and decided to use “Thank You” from the Fruit From The Heart set. This stamp set does a fun wordplay and allows one to substitute the letter “O” with an image of a fruit, but it can also be used a regular, more traditional way (btw, here’s another card idea using this set).

I heat embossed one sentiment in Antique Gold embossing powder and another one in Gold Glitter powder.

I’ve been loving the look of a white shadow lately, so I used my white pen and added some hand-drawn shadow to the letters helping them to stand out a bit. One of the cards looked like it needed some florals, so I stamped a bunch of tiny blooms in Sunshine, Hollyhock and Sunkist inks, cut out and used to decorate the card.

Lastly, I used gold confetti and clear jewels to finish these cards.

I love the way these turned out. The backgrounds, while seem complicated, were a treat to make and I, in fact, have started on another one in blue and green colors.

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!

Simon Says Clear Stamps Fruit From the Heart Shop at: SSS	Simon Says Clear Stamps Bold Flowers Shop at: SSS	Simon Says Stamp Bold Flowers Wafer Dies Shop at: SSS	Simon Says Stamp Hollyhock Ink Pad Shop at: SSS
Simon Says Stamp Sunkist Ink Pad Shop at: SSS	Simon Says Stamp Sunshine Ink Pad Shop at: SSS	Simon Says Stamp Antique Gold Embossing Powder Shop at: SSS	Hero Arts Gold Glitter Embossing Powder Shop at: SSS
Spellbinders Deep Sea Die Cutting Machine Shop at: SSS	Neenah 110 Lb Solar White Cardstock Shop at: SSS	Silky Skin ColorStick Gel Crayons Shop at: SSS	Soul Window ColorStick Gel Crayons Shop at: SSS
Hero Arts Heat Embossing Gun Shop at: SSS	Versamark Watermark Emboss Ink Pad Shop at: SSS	Arches Cold Press Watercolor Pad 9×12″ Shop at: SSS	Ranger Studio Paint Artist Brushes Shop at: SSS
EK Success Powder Tool Applicator Shop at: SSS	Mini Misti Stamping Tool Shop at: SSS	White Fun Foam 12 Pack 9 x 12 Shop at: SSS	Sakura Classic White Gelly Roll Pens Set of 3 Shop at: SSS
Scor-tape 2 1/2 Inch Crafting Tape Shop at: SSS