Technique Tuesday - Double Watercolor Inking Technique

I spent some more time "playing" with my Adirondack and Distress inks this weekend.  I call this the double watercolor technique, because it involves water, and stamping twice.  Here's what I used, and how it's done:
-Watercolor paper - available at any craft store (ie Michael's, AC Moore, JoAnne's).
-Dye inks - I used Adirondack inks on the fall card, and Distress inks on the Christmas card.
-Fine mist water spritzer with water.
-Inkssentials ink blending tool
All above available at www.scrapbook.com, and at some of the craft stores mentioned above.

Here are the cards I made:

I love how the double stamping makes it look as though the images have shadows.  Here is how it's done:
Start with watercolor paper.  You can use card stock, but watercolor paper works best, as the color and ink blend and soften better on the watercolor paper.

• Spritz your watercolor paper with water.  You want to use plenty of water, but not soaking.  It may take a little practice to get the right amount.  I spritz the water on from about ten - 12 inches away, giving a few good sprays.  The paper should be wet, so that when you stamp on it, the image will soften and bleed.
• Ink your stamp with dye ink, and stamp your image or images onto the wet paper.  It should start to bleed right away, and lose it's form.  If it does not, then spritz more water onto the image.
• After all your initial stamping is done, set the card aside to dry, or dry with heat tool.  The paper will curl as it is heated, but if you turn it over and heat from both sides, it will flatten out.  Make sure the card is completely dry for the next step.
• Re-ink your stamp/stamps, and stamp the image/s over the previously stamped images.  This will give the image form again, and the part underneath that bled when it was wet will look like a shadow.
• Finish card as desired.

For my fall thank you card, I used Hero Arts stamps.  The leaves are from a couple of their older leaf sets, and the script is the H2141 Manuscript Background.  I cut the leaf background out with a Spellbinder's die, available online and at JoAnne Fabrics.  The thank you panel and paper "buckle" is also a Spellbinder's die.  I used the Inkssentials ink blending tool to distress the edges of the card with distress ink, and to bring some of the butterscotch ink into the card to soften the whiteness of it.  To distress the edges, simply ink up the tool, and using circular motion, start off the card and bring the tool along the edge of the card all the way around.   On the piece in this picture, I left the die on the paper so that the narrow outside edge will not get ink on it (see the Christmas card).  I finished the fall card with some Stickles glitter glue, available also at craft stores.

The Christmas card was also made with Hero Arts stamps.  The papers are Basic Grey, available at JoAnne Fabrics, and Scrapbook.com.  For the poinsettia center, I used some tiny beads I had in my stash.  I applied Dimensional Glaze (craft stores) to the center, then spooned on the beads.

 Spritzing on the water....

Image on wet paper before overstamping....

Image after drying and stamping over the initial wet stamped and bled image.  I just love the distressed shadowy look of this!
I will add a card later with this image, so stop back to check it out soon.

That's it for tonight.

Blessings and peace,
lynda