Valentine Watercolor
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Create stunning, unique designs
Valentine’s Day or any occasion
framed painting, card, or scan and print
Valentine Watercolor
Use stencils for design, and my printable heart templates, or draw free hand hearts, squiggles and lines.
This is a fun way to play with color, and experiment with how paint and water work together.
Child’s Craft
This project could easily be modified for children. Use children’s paints or crayon.
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Watercolor Painting Size
Choose your size.
I created a 4” x 6” piece that went into a 5” x 7” frame card. I could have matted it to fit a 5” x 7” photo frame.
The room photo shows what an 11” x 14” would look like. To create a larger version, you could create a small painting, then scan in high resolution and print to a larger size, OR you could create a larger size to begin with.
This room photo was created using a scan of one of my cards. Print quality needs to be at least 200 ppi (pixes per inch). Keep that in mind when scanning. If you try to print too large for the resolution, the print will be poor quality.
I scan all of my artwork before it goes out the door. That way, I can create all sorts of things in the future: cards, totes, pillows, large prints.
Watercolor Painting Supplies
WATERCOLOR PAPER - I use 100% cotton 140 pound Cold Press by Arches. Good quality watercolor paper makes such a difference in the end product. It absorbs water correctly, which makes for better results. Paper that is not cotton or of poor quality will not absorb water correctly, and is much harder to work with. Also, if paper is not heavy enough, it will warp more when it gets wet.. For a less expensive alternative, Master’s Touch is my next best choice. The top layer is cotton. I sometimes use it when making cards, gift tags, and other items when I know I will not be using a lot of water.
NOTE: paper not made specifically for watercolor will not yield optimal results - not for me. It leads to aggravation.
WATERCOLOR BRUSHES
Brushes are a matter of personal preference. You need good quality for good results, but you do not have to spend a fortune.
I recommend that you try various brushes and decide which brands and types you prefer. Different brands and types (synthetic, squirrel hair, etc.) hold water differently, so you may notice a difference in how they handle as you try various brushes.
The following are merely suggestions. I am happy with them - they work well for me. Remember, these are just personal preferences.
For this project, I used Princeton Aqua Elite long round #8 and #12. I also used a Master’s Touch round 12/0 for detail.
Golden Maple - I started with a set of Golden Maple watercolor brushes and still use them.
Princeton Aqua Elite - After painting a while, I picked up some Princeton long round brushes. I have been very happy with them. Princeton also makes Neptune brushes, which many artists like. I prefer Aqua Elite. I also prefer long round over round.
WATERCOLOR PAINT
Like brushes, artists are all over the place on preference of paint. One thing we can all agree on is that the paint must be good quality or results will not be satisfactory. Also like brushes, the paints need not be extremely expensive. I started out with a Master’s Touch set, purchased from Michael’s. After painting for several months, I started experimenting with various other brands and qualities of paint.
The following list contains the brands that I now use. The paint box shown is nice for travel. It comes with empty pans. I can add paint from my tube paints into the pans. The metal is excellent for mixing.
Master’s Touch - I started with a set of Master’s Touch watercolor paints and still enjoy using it. I purchased my set at Michael’s. It is nice to work with, and is much more affordable than the professional grades of paint.
Grumbacher - I also purchased a few color of Grumbacher from Michaels. It is a good paint.
Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolor Set I use these often. Easy to use, good price, and vibrant color. My favorite Indigo is Kuretake.
Winsor and Newton Professional Watercolor Professional grade that I use quite often.
Daniel Smith Professional Watercolor Another Professional grade that I use quite often.
OTHER BASIC WATERCOLOR SUPPLIES
I use all of these basic supplies for my various watercolor projects.
Acrylic Board - You need to tape down your paper while painting. This holds it into place while you work, and keeps it from warping while it is wet. I use a large quilting board, but those are expensive. You can get inexpensive acrylic sheets. I like my quilting board because it has measurements on it. I already had it due to all of my sewing.
Scotch Blue Painter's Tape #2090 This tape has worked well for me. It does not tear my watercolor paper, yet holds down the paper firmly.
Porcelain Watercolor Palette Do NOT use those inexpensive plastic paint palettes. Your watercolor paint will bead up and not mix properly due to the coating on them. You can use a porcelain tray or an inexpensive plate. I have also seen artists use porcelain egg holders. It's nice to have a well to hold paint if you need a larger quantity. For just a bit of paint, a plate works fine.
Graphite Pencil If you wish to sketch out your design before painting, a good graphite pencil works well. Sketch lightly. I have also used watercolor pencils, but I actually prefer a graphite pencil.
Kneadable Art Eraser Very important! You dab at the pencil marks, rather than rub. This way, you do not damage the paper. The graphite pencil easily lifts from the paper. The brand I use is Faber-Castelle but there are other good brands as well.
Micron Ink Pen For this project, I added a bit of ink detail. Many watercolor artists create designs using a combination of ink and watercolor. I use various sizes depending on the project. For the detail on these cards, I used size 03.
Paintbrush Holder Do NOT leave your brushes in water! Place them brush end up in the holder when not in use.
Spray Bottle Watercolor paints need to be wet for use. My usual method is to mist my paints with a spray bottle. Another option is to put a bit of water into a well on the pallette, then dip the brush into a color of paint and add it to the water. Use the size of bottle that works for you. I tend to do small pieces, so I use a small spray bottle. Spray bottles can also be used for spraying water directly onto the piece, providing texture to your painting.
Cloth Rag or Paper Towel It is important to dab off your brush of excess water. Water control is one of the most difficult skills to learn in watercolor painting. I dip my brush in water, dab at the cloth, then put my brush into paint.
Water Container (I use inexpensive party cups)
Project Supplies
Sookwang Double Sided Adhesive Tape For Crafts This is THE BEST tape for making things stick. Watercolor paper is thick – and probably just a bit warped when your painting is done. pressing with an iron helps (place a cloth between the iron and your painting), but it still might not lie completely flat. This tape comes to the rescue. It comes in various widths.
Line and Texture Stencils These are a great way to add interesting texture. You can also free hand designs.
Scissors, Ruler, Glue Stick
download free heart pattern - CLICK above link to the pdf pattern
If you wish to use my hearts, print to card stock (or paper - I prefer card stock for my patterns). Enlarge or shrink the design per your needs.
Instructions
CREATE THE BACKGROUND - to cut hearts out of
The size of paper is not real important for this step because it is not the final painting or card. You need to cut the watercolor paper large enough to fit your heart shapes. I used a 5” x 7” piece of watercolor paper, and cut out enough hearts to create several 4” x 6” paintings. They went into 5” x 7” frame cards.
1. Tape your watercolor onto the acrylic board (or other flat surface that does not absorb water.
2. Dip your brush in the water, then spread a light film of water onto the paper. You can leave some small areas dry.
3. Wet your brush, then dab your brush off onto the towel or cloth. Pick up an bit of paint. Touch the paint onto the wet surface on the paper. Place just a bit of paint here and there in random patterns. The paint will move on its own due to the water on the paper. You can also use the brush to move it around. Change color and repeat. Where the colors touch, they may run into one another a bit. This is fine.
4. Allow the paper to completely dry.
5. Add a few more layers of paint, allowing the piece to completely dry between layers. Each new layer adds depth and vibrancy. Watercolor fades as it dries so several layers may be necessary, depending on the effect you want. You can go over a layer with a different color. Relax and try various combinations.
6. Once the piece is finished and completely dry. use the micron pen to add design. You can freehand the design, as I did in the following pieces, or you can use stencils. I like both effects. Scroll down to see my stencil piece.
When your piece is finished, remove the tape.
I usually carefully place my tape over the outer 1/4” of the piece on all 4 sides. I use my quilter’s square to be sure I am even on all sides. For these two, I didn’t care about that because this was just the background that I would be cutting the hearts out of.
For the following card, I used stencils and my micron pen to create the added detail.
7. When you are happy with your piece, remove the tape and turn your piece over to the back side.
Free hand draw hearts in various sizes, or use my pattern to trace hearts onto the back side. Don’t think about where the design is - just let it be random.
NOTE: Be sure your hearts are on the painted part of the paper! The outer border where the tape was is not painted. I hold mine up to a window so I can see that my drawn hearts are within the painted area.
8. Cut out the hearts.
9. Place the hearts onto the 4” x 6” piece of paper that is to be your card front (or whatever size you are working with). Don’t adhere them to the paper yet - this is just to check design.
If you wish to add a splash of color to the background, tape down that piece and paint it BEFORE adhering the hearts. Or, you can always add color to the background after the hearts are in place. If I want a splash of color across the entire piece, I do that before adding hearts.
10. Once you are happy with your design, remove the hearts and add the Sookwang double sided adhesive (see “other project supplies” above) to the back of the hearts. I do not use a glue stick because I have not found one that keeps the hearts down. They were created on watercolor paper, which is a bit thick. The hearts might be slightly warped (watercolor paper warps a bit when wet). So - you need something heavy duty to hold the hearts onto the painting or card. Another artist recommended this tape and I use it for many things now. A couple of strips will do the job. One side is sticky as it comes off the roll. Place that side against the back of the heart. Then peel off the strip that is on the tape. Place the heart onto the card - it won’t go anywhere now.
I also use this tape if I am adhering a small painting to the front of card stock, rather than inserting it into a frame card. Frame cards have a double sided front with a cut-out on the top layer. The painting is slipped into the front piece and shows in the cut-out area.
11. Finish your painting by adding details. I painted a small branch, and used my micron pen to draw lines for balloon strings and ties.
For some of my other cards, I added text, flowers, background washes, paint splatters and other colorful details.
Tabletop Watercolors
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