Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Lilac

Hi everyone.  Today I'm sharing an experiment. :)  I seem to say that just about every post. :)

I watched a video tutorial on a "new-to-me" technique and then gave it a try.  I'm happy how my lilac turned out.  Believe it or not, this is done with Q-Tips.  Fun, right??!!  :)

I started by watercolouring a green stem, just to get the basic length and size for my flower.  I diluted three colours of Stampin' Up! re-inkers by about half with water ...maybe a little more water than that.  Then I bundled up five q-tips, securing them with an elastic in the center, made a second bundle of three q-tips ... again securing with elastic, and then had a single q-tip.

I added colour to the flower, starting with the larger bundle and darkest purple ink (blackberry bliss).  As I moved up the flower, I used the smaller bundle with the medium purple (elegant eggplant) and then the lightest purple (wisteria wonder) more near the top.  I used the single q-tip to add a bit of variation through the whole flower.

I then hand painted the two leaves and shaded using different colours of Gansai Tambi watercolour paints.  To finish, I splattered both the green and dark purple over the card front and stamped the sentiment in the dark purple.  I used a waterbrush to move the ink of the sentiment to give it a more watercoloured look.

Here's the link to the video that I watched.

Thanks for stopping by.







Stamps:  Sentiment - The big, the bold, the happy (Winnie & Walter)
Paper:  Watercolour paper (Arches 140 lb. cold press)
Ink:  Re-inkers:  Blackberry Bliss, Elegant Eggplant, Wisteria Wonder (Stampin' Up!); Gansai Tambi watercolour paints
Accessories & Tools:  Paint brush, Q-tips


31 comments:

Faith A at Daffodil Cards said...

One Word - WOW!
Faith

MaryH said...

Oh so COOL! I've watched a lot of the vidoes by this person (amazing when the baby is strapped to his chest too!) You've really rocked the technique so well, and the lilac blossoms look rich & have lots of depth. That's great free-hand work on the stem too, and you have the shape of the lilac blossom perfectly done. Love seeing your experiments always! TFS & Hugs (and thanks for the link...)

nancy littrell said...

Gorgeous realistic painted blooming lilac, Loll. I am impressed with your light to dark Q-Tip shading and your hand painted stem and leaves. All your shading and highlights are so beautiful. Your splattering adds even more depth to your beautiful flower. Wonderful bold watercoloured style sentiment too. TFS your detailed description and link too, my friend. Hugs...

Nstiz said...

How fun is this! I almost wanted to try it until you said you had to paint the leaves- as in free hand. Love how this turned out, Loll and love that delicious color you created! This is really clever and your spattering is the perfect final touch.

Cheryl S. said...

Your lilac is absolutely stunning and so realistic. I am going to give this a try, after watching the video, but I am not too sure my stem and leaves will look as great as yours.I look forward to your blog and inspiration it gives me!! Thanks!!

Susan said...

I love this!! I love lilacs and you've captured them perfectly - and got me yearning for spring and the blooming of my three bushes.

Great to keep it so simple and let the lilac really take centre stage!

Bonnie said...

Love, love, love this! Not only is your lilac beautiful, but your leaves are amazing! Love the shading!

Papercraft Boutique said...

Wow, I can't believe you've drawn this gorgeous lilac using q-tips! I love the beautiful shades of purple and the green & purple spatters. Thank you for your clear explanation and the video link. Looking forward to your next experiment! :-) Hideko xx

Christine Alexander said...

Loll, I subscribe to Jay Lee's you tube channel, she is an awesome watercolour painter and does some cool techniques. Amazing effect with your Q-tip lilac, it looks so cool. Love it.

Linda said...

WOW! WOW! WOW! What an artist .... and yes I mean You! This looks amazing. The colours are beautiful, the shaping is perfect and those leaves .... well what can I say. All that's missing is you signature on the bottom .... what a work of art xx

kiwimeskreations said...

What a great way to create a flower Loll - this is stunning! I have only 1 re-inker, so maybe i will need to experiment with watercolours...
Blessings
Maxine

clelie said...

So very beautiful!...and thank you for re-introducing me to Jay Lee's tutorials! My two little grand"babies" (3 1/2 and 5 1/2) want to learn to watercolour. We have had so much fun painting pictures and trying different (simple) techniques. I can't wait to give them palates and bundles of Q-tips! :D I love your work and your creative inspiration! Thank you so much for all you share (and all I have learned from you!).

JosieD said...

This is a WOW, Loll. You are so good at water coloring that I guess a "free form" version is a natural step. This outcome is so beautiful and pleasing to the eye.

Brenda in IN said...

Q-Tips! Wow, what a fantastic outcome this is. It looks so natural and you did a wonderful job of shaping this flower. The colors are lovely. Thanks for sharing this.

Mac Mable said...

You know I love my techniques too and this one sounds lots of fun and such a fun idea to use the Q tips. Such a fabulous and unique effect and such an amazing flower. Very creative and it could be framed x

OH Babs said...

What a fun technique. I enjoyed watching the video and the adorable baby.

Happy Dance said...

Q-tips??!!!! What an amazing idea, and what an even more amazing card. This is just stunningly beautiful. I keep going back to look at this beauty... Those rich purples, the way you've given the sentiment a watercolory look, the splatters, those leaves...! I'm mad about this card. It is simply gorgeous. LOVE it!! Bev

Kara Lynne said...

Oh how I love your daring experiments! I learn so much every time I come over here. Why am I new to this party? Anyway, what a fantastic lilac! Your three inks give just the right amount of depth and the way those Q-tips work together gives it just the right shape! Beautiful stem and leaves too, I might add!

Anita in France said...

Oh my, Loll ... what a beauty ... the depth of colour is just gorgeous on that lovely lilac! Another technique to add to my list ... thank you! Hugs, Anita :)

Gramma Sarah said...

Golly Loll..you really did it this time. Great water coloring with the graduated colors. Gotta try this one to!!! You will always be an inspiration to me and to many others. XO

Brenda said...

I would have never guessed you used q-tips to make this flower Loll! I'm in awe. Your lilac turned out so perfect! I would have had a lopsided one. lol The colors are beautiful and I love the splatters. Great idea to bundle the q-tips like you did. Now I'm off to watch that video! Hugs, Brenda

Karen Dunbrook said...

So beautiful, such rich and wonderful colours. Sounds fun...
xx Karen

Anita said...

Sensational!! Love the vibrant color on this card. Your Q-tip technique sounds like fun!

Susanne Vargas said...

What ... Q-tips??? The effect looks super and the colors are so beautiful! I've watched the video, it looks so fun! Gotta add this to the techniques I want to try! What else can we use instead of a brush?? (In case you need a challenge *wink*)

Sue said...

Gorgeous card and technique, Loll. It's new to me too. Beautiful intensity of colour.

Jeanne said...

Wow, this is fantastic, Loll! I'm glad you shared the link, I wasn't quite getting how you did it at first. (early in the morning for me right now, LOL) What a neat video-will have to finish later. Your lilac is so pretty and I'm thankful that you do experiment and share! Happy weekend to you!

Bobby said...

I'd say that's one technique that worked well, Loll. That lilac is gorgeous.

Barb Ghig said...

WOW! What a great technique, Loll...your lilac is so unique and I love all those shades of purple! Thanks so much for the link to the video...it sounds like fun :)

Trina P. said...

Wow! I thought this was another PB stamp. Love your use of an everyday product to create this beautiful piece. xx

BożenA said...

I almost smell the lilac! A beautiful bunch, I really like it without. The technique that you used, I saw, but I did not have the opportunity to try it out. Now I know I have to do it :-)
Hugs,
BozenA

vaiybora said...

Pretty projects,Thank you for the tutorial and for sharing !

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