Hello Daisies,

I was so excited to see the watercolor additions in this month’s planner add on kit (March Fresh Cut). I love watercolor paint and mixed media art, although sadly I do not get enough time to play with them and they do require practice!

I put together a list of a few things to help you with watercolor painting as well as a quick video to show you how to use the water brush that came in the kit.

I recommend that you use archival ink when stamping – the dye based inks will bleed when activated by water. A small spray bottle is good for spraying the watercolor palette before using. I also like a palette to mix my colors in but you can use the lid to the watercolors or the clear packaging from any of the stickers/diecuts/stamps. I keep a small cup of water nearby for washing my brushes, and a cloth to dry them. Never keep good watercolor brushes soaking in water overnight!

There are two kinds of watercolor papers: cold press and hot press. Cold press watercolor paper has a slightly textured surface and hot press paper has a fine-grained, smooth surface, with almost no tooth. Paint dries very quickly on it. This makes it ideal for large, even washes of one or two colors. I prefer hot press paper for sketching on it first – there is no texture to interfere with pencil sketching. You can also use mixed media paper – it is designed for most media although it does not “soak” up the water.

When sketching, keep in mind that you will want to erase any pencil marks that you do not want to keep before adding water and color. Once you do, the pencil will become permanent. The heavier the watercolor paper the less it will buckle under the water. Cocoa Daisy inserts do well with watercolors but do not add too much water or the paper will pill and buckle. In other words, go with a light hand and you will be very happy with your results.

In the Cocoa Daisy store there is a watercolor paper standard TN insert that you can use to practice in.

This is an example using stamps to create the title and filling in with watercolors. I freehanded the flowers using the small watercolor brush.

This is a flower I spent more time creating and filling in with watercolors. I outlined first with the watercolors using a very small watercolor brush, and layered in the colors, letting them dry in between.

This is an example of sketching a design in first on hot press paper and then watercoloring the details. I also created a wash for the background by “painting” it with water and then adding a watered down color that flows where ever the water is. I finished it up by adding details with a fine tip black pen (important to make sure the paint is completely dry or you will ruin your pen).

Lastly, another very simple pencil drawing with “drops” of watercolor to form a wreath that can work for any season. This is still a work in progress as I need to finish the ribbon and the pen detail.

Here is my video where I talk you through a few of the

You can also find me on Instagram here.