varadasharma
- Mar 18, 2016
- 3 min read

Easter Cards using watercolored panels from SSS March 2016 card kit

Hi, today I have some easy Easter / Spring cards, that use minimum supplies.

SSS March 2016 card kit watercolor cards

In Simon Says Stamp March 2016 card kit, two watercolor panels were included. They are the perfect size to cover the entire card front of a standard sized card. These have outlines images printed on watercolor card stock, so you can start watercoloring them right away. No stamping needed.

For both these cards, I used the green cardstock (also from the same kit) as card base. I also die cut the panels using the largest rectangle from SSS Stiched Rectangle dies. That let me have a small green border all around my colored image, instead of covering the whole card front.

For embellishment, I skipped the sequins/buttons/twine and just went with glossy accents to cover some specific areas like the heart on the chick and the bigger words on the second card.

On the chick card, I also added a little bit of interest by cutting the top quote “to one of my favorite peeps” in the shape of a cloud and foam mounted that part to slightly lay above the remaining piece.

I also stamped “Hoppy Easter” sentiment on one side, because I thought the quote alone needed something to it. I considered stamping this sentiment on the inside of the card, but finally decided to stamp on the front itself. That way I can hand write a personal message inside.

Here are some things I learned about watercoloring with Zig Clean Clear Markers:

To get a more controlled / even blend, it helps to wet the area to be colored, before taking any marker to it. I found that if I take the marker directly to dry paper, it is harder to blend out or harder to break the color and spread it out.
Another thing that helps break these colors and make them lighter, is to take the tip of the marker to a little water before taking the marker to the paper. I like to squeeze a couple drops of water from my waterbrush onto an acrylic block and use it to dip my Zig marker’s tip. I learned this tip from the awesome Sandy Allnock. If you are serious at all about coloring / watercoloring, her site is a must-visit.
It is best to avoid coloring two of the adjacent pieces at the same time. For instance while coloring the basket with eggs, I wanted to make a pattern with pink and grey, but because I was wetting the paper, it bled into areas nearby. I should have dried one color before wetting the paper for the next one.
Watercolors, including these Zig markers, are somewhat forgiving as compared to some other inks. When I did not like the way my colors blended on the basket, I added more water all over that area and dabbed the color off using a paper towel. I had to repeat this a couple times, but I like the look I finally got. It was also a good thing that watercolor paper can handle a lot of water. I don’t think this would have been successful with normal, non-watercolor cardstock.

I hope you find these tips helpful and are inspired to try something like this.

Supplies List

For your convenience, I am sharing links to the supplies I’ve used for these cards – click on the picture or link to go directly to the product. I am listing here several options for watercolor panels like those used on today’s cards.

Wherever available, I have used affiliate links, which means when you make a purchase, I receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) which I use to run this blog. I truly appreciate your support!