Beautiful Hummingbird

So, Brandy and I have done a fair bit of traveling in the recent weeks.  Traveling is a strange mix of exhaustion, busy work and down time.  Often trips are some of the more stressful work each of us does.  As such, we need our crafty therapy as much on the road as at home.  I'm sharing an image today that Brandy created after a short trip to Hobby Lobby on the road somewhere.  A wood stamp, some water color paper and a small pack of Distress inks which included Vintage Photo, Antique Linen, Black Soot and Walnut Stain.  A simply watercolor brush and she created the attached using a technique similar to Kristina Werner's no line coloring demonstrated in this video.  I really like the monochromatic look of this work.

We've simply decided that watercoloring requires practice.  If you are alone in a hotel room (despite the poor lighting), practicing works.  It is also a technique that requires little supplies that can be tucked into a suitcase easily without taking up a great deal of space.  To prove that practice works, I'll share one more image of the second attempt to color this stamp given the small supplies.

I just encourage everyone to give it a try.  These watercolor techniques do not have to require a lot of money.  Just pick out a media that you'd like to try, Distress inks, watercolor paints (even the Crayola version is passable especially while you are learning), watercolor markers, etc. and some watercolor paper.  We've found the Strathmore brand, available at Michaels or Joann's making it inexpensive with a coupon, to work reasonably well for beginners who are still learning about how much water to use (sometimes more, sometimes less!) and how much color to apply.  There's a ton of videos on techniques to watch and educate yourself.  It's a medium that is wonderfully forgiving and very satisfying.  Trust me, I was intimidated for a long time.  I've been freed!  Won't you come join the fun?