Easy Watercolor Pencil Technique on Embossed Cardstock. Video

Hi, everyone!

It has been a while since I shared a video here—and by a while, I mean about six years! For my first video after such a long break, I decided to start with a fairly simple technique combining dry embossing and watercolor pencils.

CREATING THE EMBOSSED WATERCOLOR BACKGROUND

For the background, I started with Crafty Necessities: Parrot Cardstock and the 3D embossing folder from the Build-A-Garden: Oxeye Daisy set. Since the original design is concentrated more toward the center, I embossed the panel on both sides to extend the floral pattern across the background.

The watercolor effect was created with the Woodless Watercolor Pencil 24 Set. I wanted a monochromatic background, so I used only the Shadow Creek pencil and traced around the raised embossed design.

I then used a slightly wet brush from the Fine Watercolor Brushes set to wash out the pencil pigment, creating loose watercolor shadows around the embossed flowers while still leaving some of the original cardstock color visible. Because I was working with regular cardstock rather than watercolor paper, I kept the amount of water to a minimum.

After the first layer dried, I repeated the process, this time keeping the pencil closer to the embossed areas. This added deeper color and more definition around the flowers.

FINISHING THE CARD

For the focal point, I used the coordinating products from the Build-A-Garden: Oxeye Daisy set. I stamped the floral image with Espresso Fresh Dye Ink, colored it with the coordinating stencils using yellow and green inks from the Pocketful Of Sunshine Fresh Dye Ink Bundle and Green Valley Fresh Dye Ink Bundle, and cut it out with the coordinating die.

I foam-mounted the finished background onto a white card base using Instant Dimension Foam Tape and added the floral element on top. For the sentiment, I used the One-Go Birthday Greetings Stamp & Die Bundle.

I originally tried adding enamel dots and crystals, but they made the design feel a little too busy. Instead, I finished the card with a few clear droplets, which add some detail without adding much visual weight.

WATCH THE VIDEO

Below you can watch the process video to see how this card was made.

You can watch the video here or watch it in HD on YouTube.

For your convenience, I add English captions to my videos. You can turn them on if you prefer to watch with captions.

After a six-year break from making videos, this simple and rather therapeutic technique seemed like a pretty good way to get my feet wet again—quite literally. 😊 I hope you’ll give it a try, and I also hope this won’t be another six years before my next video!

SUPPLIES

If you’re curious about the supplies I used, you can find everything listed below.

Some of the links are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you shop through them — at no extra cost to you.

You can use the letter codes to shop from your favorite stores: Simon Says Stamp (SSS), Altenew (AN), Scrapbook.com (SC), Amazon (AZ), Spellbinders (SB), Papertrey Ink (PTI), ScrapbookPal (SBP), and more.

I really appreciate your support 🤍

Altenew One-Go Birthday Greetings Stamp Set Click A Shop: AN | SC	Altenew One-Go Birthday Greetings Die Click A Shop: AN | SC	Altenew One-Go Birthday Stamp & Die Bundle Click A Shop: AN	Altenew Build-A-Garden: Oxeye Daisy Click A Shop: AN	Altenew Citrus Burst Fresh Dye Ink Click A Shop: AN
Altenew Fresh Lemon Fresh Dye Ink Click A Shop: AN	Altenew Maple Yellow Fresh Dye Ink Click A Shop: AN	Altenew Honey Drizzle Fresh Dye Ink Click A Shop: AN	Altenew Pocketful Of Sunshine Fresh Dye Ink Bundle Click A Shop: AN	Altenew Pocketful Of Sunshine Fresh Dye Ink Mini Cube Set Click A Shop: AN
Altenew Firefly Fresh Dye Ink Click A Shop: AN	Altenew Grass Field Fresh Dye Ink Click A Shop: AN	Altenew Shadow Creek Fresh Dye Ink Click A Shop: AN	Altenew Mountain Pine Fresh Dye Ink Click A Shop: AN	Altenew Green Valley Fresh Dye Ink Bundle Click A Shop: AN
Altenew Green Valley Fresh Dye Ink Mini Cube Set Click A Shop: AN	Altenew Espresso Fresh Dye Ink Click A Shop: SSS | AN | SC	Altenew Crafty Necessities: Parrot Cardstock Click A Shop: AN	Altenew Instant Dimension Foam Tape – 1/16” X 1/2” X 33M Click A Shop: SSS | AN | SBP	Ultra Fine Continuous Water Mister Click A Shop: AZ
Altenew Woodless Watercolor Pencil 24 Set Click A Shop: AN	Altenew Fine Watercolor Brushes Click A Shop: AN