Creative Blessings: Day 1 of 100 Days of Creativity ~ Father's Day Card

It's been so long since I have blogged, that there may not be anyone out there that even sees this post, but I have regained my creative spark and feel it is time to start sharing again. A crafty friend of mine put out a challenge to do something crafty every day for 100 days. I've been sick with a sinus infection & ear infection with a touch of vertigo since the challenge started on July 1st, so I'm a little late to the party. I have been trying to make something a little each day, even if it is just practicing watercoloring techniques or stamping out images to color later. My hope is to share what is going on in my creative world over the next 100 days and encourage you to make something everyday too!

One of the reasons I've decided to share again here with you is that I was having trouble finding inspiration myself to make Father's Day cards this year. After searching I wish I had time to film videos for you to share. Making cards for guys can stump many of us, including me. I decided to take some of things I've been learning in a watercolor class I've been taking online and shrink it down to an A2 card size.

I taped my watercolor paper down to a clipboard and kept the tape on until it was completely dry. This helped prevent warping. To create the background I used the tutorial and supplies from the Wild Trees Watercolor kit at Let's Make Art. https://www.letsmakeart.com/collections/kit/products/wild-trees-watercolor-paint-kit You can watch the tutorial there for free and pick up supplies to create your own. Her individual boxes with paint, paper and instructions are a wonderful place to start your own watercolor journey. I've been getting her monthly subscriptions for a couple of months and I have learned soooooooooooo much!!!

I will also list some suggested substitutions at the end of this post in case you want to paint with stamping supplies you might already have on hand. *hint* Ink refills work well for this type of painting.

I made a couple of variations to her original painting. Obviously with watercolor each piece will turn out differently. I decided to add a bit of blue to my sky because the original reminded me too much of the recent Carr and Camp fires in Northern CA where my family is from. I didn't want to send Father's Day cards that would make them think of the fires.

I also added a couple of dots of blue to the trees while they were still damp. They faded so that you can't really see them, but they added depth to my cards that I really liked. I also took the liberty of added a few green pine needles to the foreground.

It's hard to capture the true colors. I'm out of practice with photography and I had to get these cards mailed ASAP to my Dad, Father-in-Law and other Father-in-Law in CA. As you can tell I stamped my sentiment in the sky. For mine and my husband's dad I stamped Happy Father's Day with different sentiments inside.

For my kid's Papa I made this card which reads PAPA is... another name for LOVE on the inside. I think he will love it. One final TIP *** use a MISTI to stamp once you are finished. It's difficult to get a good impression with just one press on watercolor paper because of the texture. Plus, if you have put all that work into watercoloring the background you don't want to mess up the stamping at this stage.

When I was young I dreamed of being able to watercolor like my great aunt Rosie. As I grew I thought it wasn't possible for me as I am not an artist and I can't draw. Thanks to patient teachers, like Sarah Cray at Let's Make Art, I am finding my own artistic talents and I love it!