Watercoloring the Art Impressions Way

I am so excited to share the incredible community of artists I have become a part of during this pandemic!  This wonderful group have supported my love of art by coaching and inspiring me to become a better artist in ways I could have never imagined.  This first post is about how I became hooked on "the Art Impressions way" of water coloring and found this great group of fellow artists.  In future posts, I will share some of tricks and tips, along with my latest inspirations.

In 2019, I made my annual trip to the Great Lakes Mega Meet in Novi Michigan to look for inspiration, learn some new craft skills, and increase my craft stash.  While I am more of a stamp and die cut paper crafter, I could not help but be drawn in by a watercolor demonstration that began with using stamps.  The instructor made it look so easy!  I stayed and watched some more.  Yes, it looked liked I could easily make water colored paintings.  So, I asked if I could keep one of her samples (see photo below) for future reference and set off to buy a few supplies to get started.

Did I mention, I am also frugal?  I decided to only purchase the basic foliage and floral stamp sets (#4051 and #4052) as recommended, but passed on the more expensive Decorative Jar set (#5123).  I rationalized the free stamp with purchase included a pot, I could use that instead.  Ironically, that is what I love most in the sample.  The lesson learned is to buy what you love, because ultimately you will, and you are only delaying your joy.

I also opted out of buying the starter set of markers, acrylic blocks for the stamps, and watercolor paper, because I had these items at home.  So I was prepared to make what looked so easy into a beautiful floral display...  It was not.  

I remembered there was a You Tube site with further instructional videos, so I watched a few and tried again.  But to no avail... I moved on to my other finds from the Mega Meet and forgot all about the Art Impressions way.

Then came the pandemic and ultimately the lockdown.  My annual trip to the Great Lakes Mega Meet was not going to happen... But then I got the word the show would go online with 2 days of demonstrations and crafting specials!  I was glued to the screen and making lists of things to buy... Then Bonnie Krebs came on and demonstrated Art Impressions watercolor... It had all come flooding back and I pulled out my stamps and tried again!

With the  help of some Art Impressions FAQ You Tube videos (https://youtu.be/3E3qti_Md-I and https://youtu.be/t_6y80jtQPA), I was on my way.  My new attempt above was better than my first, but I still plenty of room for improvement.   Using the same stamps but with better markers and watercolor paper, I was ready to make a bigger investment and brought what I loved!

 I found my way into the Art Impressions Stamp Group on Facebook.  It is by far one of the best groups on Facebook.  I learned to keep my early works and date them so I can see my progress.  We tune in to Watercolor Wednesdays on Facebook and You Tube for our weekly lesson.  Then we post our work and share our discoveries!

I hope this has peaked your interest in trying this art form and joining our community.