I love finding ways to use all the bits of ephemera I have lying around and in that process, I started cutting out the watercolor florals and finding ways to use them in other creative projects. Then I started making the cutouts specifically to be used in my art journaling and art projects.
In this tutorial I’m going to show you how to use watercolor paints to create marks and add sketchy ink lines on top, then how to cut them out and use them in a collage-style tag.
Supply List:
- Watercolor or Mixed Media Paper
- Watercolors
- Brush
- Micron Pen (I’m using size 03 and 08)
- Jar of Water
For Tag:
- Tag
- Glue Stick, Matte Medium and Tape Runner
- Pretty Paper Scraps
- Stickers, Words, etc.
- Watercolor Paper Cutout
Video Tutorial
Making Watercolor Cutouts:
Step 1: Paint watercolor marks. These can be detailed or just messy marks, whichever feels right to you. I know the basic shapes of the flowers I want to make, so I give some shape to my marks, but nothing detailed. LET DRY
Step 2: With a Micron pen I add sketchy lines to define the flower shapes. I usually draw two sets of lines because I like the sketchy feel, but you can draw just one or add a couple more.
Step 3: Cut out your flowers.
Making Collage Tag:
Step 1: Cut out your tag shape. I used brown craft paper and cut it to 2″ w x 4″ h
Step 2: I gathered two different color stories of items from my ephemera stash. So find a group of ephemera you want to use.
Step 3: Play with the layout by moving and layering your ephemera pieces.
Step 4: Attach your layers to the tag and add your watercolor cutout.
Step 5: Hole punch the top and add a pretty ribbon.
If you are interested in purchasing one of my watercolor cut-out kits, I sell a variety of kits in my shop.
Heidi Cogdill 