Hello, and welcome to this blog post all about the no-line colouring technique! I actually made these cards by accident… I was going to be trying the no-line watercolouring technique, but I forgot to take either my aqua-painter or my blender pen with me where I was going, so thought I would just use the watercolour pencils by themselves and see what it looked like – well, I think it looks just great, and you can get such definition and shading.
I used the stunning new Forever Fern stamp set from Stampin’ Up! I absolutely love the images and the sentiments in this set, it would be a great set to get for both new and seasoned crafters, as you can get great results just with simple stamping (as shown in my previous blog post – HERE), but the possibilities are almost endless if you want to step it up and try new techniques too.
I started off just by stamping in Sahara Sand ink, but third generation. This means that I loaded the stamp up with ink and then stamped it onto scrap paper not once, but twice, before stamping a third time on my Whisper White Card. This gives a really, really light image, just enough to see where to colour and shade but not oo much that you will see it through the coloured pencils, even when coloured really gently.
For the greens, I used Granny Apple Green and Garden Green Watercolour pencils from set number 2. Starting at the base of each leaf I gently and slowly started making pencil marks, getting even lighter towards the tip of each leaf. I kept going over the base gradually building up the colour and then finished each one off with a few strokes of garden green to really give it some depth. The no-line colouring technique is definitely not one that gives quick results, but they are stunning and definitely worth the wait in my opinion.
The pinks are Flirty Flamingo from Watercolour Pencil set 2 and Melon Mambo from set 1. These blended really nicely together, though you do need a sharp pencil to get the fine detail that I have got here. This time I started with the darker colour, and put some Melon Mambo down at the base of the berries and in any areas where the stamps had shading.
No-line colouring technique and Distinktive stamps
The no-line colouring technique is definitely easiest with Distinktive stamps like these, the red rubber is pre-shaded, so you know exactly where to put the darker colour and the lighter colour! You can become an artist quite easily with Distinktive stamps! Again, I faded away almost to white for some real contrast, and to keep to images light and airy, perfect for pairing with so much Whisper White card.
All of the sentiments came from the Forever Fern stamp set, and I used Smoky Slate as my co-ordinating colour – I love a bit of this with any subtle card, it just goes so well. I used the co-ordinating dies to cut out the images and have also used the Tasteful Label dies and the stitched Rectangle Dies. As you can tell, I do love the stitched effect!
I have embossed the background card using the Scripty 3D embossing folder for some added texture, along with a touch of Smoky Slate DSP from the Neutrals Assortment, some Whisper White Faux Linen Ribbon from the Flowers for Every Season ribbon combo pack and the new Elegant Faceted Gems…. LOVE these!
I do hope this will inspire you to give the no-line colouring technique a go, it really does make some stunning cards, and opens up a whole world of possibilities with your crafting.
Thank you so much for reading today, if you would like to purchase any of the supplies used on these cards, you can either head straight to my ONLINE SHOP or click on any of the product photos below. Every single order helps me to continue creating and sharing what I love, and I can’t thank you all enough for all of your support.
Until next time, stay safe and Happy Crafting xx
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These really are very pretty cards
Thank you Jeanette, I had a lot of fun making them.
Very pretty
Thank you Connie, I am glad you like them x
Absolutely stunning!
Thank you so much Lori!
Really like this, now I’m going to pull out my watercolor pencils and give this a try. Thanks for sharing the details!
Oh that’s fab Vicki, I hope you have fun with it… remember, patience is your friend here!
Very beautiful cards!
Lovely technique, I will certainly try this