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Watercolor Jumping Dolphins

I made this pop-up card using two sheets of 8.5" x 11" 140# cold pressed watercolor paper (Canson Montval). I cut the first sheet in half vertically. One side I used to make the back, and the hills and valleys to attach the other pieces. The other side I cut in half and used to make the waves.

 

I used the second piece in my printer, to print dolphins from Hero Arts Sea Life - Dolphins Digikit. I used Photoshop to size the dolphins and then I printed them on the watercolor paper. Next I applied Milled Lavender Distress Ink to the dolphins using a blending tool and foam over my non-stick craft sheet. Next, I cut them out.

 

Then I applied Dusty Concord Distress Ink along the top edge of each cut-out dolphin, and Weathered Wood (gray) along the bottom edge, using Tsukineko Sponge Daubers (Hero Arts MI002). Then I blended that in using the Milled Lavender on the blending tool. I spritzed both dolphins with a mixture of water and Ranger Perfect Pearls (in pearl) and let them dry. Then I added googly eyes for dimension.

 

To make the back, I masked off the area that would become the hills and valleys. I stamped Hero Arts S5146 Bold Flourish using VersaMark watermark ink (Hero Arts VC250). Then I embossed with Ranger seafoam white embossing powder and my Heat It craft tool.

 

Next I cut a piece of Eclipse mask tape larger than the Bold Flourish stamp and stuck it temporarily to my craft sheet. I stamped the Bold Flourish on top using VersaFine onyx black pigment ink and let it dry. Then I cut out the stamped image - leaving some white space around the edges - and used the negative piece (not stamped) to mask the top white area of the card.

 

I used Tumbled Glass, Faded Jeans, and Chipped Sapphire Distress Inks, applied with blending tool and foam and/or sponge daubers to color the area around the embossed flourish. I also stamped and embossed the flourish two more times on other pieces of watercolor paper, cut them out, and applied Distress Inks to make the rest of the waves. I spritzed all the wave layers with water and dried the droplets with my heat tool to get a splotchy watercolor effect.

 

Then I assembled the card. I attached both dolphins with foam tape, to give even more dimension. To finish it off, I added several Hero Arts CH181 Clear Gemstones.

 

Side view showing dimension.

Closeup showing the effect of the Perfect Pearls.

 

Thanks for looking! :-)

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Uploaded on June 16, 2011
Taken on June 16, 2011