Watercolour Bubble Background Card

A project from our live show CREATE TOGETHER CLUB - CHAPTER 2 - Join Toni for Inspiration show 6 using the first stamp in the collection called ALL MINE - Broadcast 8th Nov 22 · 08/11/2022 · watch it from 7:15

Create a beautiful hand-painted watercolour background using circular lids and water to produce soft, overlapping bubble effects. Layer this with a stamped lady figure and coloured details to make an elegant, artistic card with seamless colour blending.

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Step by step

1. Gather two circular lids of different sizes (such as from a stamp cleaning cloth or brush pot) and watercolour card. ▶ watch 7:30
2. Mix several watercolour puddles on your palette using colours that work well together, such as blue, pink, green, and orange. ▶ watch 8:15
3. Dip the larger circular lid into one colour, then stamp it onto the watercolour card to create a ring impression. ▶ watch 9:45
4. Load a wet brush with clean water and gently drag the colour from the edge of the ring outward, creating a soft bleed effect. ▶ watch 10:00
5. Before moving to the next colour, clean your brush thoroughly to avoid muddy mixing and maintain colour separation. ▶ watch 10:30
6. Deliberately leave a white space or halo on one side of each bubble to create dimension and suggest light direction. ▶ watch 10:45
7. Repeat the process with different colour combinations, stamping the lid again and pulling water through to create layered bubble effects. ▶ watch 11:00
8. Use the smaller circular lid to create additional bubbles of varying sizes, connecting them to the larger ones for visual interest. ▶ watch 12:00
9. Add random splats of colour across the background using your brush for extra texture and movement. ▶ watch 13:00
10. Allow the background to dry completely before proceeding to stamp or add additional elements. ▶ watch 24:30

Tips from the show

• If you don't have watercolour card, normal cardstock will work but avoid over-saturating it with water as it may peel.
• Keep changing your brush colour between each application to maintain the bubble effect; if you blend all colours together, you'll lose the distinct halo appearance.
• Leave white space intentionally on all bubbles to create the illusion of light coming from the same direction across the entire background.

More from this show

• Hand-Painted Lady with Watercolour Gown
• Finished Card with Layered Elements and Embellishments

Written up from the show itself. See every guide from our shows · free how-to guides · watch live on My Telly