This is an easy technique to make a watercolor sampler. It is fun to practice using small blocks of color. The small swatches provide a variety of watercolor technique practice.
Some of the rectangles are painted wet-on-wet. First paint a solid block of color and then add a second color while the base color is still wet. The edges of the second color are fuzzy and bleed in the wet basecoat.Another wet-on-wet technique is to paint the swatch with clear water and drop paint along the edges while the base is still wet. This creates a border type effect. You can also tilt the paper slightly to help the colors blend.After the paper is completely dry I add the decorative lines, circles, patterns, etc. This time the paint does not bleed, because the background is dry. You are able to see the contrast here between the sharp dry-on-dry painting and the wet technique. They work well together to make interesting patterns.As you can see this watercolor sampler is a very easy project. The small size makes it a nice practice piece and a way to launch new design ideas. It is also fun to experiment with different colors and mark making styles.
Initially my plan has been to cut the rectangles apart and use them as card toppers. However, on reflection I chose to keep the sheet intact as it is for now. I will use it for reference. Instead, I made larger rectangle images for my card making projects. I will share those in an upcoming post.
