Watercolor with Serendipity Suzy

 I spent last week at the Ryder Cup near Chicago and enjoyed the fall temperatures and color there. Time for some fall cards, so I thought I would begin with these couple of pets enjoying the fall leaves on this Serendipity Stamps image. This week, shipping on orders over $10 is free and a new Scor-it board is also being given to one lucky winner. Be sure and check out the website to find out the details. Click on the Blog to find out about the give away.

Mary, the owner of Serendipity Stamps, has a new puppy named Suzy, so I decided to paint this little fellow like Suzy. First, I stamped using Versafine ink. I usually stamp several images on a sheet of watercolor paper. Then I die cut the image I want to use. For Suzy's coloring, I drew in pencil lines where I wanted to change colors.

I used tube watercolors on a palette as well as Peerless Watercolors for this project. Peerless watercolor comes on sheets of paper that have been covered with pigment from which you pick up the color with a wet brush.

 To work wet into wet, I first applied water and then applied the paint. I worked back to front, letting the areas dry before painting areas that would touch. It was safe to add Suzy's lighter colors as they did not touch the sky.

 Even the areas on Suzy that are the same color, I did in sections to see the different parts of the body. Sometimes if you put too much paint, you lose the ink lines and the subject can become a blob.

 I used paint to bring out the nose and eyes.
For the background, I spattered paint using a wet brush tapped over a pen or other object.

 I also stamped and painted some extra leaves on the scrap watercolor paper to use for another dimension.

 I cut out a couple of the leaves below and then pressed with a stylus over fun foam, adding curvature to the leaves.

 Once they were pop dotted on the card, I added some color to them.

 I also added some dimension to some of the leaves on the actual background, first outlining them on the front of the image and then pushing them out on the back side with a stylus.

 I added a little yarn as it is soft and cuddly, just like Suzy, seen below....I imagine Suzy is feeling a little frisky on these nice autumn days!

Hope you are enjoying the fall air also...I am headed to the cabin soon where I will get to spend some time both with Jackson and Clayton! Harper Grace will be here before we know it! Guess I will have to update the boys photos on my blog when I add her photo!