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Foiling over watercolour backgrounds

Watercolour backgrounds can be so easy to make,  as well as fun, and when you make them our can often create a lot in one go. Today I’m showing you 3 ways for foiling over watercolour backgrounds – this is great if you have a stack f unused watercolour backgrounds to use up. But don’t worry, I’m creating 3 quick backgrounds in this video today if you need some quick and easy backgrounds to make. Foiling can really add a touch of glam to your watercolour backgrounds, and WOW! Have so many colours to choose from you’ll be able to pair up a foil with your background in no time. 

PRODUCED AS PART OF MY DESIGN-TEAM WORK FOR WOW!EMBOSSING POWDER - SEE END OF POST FOR MORE DETAILS

video tutorial

Foiling over watercolour backgrounds

written tutorial

Foiling over watercolour backgrounds

Creating the watercolour backgrounds

he first background uses a flat brush to apply clean clear water to watercolour card. Next using the Primar Marketing Tropicals watercolour pan set along with a round brush, pick up number 20 with your brush and dab the colour randomly onto the card. For the second colour use number 22 a lovely pink and add this down towards the bottom making sure to overlap the colours to blend them. Now you need to remember, watercolours dry back paler then the colour your apply. So to intensify the colours,  use your dual speed heat gun from WOW on heat setting 1 to dry the panel.  This setting is great for this, as this will dry your panel without too much heat which would warp the panel. Once dry, go back in adding some clear water again and repeating the process to intensify the colours for a vivid background.

For the second background, again add clear clean water to the background and then use PinkFresh Studio liquid watercolours. These are great as they come with little droppers so you can drop the colour into the water. When you do this, the colour just spreads and creates interesting patterns. So the colours used for this background are sky blue, Aquamarine and Sapphire.

 

The third panel was created in a similar manner to the first panel with clean clear water on the card and then dabbing colour in with a round pain brush. The watercolours I used on this background are from the Altenew Watercolour pan set and I used Pink Diamond, Puffy Heart, Purple Wine and Comsic Berry. These panels were left to dry whilst i started working on some of the foiled elements for the cards. 

Technique 1: Foiled die-cutting

For the first foiling technique, we are going to use the Fab foils with peel and stick toner sheets. This method is great for creating foiled card to die-cut from. So using a piece of Violet fab foil cut enough foil that covers the size of the dies. 

 

Once you’ve cut a piece of toner card to size, warm up a Minc machine or laminator. Next, place the toner sheet along with the colour side facing up into a carrier sheet and once the machine is hot feed the carrier sheet through the machine.  Once its fed through, Its time to peel and reveal the foiled magic. So we’ve now got a piece of foiled card in the colour your want and you can die-cut from this. 

Now run this through die cutting machine with the die of your choice and as this is peel and stick card, when you remove the die-cut it already has adhesive on the back saving you so much time when using intricate dies. Repeat this method using the blush foil to create a foiled circle for the die-cut to sit on. 

To assemble the card, use the Altenew Dotted scales debossing cover plate on the watercolour background to add some texture to the card. In addition, die-cut to two circles out of vellum to matt and layer the foiled elements and to add more interest, layer these up with foam pads.

For the sentiment, die-cut the Birch Press Designs Thanks Sugar Script die out of white card and mounted this onto the card with foam pads and liquid glue. In addition, add a ‘You’re so kind’ heat embossed sentiment onto black card using Opaque Bright white embossing powder. To finish the card off, use Gina K connect glue to adhere Lucy’s Cards Freesia sequin mix to the front of the card. 

Technique 2: Foiled transfer gel

For the second method of adding Foils over watercolour backgrounds, we’re using a stencil and transfer gel over the first watercolour background we created. To step the stencilling up a little, create a makeshift mask out of white card with a circle die and place this over the stencil which is sitting over the top of the background. The stencil we’re using here is the Leafy Stencil from Gina K Designs. 

Now, using a spatula,apply the transfer gel over the stencil being careful when applying to prevent the gels squidging underneath the stencil. Once the circle is completely covered, remove the mask and reveal the perfect circle, as well as removing the stencil as well to reveal the pattern within the circle. You’ll want to leave this panel to dry for a couple of hours until the gel turns from white to clear. 

 

For this card, use the teal Fab foil and trim a piece of foil down to just larger than then circle. Place the foil over the gel colour side up inside a carrier sheet. Again, you will need to use your Minc machine or laminator to adhere the foil over the gel. Of course peeling the foil and revealing the design underneath never tires.

To finish this card off, the foiled background was trimmed down with a circle die and then foam mounted onto a white card. A layered white happy die cut from Lawn Fawn was adhered to the front with liquid glue and then a stamped birthday sentiment was foam mounted onto the front to finish the sentiment off. Again a few sequins from the same mix were added to the front to finish this card off. 

Technique 3: Foiled stamping with bonding powder

For the last technique, we are going to apply foil over the watercolour background using bonding powder. So for this background, use the paper hugs stamp set design by Ashlee from the WOW! Creative team and stamp in clear ultra slow drying embossing ink onto the background. Next, cover this with bonding powder and heat set. 

When heat-set, this powder goes clear and you might confuse it with clear gloss embossing powder. However, this powder is sticky to the touch when heat set. This stick property allows you to add the foil over the top, and the foil sticks to the sticky surface. Once more, use the blush foil over this watercolour background to make it pop with the blue.

 

So, place the foil colour side up and then use a bone folder to burnish the foil down into the stamping. Now, this stays sticky for a while, but if you don’t add the foil straight away, you can reactivate the powder by adding heat over the top, making it sticky again. This also means if you’ve missed a few spots in the stamping with the foil, reheat it and then reapply the foil again.

The stamping was trimmed down and foam mounted onto a white card panel and the sentiment ‘For you my friend’ from the paper hugs stamp set was stamped in black ink. Finally, the card panel was adhered to a pink card base.

Foiling over watercolour backgrounds

GALLERY

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Foiling over watercolour backgrounds

Supplies

Affiliate links used at no extra cost to you at these shops: Altenew (ALT), Scrapbook.com (SB), Craft Stash UK/US (CS UK/US), Hero Arts (HA).

All other shops are not affiliated links: Bumbleberry Papercrafts (BP) and WOW! UK/US (WOW UK/US)

Sentiment Strips - Altenew


Sentiment Strips – Altenew


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ALT | BP | SB

Sentimental Stamps - Avery Elle


Sentimental Stamps – Avery Elle


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BP

Paper Hugs - WOW!


Paper Hugs – WOW!


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WOW UK | WOW US

Love Letters die - Altenew


Love Letters die – Altenew


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ALT | BP | SB

Thanks Sugar Script - Birch Press Designs


Thanks Sugar Script – Birch Press Designs


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BP

Nesting Circle Infinity Dies - Hero Arts


Nesting Circle Infinity Dies – Hero Arts


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BP | SB | WOW UK

Lawn Fawn- Scripty Happy Dies


Lawn Fawn- Scripty Happy Dies


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BP | SB

Leafy Stencil - Gina K Designs


Leafy Stencil – Gina K Designs


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BP

WOW! Clear ultra slow drying embossing pad


WOW! Clear ultra slow drying embossing pad


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CS | WOW UK | WOW US

Violet Fab Foil - WOW!


Violet Fab Foil – WOW!


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WOW UK | WOW US

Teal Fab Foil - WOW!


Teal Fab Foil – WOW!


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WOW UK | WOW US

Blush Fab Foil - WOW!


Blush Fab Foil – WOW!


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WOW UK | WOW US

Opaque Bright White -WOW! Embossing Powder


Opaque Bright White -WOW! Embossing Powder


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CS | WOW UK | WOW US

Bonding Powder - WOW!


Bonding Powder – WOW!


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CS US | CS | WOW UK | WOW US

Watercolour 36 Pan Set - Altenew


Watercolour 36 Pan Set – Altenew


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ALT | BP | SB

Aquamarine Watercolour - Pink Fresh Studios


Aquamarine Watercolour – Pink Fresh Studios


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BP | SB

Sapphire - Pink Fresh Studios


Sapphire – Pink Fresh Studios


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BP | SB

Sky Blue - Pink Fresh Studios


Sky Blue – Pink Fresh Studios


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BP | SB

Soft Stone Heavy Weight Cardstock - Gina K Designs


Soft Stone Heavy Weight Cardstock – Gina K Designs


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BP

Original MISTI - My Sweet Petunia


Original MISTI – My Sweet Petunia


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ALT | BP | SB

Gina K Designs - Connect Glue


Gina K Designs – Connect Glue


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BP

Scrapbook Adhesives 3D foam squares 1/4


Scrapbook Adhesives 3D foam squares 1/4″ white


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BP | SB

WOW! Dual Speed Heat Gun (UK version)


WOW! Dual Speed Heat Gun (UK version)


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CS | WOW UK

WOW! Dual Speed Heat Gun (US version)


WOW! Dual Speed Heat Gun (US version)


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WOW US

Teflon Bone Folder - Lawn Fawn


Teflon Bone Folder – Lawn Fawn


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BP

Tim Holtz 8.5 Inches Comfort Trimmer - Tonic Studios


Tim Holtz 8.5 Inches Comfort Trimmer – Tonic Studios


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SB | CS | CS US

Trim and Score Board - We R Memory Keepers


Trim and Score Board – We R Memory Keepers


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SB | CS | CS US

QuickStik - We R Memory Keepers


QuickStik – We R Memory Keepers


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SB | CS | CS US

Purple Tape - 0.5


Purple Tape – 0.5″ – Thermoweb


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BP | SB

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DISCLOSURE

This post was produced as part of my design team work for WOW! Embossing Powder have not been paid to make this post, but I am given supplies from WOW! Embossing Powder to use. However, I create projects with creative control and produce projects I am proud of and with products that I love.   The information provided is based on my own personal experience – I am not an expert. 

About Me

Hi, I am Verity and I live in the UK.  I love to create beautiful projects whenever I can. My main passion lies with Papercrafting, however, I will always turn my hand to a new project or craft any chance I get.

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