Watercolour effects are still really popular in cardmaking and they are a super versatile way to add interest to your makes. But have you tried them yet with your die-cutting projects? You can colour your own cardstock with watercolours and then die-cut using your die stash to make your own bespoke effects. I recommend trying this technique with intricate dies as well as your more block shape everyday dies to achieve different looks.

What you choose to colour the cardstock is entirely up to you and what you have in your stash. You can use water-reactive ink, such as Distress Ink, or watercolour paint like the Kuretake paint I am using here. Or try some of the water-reactive crayons or pencils you might have too! What you are looking for is that lovely light translucent paint colour that you get from some water-reactive colouring products and how it blends and adds texture to the surface that you want to die-cut. And it is particularly fun to die-cut over areas that move from one colour to the next so that you get that added interest on your projects.

It is a good idea to make a few watercolour sheets at the same time so that you have a stock of the self-coloured cardstock for when you want it and you can pick out the best and most interesting ones for using on different projects. Have a play around and try out different things to see what effects you can get and have fun!

1

Cover white cardstock with a thin layer of water. Don’t flood the area– add just enough water to make the surface glisten

2

Swipe paint across the wet surface and let it spread, add more as needed and change the colour as you go

3

Let the surface dry completely then die-cut it as

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