Love Buns

Hello my crafty friend! Can you keep a secret? If so, I’ll show you the valentine I made for Micah. It features the new Je t’aime stamp set from The Rabbit Hole Designs. Have you seen these sweet little love buns yet? So cute!!! I adore this set, and not just because I’m a bun mom. And I know Micah will love this card.

To create the scene, I stamped the bunnies onto a watercolor panel in Warm Glow ink for a no-line coloring effect. Using Karin markers, I watercolored one rabbit in shades of golden brown, and the other in warm grey. I added a pink tint to their cheeks and ears, as well as the hearts floating above them. To ground them, I painted a swath of green underneath. To accentuate the eyes, and add a little shading to the nooks and crannies (a Kathy Racoosin technique), I came back in with my colored pencils. I used a very light touch, and very sharp pencils (more tips from Kathy).

Pulling the card together was easy. After the watercolor was dry, I stamped the sentiment below the scene and trimmed the panel to fit a kraft slimline card base, leaving a small border. To bring out the golden brown tones, I added a few gold gems. What do you think?

Before I go, I want to share a few tips. First, if you are a watercolor novice like me, I recommend taking a class like Kathy’s. (You can take her class online now!). You’ll learn lots of things, like how to avoid worrying about light sources when shading, how to hold your color pencils when getting into the nooks and crannies (and why you want to), and if you are adding rosy cheeks, start from the outer edge and work your way in (not just a dot). I can’t tell you how much my coloring has improved since I’ve begun implementing her techniques!

Second, (shameless plug) if you want to find Kathy’s clipboards and collapsible marker bags, you can find them here on our site! They both feature her top ten coloring tips so you won’t forget. And the bags will each hold up to 36 Karin markers.

Speaking of Karin markers, I find that I get the best blending if I wet my watercolor paper, before applying color directly with the markers. I tend to start by drawing color around the small wells of this ceramic palette, and applying it to paper with a wet paintbrush. Then, if I want darker color in the shadows, I can draw directly on the wet paper with the markers.

I hope these tips are helpful. Don’t forget, you can pick up the cute little love buns in the Je t’aime stamp set from The Rabbit Hole Designs. And just because you stayed to the end, I’ll share some pictures of our real life love buns. You already know Remington (brown) and Cinnabun (black and white), but you may not have met Ash (grey) yet. He came to live with us in October and he is quite the cuddlebug.

Thanks for stopping by today. I’ll be back soon with more fun cards (and rabbits) to share!

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