Watercoloring with Distress Markers

Hi everyone! Dina here! It's time again for Inspire Me Monday. Yay!

Some of you asked for a step-by-step watercoloring tutorial after I posted the tag tutorial a couple of months ago. I love mixed media work, and when I watercolor I typically combine a variety of products, from markers to tube paints to pans and pots, to inks and even pencils. 'Creative me' is so very different in personality from 'everyday me' - and this is testimony to the whole concept of left-brain and right-brain focus... 'Everyday me' is predictable and reserved, methodical, neither energetic nor spontaneous. I thrive on routine and plan. Creatively, though, I'm spontaneous and rebellious and kinetic - when I really get going, I create standing up! Can anyone else relate? Haha! I'd like to think I'm not nuts... but I digress.

For today's tutorial, I almost managed to stick to one medium! Please enjoy the video, showing several ways to use Distress Markers for watercoloring. I don't think I've done anything 'new' technique-wise, but these markers are pretty new to me, and I've had lots of fun exploring their properties.

To recap, a few ways that Distress Markers can be used in watercoloring:

• Scribble marker onto a craft sheet or non-porous surface. Spritz with water, and tap watercolor paper into the color. Dry between layers of color. 

• Pick up diluted ink with a stamp, and stamp to add texture to the background.

• Color directly on the image, then spritz with water or blend with a brush. Or scribble on a tile or craft sheet and lift color with a wet brush. Dry completely between layers of color.

• Splatters: Scribble as above, spritz, and lift color, then tap the brush to splatter spots of color.

If you have these markers, I hope you've learned something new that will help you get more use out of them! If you're used to working with other watercolor mediums, some of these same techniques will work as well. I love doing backgrounds with a mix of regular watercolor paints, too. Play around with what you have and see what works best for you!