Watercolor Trees with Sweet Stamps LLC

Hello everyone, it's challenge time over at the Sweet Stamps Blog!  And, yes, I have continued my watercolor theme for the month, and created this card using  the  Tree #1 stamp from Sweet Stamps and my Shades Dye Ink to watercolor the trees :)

I stamped the trees three times, and I didn't bother to mask them because I knew the overlapping wouldn't be seen through the color.  I used Shades Dye Ink in Tank, Palm Grove, Duchess Rose and French Roast to create the greenerie on the trees, alternating between colors and layers to create shadows and depth.  Then I used French Roast and Brownie to create the tree trunks.  The ground was created using Palm Grove and Tank, and for the sky I had to break out my Cotman watercolors as I don't have a good Shades Dye Ink in Blue yet ;)  The sentiment is from the Framed Handwritten Words stamp set SS4406.

I will confess, lol, I created this card, and the next couple of cards all at the same time.  As I've mentioned before, the drying time between layers of watercolors can be tedious, so why not create more than one at a time?

And yes, I am just learning to paint with watercolor, and although I am thoroughly enjoying the journey, there are lessons to be learned with every venture.  Here are my lessons this week.  Don't create muddy colors :P  Some colors when you put them close together or on top of each other, create a color that closely resembles mud, hence the brownish trees, lol.  Try as I might to change them back to green again, it wasn't happening, lol,  Lesson learned.  Another lesson?  Sometimes Dye inks are not the best to watercolor with lol.  They are not as transparent as real watercolor paint, so they don't layer the same.  And your finished piece may not have the effect that you were hoping for.  Lesson learned , again, lol.

All in all, after I completed this piece, I came to realize that it is what it is, and I enjoyed the journey, so why not enjoy the finished product?  Everyone else seems to enjoy the outcome of this card, so why shouldn't I?  I will try not to be my worst critic any more, ya right...but I can try lol.

Next week, another watercolor card, with a different watercolor medium.  But in the meantime, why not come and join us on the Sweet Stamps blog for one of our monthly challenges?  This week the theme is Anything Goes!  Doesn't that just open up a whole realm of possibilities :)