GUEST ARTIST FEATURE: Getting Cosy w/Debby Hughes ft. COOKIES & COCOA

Hi, Debby here today with a little cosy watercolouring!

Watch above or watch in HD at YouTube

Let's jump straight in! I used the Cookies & Cocoa set for this card in a style I'm drawn to - that of a focal point of no-line watercolour on an otherwise clean and simple card. I started with a piece of Arches Cold Pressed watercolour card in the Misti and stamped the outline cup image from the Cookies & Cocoa set in Antique Linen Distress ink three times and popped the marshmallows image on top of each cup.

I painted the cups with Daniel Smith watercolours. I chose three colours for the cups which were inspired by some candles I just bought. Although I enjoy all the bright traditional colours of the winter season, I'm always more drawn to muted shades and so for this card I challenged myself to use the muted colours I love. I mixed a grey-green, a dilute pink and a dusky, grey purple. To finish off the painting I added a light shadow beneath the cups which I blended out with plenty of water. This helped ground the cups and stopped them looking like they are floating in mid-air. Then I took a little white gouache and added a few highlights. Gouache is an opaque watercolour and will show up even when painted on a darker colour. Once I was happy with the watercolour on the cups, I splattered a little of the green watercolour mixture around the card and then I added splatters of a solution of Perfect Pearls. This is one of my most favourite ways to add sparkle, highlights and that ethereal look that I like.

I stamped accent images from the Cookies & Cocoa set on the cups with clear embossing ink and white heat embossed - two snowflakes for the cups in the foreground and a heart for the pink cup at the back. I then trimmed the panel down and foam mounted on a Desert Storm card base. For the sentiment, I chose the "It's time to get cozy greeting" from the Cookies and Cocoa set. I treated a scrap of Slate card with a powder tool, stamped the sentiment in clear embossing ink, sprinkled with white embossing powder and heat set. I then used a scalpel and ruler to trim the piece into a banner to add to the card. I struggle with straight lines and find this method to be the most reliable as I can use the lines on the clear ruler to ensure I'm cutting things straight. I foam mounted the sentiment banner on the card and used a T-square ruler to ensure I had it on straight.

To finish off the card I added a few sequins in toning pastel colours to bring in a little more sparkle for the season and kept those in place with Nuvo Deluxe adhesive.

Thanks for joining me today and I hope you enjoyed seeing these cosy cocoa cups come to life.

~Debby

Featured Supplies

For your convenience, here is a list of the featured Wplus9 supplies used on today's project(s), along with links to purchase.

Cookies & Cocoa Shop at: WP9 | SSS | EH

ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES

• Media - Daniel Smith Watercolours, Winsor & Newton white gouache
• Ink - Antique Linen Distress Ink, Simon Says Stamp clear embossing ink
• Embossing Powder - Simon Says Stamp white
• Card - Arches Cold Pressed watercolour card, Neenah Desert Storm 100lb, Simon Says Stamp Slate card
• Embellishments - Perfect Pearls powder, Iced Sherbet sequins from Little Things From Lucy’s Cards, Star Dust Stickles
• Adhesives - Nuvo Deluxe adhesive, 3M foam tape
• Other - Misti, Scissors, Tweezers, Anti-static powder bag, heat tool