Watercoloring with Distress Ink

I made a card over the weekend using this fun watercoloring with distress ink technique; and, I had a few questions on Instagram as to how I created the background so I thought it would be fun to create a quick tutorial. This is a technique I learned from watching Kristina Werner’s Youtube videos. I love watching her videos because I get to see all the new products and even learn a few tips and tricks along the way. I’d definitely recommend subscribing to her channel—it’s so fun! Click here for her Youtube Channel.

What I’m using (I purchased all of these items at Joanns & Michaels but you can also find them online:

-Distress Watercolor Cardstock

-Mini Mister

-Worn Lipstick Distress Ink

-Picked Raspberry Distress Ink

-Wild Honey Distress Ink

-The back of a shipping label (most crafters use the craft mat but wax paper would also work, too)

What I love about this distress watercolor cardstock is that it’s already at an A2 size, so I don’t have to do any cutting and measuring—it’s just ready to go. Not only that, there are also two textured sides to this cardstock. One side is smooth and the other is like a traditionally textured watercoloring paper. This card is thick and while it does warp when wet—it also flattens again once it’s dry. Yay!

Step 1: I’m using the back of a shipping label for this project, Kristina uses the craft mat (you can purchase online or at Michaels) but you can also use wax paper. You basically need something slick that won’t absorb the water or ink. So, after placing the backing of a shipping label onto my work surface I grabbed the distress ink colors I wanted to use for this card. I’m using: Worn lipstick, picked raspberry, and wild honey. Next, I removed the cap of the ink pad and apply ink to the slick surface, and repeated that with each color. 

Step 2: Once I have all of my colors smudged on the slick surface I misted the ink with water, using my mini mister. Adding water is the fun part for me, haha.

Step 3: Simply take your watercolor cardstock and smear it onto the ink and water mixture.

Step 4: Once you lift it you’ll notice a pool of ink at the bottom of the paper—simply dab that onto a piece of paper towel and set it aside to dry. It’s so simple! I love this technique.

Once it’s dry you can simply adhere it to your A2 size card base and decorate it any way you’d like to. You can use white embossing powder to create a simple card with a sweet sentiment or you can add images to it like I did with my card. The fun possibilities are endless. I hope you enjoyed this mini tutorial and if you have any other tutorials you’d like for me to create feel free to ask!