Today is super exciting and I’ve been so looking forward to today’s big reveal for a while! Altenew is releasing a watercoloring book AND watercolor brushes sets. This release is part of a blog hop showcasing some of the images in the book and giving you a closer look at the new products. It starts over on Altenew’s blog, and in true Altenew style, there’s a giveaway too so stay tuned!

I love coloring books, and watercolor is my favorite medium so I was really looking forward to seeing what Altenew had come up with for this book. Well, I was not disappointed. Each of the 12 images in the 5″x7″ book appear twice – once with dark black outlines, and one with pale gray outline, perfect for that no-line watercolor look which I love. The pages tear out easily and the paper is super high quality, thick, and takes water brilliantly. I usually watercolor on Arches (hot press and cold press) and this paper let me achieve all of the effects I get with the Arches, unusual for a watercoloring book so I was really impressed.

I decided to use the pale gray outline version of my selected image for painting, and used the Altenew Artists 24 pan watercolor set, along with the brand new brushes – I used the size 1 for shadow detail, and the size 2 for the larger petals, from the Round brushes set. There are two sets of brushes which come with great little carry cases. The other set is the smaller Detailed brushes, which I used for the flower centre. Each of the round brushes have a sharp tip, perfect for getting into small detailed areas like I did for my painting for the shadows. If you head on over to my Instagram for this hop, you’ll see a little clip of them in action!

I did a lot of layers for my image, adding in some ‘shape’ to the edges of the petals and deepening the color in the crevices for contrast and the illusion of depth. I hope to share a video soon on my Youtube of these brushes and the book in action so stay tuned. Of course I liberally added splatters for an artsy feel, and then stamped this sentiment (from Versatile Vases 2) directly onto the panel when it was dry to keep it simple, using Obsidian Ink. I plan to frame this but you could of course also adhere it to a card front (the book is slightly bigger than A2 so just perfect) or even fussy cut it out – there are lots of options, and there are some wonderful ideas shared by other coloristas on today’s hop.

Here’s a closer look at one of the darker outlined images and the brush sets. The set which has the larger size rounds 1,2,3,4 plus a wide flat brush (18) for washes will probably be my most used set. The other set has smaller, more detailed brushes, which I used for the flower centres in my painted image and would be great for smaller stamped images. The brushes worked as well as my others that I use (I use Silver Brushes most of the time) and the fine tip was a pleasant surprise as not all larger rounds have this. If you’re looking for a brush set purchase at a good price point I do recommend these. For full disclosure, I was sent these by Altenew for guest designing on this hop today, but I have used them for many different projects since then, they’re holding up very well, and I think they’re now my brush of choice over my Silvers!

Brushes are definitely a personal choice and what some people love, others don’t. If I were to summarise – hold water well, pointed tip to get into those nooks and crannies, nice variety of sizes perfect for card-making as well as washes, don’t molt, good price point! No negatives noted so far!

There’s also a fabulous promo on right now. Altenew is giving away the 6 x 8 (!!!) Poppy Arrangement stamp with the watercoloring bundle purchase (linked below).

This stamp set is perfect for trying out your watercoloring or go your other mediums too – I colored it up here with alcohol markers.

I added the little details again in the petals like I did on the watercolored image using my markers, drawing little triangles to create ‘ripples’ and then blending out.

I stamped the Poppy image twice using my stamp positioner, stamping in Permanent Black (alcohol marker safe) ink onto X-press It white cardstock. You’ll see there is a tiny bit of dimension in the stamens at the centre which I got using a black gel pen.

Giveaway

There are $300 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $20 gift certificate to 10 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 02/16/2021 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 12 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 02/19/2021.

Your next stop on today’s hop is Nicole!

Jenny x

Supplies

The Altenew supplies were provided to me as part of my design work for Altenew. If you purchase through my affiliate links, I receive a small amount of compensation which helps me run my blog and channel to bring you more crafty creations! Thank you for your support.

Full Hop List

Similar Posts

69 Comments

  10. Pretty in pink floral. The image goes so well with the sentiment too and for some reason; it just gives me the feels. Thank you for sharing with us.

    Reply

  11. I would LOVE to watch a video of you watercoloring. I would love to know how you made the “lines” at the edges of the petals. I am trying to learn to watercolor, so this blog hop is a GODsend.

    Reply

  16. The detail and delicacy of your no line piece definitely make it a wow! I appreciate seeing some alcohol marker use on the poppy set. Those are lovely images. Thanks for the inspiration.

    Reply

  35. Absolutely gorgeous and you make it look so easy!! I am watercolor challenged so this would be a great way to practice and just have some fun!!

    Reply

  36. Love these gorgeous images, especially the no-line one. I am still trying to master this technique but it sure is fun trying.

    Reply

    1. I’m just trying watercolor and love it. It’s so relaxing and enjoyable to slowly paint your way to being stress free! I think the coloring book is a great idea and can’t wait to try it.

      Reply

  43. Your watercoloring talent is so awesome. I like this release bundle. The brush sets are professional and the storage case is perfect as I am a stickler for storing my gear. Love your cards and this set. So helpful for a novice watercolor beginner.

    Reply

  61. The red card is really gorgeous. Learning watercolor color techniques is my new passion. Thanks for sharing!!

    Reply

  65. Thank you for your review of the brushes!! Your cards are lovely and I’m in awe of how realistic the coloring of the flowers look. Thank you for sharing your talent with us!! 💖

    Reply

  66. Love the first one for its soft colors and the second one for the brightness and wow factor. Thanks for sharing your amazing talent with us. 🙂

    Reply
  68. Pingback: Altenew Ultimate Watercolor Lovers Blog Hop + Giveaway – JGaultier

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *