3 Ways to Use the ColorSparx® Watercolor Powders with Tania Ahmed

ColorSparx are highly pigmented watercolor powders, and there are a ton of ways you can use them to create super vibrant projects. They can be mixed with other mediums to produce your own custom supplies for all your needs, mixed them with texture paste, or iridescent medium, make your own mists with them using water and a spray bottle, calligraphy, watercolor painting, and the list goes on! Here are three cards I have made, along with some extra backgrounds that you can use for other cards. Simply add your own sentiments.

Congrats Card

Place Picnic Checkerboard Stencil onto thick cardstock or watercolor paper. Tape down to the surface with low tack tape if you do not want the stencil to shift.

Sprinkle Cerulean Blue, Lime Green, Chartreuse, and Gamboge ColorSparx in rows from top to bottom to create an ombre effect. Use ColorSparx sparingly, as a little goes a long way! These are highly pigmented powders! If you haven’t taped or temporarily adhered the stencil to your paper, hold down your stencil with a tool like a tweezer and mist lightly with water to activate the Watercolor Powders.

Leaving the stencil in place, press another piece of cardstock or watercolor paper on top of the watercolor while it is still wet to lift a print. You can use this to create a project too! To get a third print, lightly mist the stencil with the remaining watercolor and press on to another piece of paper. This will result in a more delicate and distressed print. To assemble the card, die cut the word Congrats from Smooth Lines Mix & Match Sentiments Etched Dies Set with black and white cardstock. Adhere together sentiment die-cuts with clear drying glue, offsetting the black piece underneath the white die-cuts to create a subtle shadow. Die cut one of the backgrounds using Essential Ovals Dies. Adhere to an A2 card blank with foam dimensional tape and glue sentiment on top.

Thank You Abstract Brush Marks Card

On a palette or in a container, sprinkle some ColorSparx and add a few drops of water to create your own highly pigmented-liquid watercolors! I am using Fuchsia and Orchid ColorSparx for this card.

Apply ColorSparx with a watercolor paintbrush to thick cardstock or watercolor paper (cut to 4” x 5.25”) in whichever marks you like!

To assemble the card, die cut the words Thank You from Smooth Lines Mix & Match Sentiments Etched Dies Set with black and white cardstock. Adhere together sentiment die-cuts with clear drying glue, offsetting the black piece underneath the white die-cuts to create a subtle shadow. Attach the watercolored panel to an A2 card blank with foam dimensional tape and glue sentiment on top.

(Photo: Tania Ahmed 2023 ColorSparx Thank you - The Be Bold Collection and Tania Ahmed 2023 ColorSparx Thank you - The Be Bold Collection (2) )

Hello Galaxy Card

Apply matt gel medium or texture paste through Star Bright Stencil From Celestial Zodiacs Collection with a palette knife to a thick cardstock panel or watercolor paper (cut to 4” x 5.25”).

While the paste is still wet, sprinkle with white embossing powder and return the embossing powder back to its jar. Heat set the embossing powder! You can use embossing ink instead, but using paste and embossing powder results in a more textured effect which is perfect for mixed media projects. Lightly sprinkle with Cerulean Blue, Orchid, and Merlot ColorSparx. Use very little of Merlot and focus on keeping the edges of the cardstock panel darker.

Lightly mist with water to activate the ColorSparx. Use a paper towel to remove some of the wet watercolor ink off the cardstock panel. Dry slightly and splatter some water droplets on to cardstock panel to lift some of the watercolors for a “galaxy” effect. The watercolor powder is dye based so it will react to water or any wet medium applied on top! Dry the panel completely. To assemble the card, die cut the word Hello from Smooth Lines Mix & Match Sentiments Etched Dies Set with black and white cardstock. Adhere together sentiment die-cuts with clear drying glue, offsetting the black piece underneath the white die-cuts to create a subtle shadow. Attach the watercolored panel to an A2 card blank with foam dimensional tape and glue sentiment on top.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope that you found these tips useful and that you give these techniques a go. Take care and have a great day, Tania

Other Supplies

Water Mist Bottle, cardstock or watercolor paper, A2 Card Blanks, matt medium, palette knife, white embossing powder, die cutting machine, paintbrush