Hi friends! Yesterday I played around with the emboss resist watercolor method, and it’s an easy way to add texture to your card. It is the process of heat embossing an image on watercolor paper, then applying a watercolor wash over the top of it. Your original heat embossed image will not be affected by the wash! It can provide you with a subtle or more striking look, depending on what colors you use.

New to heat embossing? Click here to get step-by-step instructions!

The Basic Technique

This technique involves heat embossing an image as normal, then applying a watercolor wash over the top of it. The heat embossing process creates a barrier that resists watercolor, making the design pop beautifully! I recommend using watercolor paper with this technique; it can be done using a heavier white cardstock but the watercolor paper adds a nice finishing texture for your card and handles the water better than regular cardstock can.

Examples

I used a heavier white cardstock with white embossing powder and real red ink. The white image popped nicely against the red background. It is a little splotchy in areas, which I attribute to the paper, and the paper is pretty curled due to the water. I plan to die cut out the image, and maybe die cut some shapes from the rest for sentiments.

For this piece, I used watercolor paper with marigold embossing powder and crushed curry ink. It has a smoother texture, and not as streaked as the red example. The color of the embossing powder does blend in a little too well with the crushed curry, so the difference isn’t as striking. Black embossing powder would present a striking look.

Stamping Tip

If your embossed image looks dull after watercoloring, gently buff over it with a clean paper towel once dry. This removes any leftover ink sitting on top of the embossing and brings back that crisp, shiny “resist” effect.

The Finished Card

For this card I used watercolor paper with marigold embossing powder and bubble bath ink. Download the free tutorial here, or you can always find all my free tutorials at the top of the page under Tutorials.

Any questions? Please ask, i am happy to help you in your creative process!

Jen