Guest Designer ~ Nicole Vögeli

Hi there!

Nicole here, and I’m so excited to share my first card as a guest designer for this wonderful company. I’m starting with one of my favorite techniques… no-line coloring.

For the no-line coloring technique, I (almost) always start by stamping my image with Distress Ink Antique Linen. This is a light brown ink that reacts with water. It’s super handy for no-line coloring with watercolor mediums, because it almost makes your stamped lines disappear and that’s what we’re going for with this technique. If you’re new to this, that’s how this technique got its name, it looks like there are “no lines”.

Tip: You can do this with alcohol markers as well. If so, go for a super light grey ink that is alcohol marker friendly.

Now, let’s get started. First, I stamped my Elephant, the bunny and the three objects from the “Elephant Parade” set in Distress Ink Antique Linen. Then, I used my Zig Clean Color markers and a water brush to color them in. The lines are very light but you will still be able to see them. I always start with small strokes of ink where I want my shadows to be. Then, I go in with my water brush, soften the brushstroke edges and push the color with my water brush to the lighter areas. I want my color to fade out from dark to light. If there’s too much ink on my brush, I dab it off on a piece of paper towel. I try to work quickly, so that the ink doesn’t dry leaving hard edges. Give yourself some time to practice this technique. It took me a while but I think it’s worth it.

I painted a turquoise floor to create a little scene and let everything dry. After the coloring process, I cut out my elephant and the floor. I kept the background is super simple, just some watercolor splatters on watercolor paper. I adhered my main image with some foam tape to the background and for my last step, I stamped the sentiment from the same “Elephant Parade” set with a crisp black ink (Versafine Onyx Black).

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Have a colorful day,

Nicole