Chasity has a sweet and juicy tutorial…that shows you how to make watermelon letters with Kelly Creates Watercolor Inks!
Kelly Creates Supplies: Set of 4 Wood Paint Brushes, Set 1 Watercolor Inks ‘Warm’, Set 2 Watercolor Inks ‘Cool’, Set 3 Watercolor Inks-black, white, iridescent, Palette/Pipettes, Watercolor Paper Project Pad, Black Fineliners, Multicolor Small Brush pens, Multicolor Bullet Tip pens, Deluxe Lettering Kit (pencil, ruler, eraser)
OTHER SUPPLIES: Cardstock, Baker’s Twine Red and Green, Enamel Dots
Hey there lettering lovelies! Hope everyone is safe and healthy! May here in Utah means warmer weather and flowers galore! What’s the weather like in your neck of the woods?
Today’s tutorial uses the new Kelly Creates Watercolor Lettering line. If you have the opportunity to purchase this line, you will love the next adventure in your lettering journey. This tutorial is an easy way to start exploring watercolor by creating simple watermelon lettering!
To start making these letters, I used the Kelly Creates Watercolor Project Paper Pad and sketched out some chunky letters that can be easily filled with painted colour. It can be a serif or sans serif style, whichever you prefer. I lettered “HELLO” and “HI” but feel free to choose a fun sentiment or summery pun!
Next, I used the Kelly Creates Round 1 Wood paint brush to fill in the letter with clean water. This is called a ‘wet on wet’ technique. I did this so that the ink would move easily once applied. This brush comes in a set of 4 and have very fine tips that are great for painting details and lettering.
Then, using the Kelly Creates Poppy Watercolor Ink, I loaded a small amount on the brush and added it to the area that is wet. The ink will start to move as soon as it comes in contact with the water.
Begin blending the red ink downwards, from the top of the letter to the bottom. It should become a gradient and get lighter towards the bottom of the letter. NOTE: Work fairly quickly so that your paper doesn’t dry.
Add more water if needed to blend. Don’t be afraid of water… Kelly’s watercolor paper was made for this! Continue this for each letter.
I really love the Kelly Creates palette and pipettes to add as much ink and water as I like. And the large wells allow me to work with different hues of the same color in the same well. Plenty of space to mix and play!
Next, I started to work with the Emerald Watercolor Ink from the “Cool” Set 2. Using the same technique, I painted the “rind” of the watermelon. Think about a slice of watermelon and what colors you see: shades of green, pink, red and white.
Blend until you are happy with the results. It’s okay if you go a little outside your pencil lines. Later we will outline the letters with black, and cover that up.
Let that dry completely. Once dry, using Kelly Creates Black Fineliners, outline each letter. I used the 08 nib from the Set of 6 sizes.
This is a great time to even out the edges of the letters. I also added a black shadow for each letter to create a little more dimension.
Keep working on each letter until you’re happy with the outline and shadow. The Fineliners work really well on the watercolor paper. They are fast drying, permanent, and waterproof black ink so they are ideal to use with watercolor.
The last step is to add the watermelon seeds. Using the same Kelly Creates Black Fineliner, draw little seeds inside each letter, varying the directions.
Once the “seeds” are complete, add a white highlight to each seed with the Kelly Creates White Watercolor ink. This white ink is actually a thick, opaque gouache, which you can dilute with some water in your palette if necessary.
Now that you have mastered that set of watermelon letters, here is a second variation to try!
Using the same techniques, start from the center of the letters and work out towards the edges of each letter with the Poppy Watercolor Ink.
Don’t blend the color all the way to the edge. Instead, leave a little white. Let that dry. Once dry, using the Kelly Creates Emerald Multicolor Small Brush pen and Palm Bullet Tip pen, create the rind as the outline on each letter.
I used the Emerald brush pen to draw the outline around each letter, and then used both green pens to fill in the shadow to look like the rind. Add the seeds and the highlights to each letter for the finishing touches with the same method described earlier.
I turned these whimsical watercolor sentiments into cards, using some additional supplies, like cardstock and baker’s twine. This is a fun way to share some watercolor love! Here is a practice guide if you want to try out this block lettering style by tracing. Click HERE to download the printable template or click the image below:
I hope you give these watercolor letters a try. It’s a simple and easy way to try watercolor. Be sure to share what you create with me on Instagram or in our Kelly Creates Facebook group. Stay healthy…. and happy lettering, friends!
For more crafty and creative inspiration, follow Chasity on Instagram @chiciscre8tive!
Shop the supplies Chasity used by visiting my online store www.KellyCreatesStore.com or by clicking the affiliate shopping links below.
Where do you find Kelly Creates products? Click HERE for a store directory.
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