For my next project in the Altenew Educator Certification Program Level 3, I was inspired by the class Coloring Beyond Boundaries with Erum Tasneem. In this class, Erum explores several creative ways to color stamped and embossed images and encourages thinking beyond traditional coloring methods.
One technique that really caught my attention was metallic watercoloring. I loved the idea of using shimmering paints to bring dimension and elegance to an image, so I decided to give it a try. While I followed Erum’s transitional coloring concept, I experimented with a slightly different direction for the color transitions.
I began by embossing the Cheerful Bloom 3D Embossing Folder onto navy cardstock. Starting with the flower petals, I applied rose gold metallic watercolor at the inner edges, covering about one-third of each petal. Next, I used a champagne metallic watercolor for the middle section, blending it gently into the rose gold to create a smooth transition.
At the outer edges of the petals, I introduced gold metallic watercolor, blending it inward into the champagne. Instead of transitioning from top to bottom as Erum demonstrated in Coloring Beyond Boundaries with Erum Tasneem, I transitioned the colors from the center of the flower outward, creating a soft gradient across each petal and extending the same approach to the entire embossed image.
The transition continued beyond the petals, with the gold flowing naturally into the stems and leaves. From there, I introduced a fourth transition with green, and finally completed the background with light blue, allowing the colors to blend seamlessly while maintaining the metallic shine.
Once the coloring was finished, I added some silver metallic watercolor splatters for extra interest and shine. I then trimmed the panel slightly smaller than an A2 card. To frame the design, I used the same silver metallic watercolor to draw a delicate hand-drawn border around the edges of the panel.
For the sentiment, I hand-lettered “Eid Saeed” using silver metallic watercolor. Later, I decided to enhance it by coloring half of the lettering in gold and the other half in rose gold. After fussy cutting the sentiment, I adhered it to the bottom right corner of the panel.
To finish the card, I mounted the panel onto a champagne pearl A2 card base, which created a beautiful matting layer and complemented the metallic colors perfectly.
This project was a wonderful way to explore metallic watercoloring while practicing transitional coloring in a new way. I love how the shimmer adds depth and elegance to the embossed design.
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