Watercolor with Distress Ink

I thought I'd stick with our watercolor challenge this month and share a simple technique for getting those wonderful watercolor backgrounds.  I used Tim Holtz Distress Ink from Ranger for this particular project.  Step by step images and instructions can be found below the images of the cards.

Step One:  I "squished" Squeezed Lemonade, Picked Raspberry, and Spiced Marmalade onto my non-stick craft mat from Ranger.

Step Two:  I sprayed the inked area with my spray bottle until the ink beaded up as shown below.

Step Three:  I "smooshed" my paper into the wet ink.  I like to use the Mixed Media Paper from Strathmore.  However, you could also use watercolor paper for this technique.

Step Four:  I turned my paper over and tilted it from side to side to move the ink.

Step Five:  I then dried the ink with my heat tool.

Step Six:  You can stop here if you like.  I didn't.  I wanted more color variations and puddles.  So, I dipped several select areas of the paper back into the remaining wet ink.

Step Seven:  Dry again with the heat tool.

This would make a beautiful background for a card.  I used it to die cut two Easter Eggs and create the card shown at the top of this post.  I'll be posting a card on Saturday using this same technique for a background.

Additional Supplies Used:
Die-namics Embellished Eggs from MFT Stamps
Embellished Eggs stamp set from MFT Stamps
Spring Backgrounds stamp set from MFT STamps
Enamel Dots