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Today I’m sharing a fun and beginner-friendly watercolor technique that transforms a simple watercolor panel into beautiful layered butterflies. If you’ve been wanting to try watercolor without worrying about perfect brushstrokes, this technique is for you!

For this card, I used the Altenew Zero-Waste: Fluttering Fantasies Layering Die Set and the Altenew Vibrant & Smooth 36 Half Pan Watercolor Set. Instead of painting directly onto the paper, I used a plastic sheet to smush the watercolor onto my panel, creating gorgeous organic textures with shades of pink, purple, and a touch of gold shimmer.

After the panel dried, I die cut all the butterfly pieces, layered them with foam tape for dimension, curled the wings using a petal shaping tool, and finished them with brushed gold metallic butterfly bodies.

To keep the butterflies as the focal point, I stamped the Alluring Orchid floral image in a soft grey ink and arranged three butterflies over the background. A gold heat-embossed sentiment and a few Antique Gold Stellar Sequins completed the design with just the right amount of sparkle.

I love how this technique creates a completely unique result every single time, making each butterfly look like its own little piece of watercolor art.

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I hope this card inspires you to get messy with your watercolors and try this fun technique with your favorite color combinations.

Watch YouTube video tutorial :

Do check out fun pictures of the project on my Instagram page (@rp_shutterbug). Do tag me on Instagram with pictures of your projects.

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Thank you so much for joining me today. Until next time, stay safe!