How to Make a Watercolor Ornament

Put a snowy day to good use by whipping up a tree full of these ornaments. Although the designs look like tiny works of art, they're actually simple stamps enhanced with watercolor pencil shading.

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What You Need

2-x-2-inch square of watercolor paper
Snowman rubber stamp (We used American Art Stamp's Snowman with Spotted Scarf.)
Black permanent waterproof ink pad
Watercolor pencils
Artist's paintbrush
2-x-2-inch frame and two glass slides (We used Ranger INKssentials Memory Glass and Memory Frame.)

How to Make It

Ink the stamp with black and apply it to the center of the paper.
Let the ink dry.
Color the snowman's body and head with watercolor pencils, shading the edges darker and leaving the middle uncolored.
Moisten the brush with water and dab off the excess on a paper towel.
Starting at the white areas of the snowman, wipe the brush into the darker colored areas to blend small areas as you go.
Wipe off and rinse the brush as needed.
If you have too much water on the paper or make a mistake, blot with a paper towel and let dry. Color and moisten each area of the stamped image individually in the same manner.
After completing the snowman's body and head, proceed to the nose, buttons, scarf, and ground. Finish with the background.
To prevent the colors from bleeding, allow each area to dry before moving on to the next.
When the paper is completely dry, place it between two clean glass slides.
Carefully open the frame.
Insert the glass in the frame and close.