Scribble Sticks Watercolor Technique

Have you ever tried Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks in your creative practice? Today I will show you an easy Scribble Sticks watercolor technique that can be used for a card, in a journal or on a tag.

What are Scribble Sticks?

Scribble Sticks are a pigment-based stick that writes similarly to a crayon. They are also water soluble, so you can use them for watercolor techniques. As these have a different binder than watercolor paints, the blending effects you can get with these sticks is unique.

The benefit of the Scribble Sticks is that they can be added on surfaces that traditional watercolor paints would not work well on. You can add scribbles, blends, and different layers to your mixed media work including on surfaces like acrylic paint. With the waxier base of these pigment sticks this opens a range of possibilities for how to use this medium in your projects.

The Intention

For each of my projects, I usually start with a quote, idea, or intention for the project. What makes creative practice so rewarding for me is the opportunity to reflect and express my personal creativity in every piece that I do.

The Quote

One of my favorite ways to start a project is with a quote. This week’s inspiration was a quote from Brenè Brown.

“Vulnerability is not about winning, and it’s not about losing. It’s about having the courage to show up and be seen.”

Brene Brown

Showing Vulnerability

I have been thinking about vulnerability a lot as I recently experienced a situation where I showed vulnerability. One of my personal goals is to connect with other creatives in my city, and last weekend there was an opportunity to volunteer at the Creative Scrapbooking Carnival. Going into the event I only knew a few people and was a bit apprehensive about how things would go.  

I went into the weekend determined to show courage, be friendly and just be myself. I tried not to put any expectation on the weekend or experience on what would happen. My goals was to help, to volunteer and hoped that through it I might make some new friendships and connections.

I ended up having a wonderful time that weekend. Through this even I met so many fantastic people and was surprised how friendly and inviting people were. Sometimes we need to put ourselves out there, be vulnerable with no expectation or judgement on how things turn out.

As Brenè says, vulnerability is not about winning or losing. Instead of judging ourselves or others, we can experience the good that may come from a vulnerable situation. You never know what incredible experiences can come from showing some vulnerability!

Scribble Sticks Watercolor Technique

Stamping Images with Archival Ink

For this project I wanted to create a tag to be used as a bookmark. Using Jet Black Archival Ink, stamp the Tracy Scott floral and leaf stamps to the page. Using a permanent brush pen, draw a stem on your flower.

Adding Scribble Sticks to the Background

Using the Ocean Scribble Stick, add a layer of Scribble Stick to the tag background around the flower image. The amount of pigment that you put down will affect the intensity of the final blend. Add thicker layers of pigment, because the Scribble Sticks are easier to remove while blending than trying to add more layers later.

After adding a layer of Ocean Scribble Stick, add some Peacock and Lapis Scribble Stick to create variation in color. If you want your background to have more contrasting color, instead of adding a full layer of scribble stick with Ocean, add the Peacock and Lapis directly to the surface. For this tag I was specifically trying to get a softer blend of color.

Adding Water to Blend Scribble Sticks

Using a watercolor brush, apply water to the background. The Scribble Sticks will react with the water making a beautiful blend. If you find the color too intense, you can always lighten the color by picking up the color with your brush and dabbing it off on a piece of paper towel.

Adding Scribble Sticks to Flower and Leaves

Add Scribble Sticks to both the flower and the leaves. For the flower center I used Cheddar, the flower leaves were a combination of Blushing and Fuchsia. To provide more contrast, color in the highlights first and then add the darker colors.

For the leaves I added a full layer of Olive and then added the darker Evergreen color to prevent the tag from getting too dark in color.

Blending Flower and Leaves

As with the background, blend the flower and leaves with water. Start with blending the lighter colors first into the darker colors. This will keep the highlights from being overpowered by the darker colors. This becomes a wet-on-wet technique as you blend the pigment colors together.  

Add Mark Making

If you would like more texture in your background or would like to experiment with multiple layers of Scribble Sticks, add some marks to the blue background. I was using crosses, but you can use any sort of doodle or imagery to add marks.

You can make these marks more intense by dipping the Scribble Stick into the water and adding it to your surface. This will cause the Scribble Stick to react and give a wetter and more intense color to the background.

If you don’t like the harshness of the marks, use your watercolor brush to add water on top. You can add more water to obliterate the marks or do a wash to soften the marks.

Add the Quote and a Ribbon

To finish off this project, I added my quote to the page. Using a manual typewriter, I typed my quote on vellum. I purposely chose vellum for this step so that the color underneath the quote would show through. Cover the back of the vellum with double-sided tape and add to the tag. Make sure to use a dry adhesive for this step to prevent wrinkling.

Add a border to the quote with a Zig Clean Color Dot Marker and add a piece of ribbon to finish this tag.  

Questions?

Have you ever tried Scribble Sticks before? What do you think of this Scribble Stick watercolor technique? I’d love to see your projects or answer any questions that you may have. Please comment below or contact me directly.

I hope that you have a great weekend and take time for creative self-care! See you next week!

Project Supply List

• Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks 2
• Tracy Scott Stamp Set TS040 Flowers and Leaves
• Manila Shipping Tag
• Stamping Block
• Archival Ink Jet Black
• Zebra Zensations Brush Pen Fine Permanent
• Watercolor Brush Round Size 6
• Water Container & Water
• Shop Towel
• Vellum
• Zig Clean Color Dot Brush Blue Bonnet
• Manual Typewriter