Hero Arts Blog

Hi friends! I'm here today with some easy no-line watercolor tips. I know that a lot of people are intimidated by watercolor and especially no-line watercolor, but I want to show you an easy way to get your feet wet with this fun technique. It starts by choosing a Fancy Die – these are my go-to for watercolor projects like this, and today I am...

Hola everyone! Pocono Pam here! I am sharing a card featuring the Color Layering Cherries clear stamp set. I love how stamping just two layers for the cherries and leaves produce such great detail and dimension.  To create my Thank You card, I stamped Buffalo Check Pattern Bold Prints onto a 3.75" x 5" Peony cardstock panel in Peony ink. I matted the panel with Cherry cardstock...

Hello and welcome! Seeka here and today I'm sharing a card featuring the Floral Mandala stamp set and coordinating dies, embellished with Gold Hero Pearls. The stamps and dies are also available as a bundle. I started off by stamping all four mandala images in a light color ink onto a panel of Passion Flower cardstock. Because I later heat embossed the images, it was important to use a stamp...

Hello there, Daniel here with a great way to get the color without the coloring! Last time I did a video, I deconstructed the colors of a kalamata olive. Today, I'm extracting the colors of a bird of paradise plant and featuring the Birds of Paradise stamps and dies! Watch the video below to see the full process or click HERE to watch on YouTube. Instead of coloring...

Hi everyone! Ilina here! For today's card I combined a few products along with one of the six new Core Ink colors: Peony. And I am showing how you can do color layering using the same ink pad for two or more layers.  To make the card start with a piece of Deluxe Smooth White cardstock measuring 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" (A2) and secure it to...

Hi there! Emily Midgett here with you today sharing some inspiration using a bunch of the new goodies from the May 2022 release! This release features so many fun standalone die cuts, but my favorite product was the beautifully detailed Kitchen Shelf Background. This gorgeous stamp covers the entirety of an A2 card front and creates the perfect backdrop for so many of the new...

Good morning! Jess here with a simple but elegant card featuring the beautiful new Floral Mandala stamp set! To start I stamped the two largest designs from Floral Mandala onto Nautical and Dove White cardstock with Embossing & Watermark Ink and heat-embossed it with Brass Embossing Powder. Then I die-cut them with the coordinating dies and adhered them together with Precision Glue.  I also stamped a sentiment from Floral...

Hello and welcome! Seeka here and today I'm sharing a card featuring an image from the sweet new Mother and Father Animals stamp set and some very easy masking for a clean and simple thank you card. I started off with the sweet kitty image by stamping it in Copic-friendly Intense Black ink onto Dove White cardstock. Then I did some very simple coloring, first solidly coloring the image using a...

Hi there! Emily Midgett here with you today, and I have a pair of holiday-themed thank you notes using some die cutting, adding extra pizzazz with some Copic details and sparkling glitter paper! I adore plain, shaped die cuts, because they're like a blank canvas for you to transform into something super detailed or leave plain for an elegant silhouette. I've got two cards for...

Hello there, Michelle here and today I have a tag to share with you using Buffalo Check Pattern Bold Prints. This background stamp is so versatile. It works all year round but for today's project, I thought I would create an autumn tag which fits perfectly for our Stay Crafty with Hero Challenge this month, which is to use fall colours.  When I think of...

Hello and welcome! Seeka here and today I'm sharing a card featuring the new Autumn Branches Cover Plate and some easy watercoloring. I started off by using the cover plate to cut a piece of watercolor paper. Next, I used some yellow, olive, and brown watercolor brush markers to quickly and loosely color the leaves and branches, spreading the color with a small wet  paint brush. While the branches were...

Hello there, Michelle here and today I have a video and card to share with you using the new Autumn Leaves Fancy Dies. I thought these would look lovely die cut from our fall glitter paper and I always love black with copper tones, I think it looks quite dramatic! Here is the video showing how I made the card: If you are having trouble watching the...

Hi everyone! It's Mindy here with you today to share a rainbow shaker card for the Stay Crafty with Hero Challenge #26. For this challenge, you can include a rainbow image or a rainbow of color and I included both! While we would love for you to use Hero products, any and all entries are eligible. I'll be using the Rainbow Window Fancy Die for...

Today's post introduces the latest challenge from our friends over at A Blog Named Hero. We are so thankful for the support they give us, and the amazing creations the team creates. If you're looking for a fun challenge to play along with, check them out! Today team member, Teri, is sharing a project for their July challenge and it is so fun! It’s Teri here sharing this...

Hi everyone! Today I've got a simple technique to share that will add dimension and elevate your cards to the next level. Check out the video below for some diecut layering! If you are having trouble viewing this video, please try watching it HERE on YouTube.  Dies like the Leaves & Vines Fancy Die are perfect for this technique. It makes a big statement and it's a quick card to pull...

Have you tried any of the new Looking Glass Die sets yet? Looking Glass Dies are designed to build small, layered scenes by cutting windows and backgrounds from cardstock. Although these sets can easily be interchanged, today I’m only using the three dies from the beautiful Looking Glass Windmill Tulips set to create the focal points for my two cards. This Dutch inspired die set...

Hi there! Emily Midgett with you today, and I have a super springy project to share with you using the Hero Florals Poppy stamp set from the latest Spring Catalog release! This time of year always puts me in a peach and navy mood. There's something so clean and fresh about that color combination. Luckily, poppies come in such a huge variety of colors that it...

The Hero Arts Cover Plate dies make a bold statement without a lot of fuss. And the new Thank You Message Cover Plate is a stunner! Today I'm using all the pieces of the die by creating two cards at once. First up, I used the die in the traditional manner. I die cut three panels of Dove White Cardstock and then adhered them all together to create a...

Hi everyone! Ilina here! By now you may be tired of all the holiday crafting so I decided to make a card that's not focused on the holiday season. I decided to make a thank you card suitable for almost any occasion (we all need to say more "thank you's") using the Please Deliver partner set between Ink Blot Shop and Hero Arts. To make the card start...

When I saw the Abstract Linocut Bold Prints background stamp, it was love at first sight! Not only does it bring back memories of my first attempts at printmaking in a junior high art class (anyone else?), but the abstract lines remind me of rustic woodgrain. It’s the perfect inspiration for creating a pair of woodsy, seasonal Thank You cards for the current Stay Crafty...

It's time for another Stay Crafty With Hero challenge. With Thanksgiving in the US coming this month, we decided to make the theme Thank You Cards. This has been, without question, an incredibly difficult year. But one way to get through it is to think about all of the things you still have to be thankful for. Gratitude can lift spirits and help heal. And telling somebody you...

Good morning! Jess here with a clean and simple video to start your week! Today I'm using some cardstock scraps and a little swipe embossing to create a thank you card that's perfect for fall. I've also created a video for today's card and you can watch the video below or over at our YouTube channel! To start I've cut 1/4" and 1/2" strips of Hero...

Today I'm using the Ice Cream Cling Background Stamp to create a summery sweet card with a cute banner sentiment. I white heat embossed the image onto watercolor paper and then painted it using watercolor paints. These ice cream treats are some detailed images, so grab one of your thinnest paintbrushes, put on your favorite music or show and enjoy some painting! For the message, I used...

Hello there, Michelle here and today I have a card and video to share with you creating a night sky using the Cloudy Sky Scene Dies. When I first saw these dies, all I could think of was lovely fluffy white clouds and sun images, which is great but I wanted to try and use them in a different way. As I was playing around...

Hi everyone! Ilina here! Today I am sharing two cards using the new Heart Tree Stamp & Cut set, which was released as an add-on to the May MMH kit this month. To make the first card (I used the leftovers from the first card to make the second one) start with a piece of Dove White cardstock. Use the following Reactive Inks to ink blend the background: Grape...

One of the newest additions to the Hero Florals line of stamps is the Lavender Bunch set that I'm featuring on my card today. I adore these delicate flowers and they are great for upcoming Spring cards. I stamped the lavender images with Intens-ified Black Ink and used the coordinating dies to cut out the images. Then I colored in the images with watercolor paints. Next, I trimmed...

Hello there, Michelle here and today I have a card to share with you using the new Unbearably Thankful set that was released as an add-on to the January My Monthly Hero kit. I instantly fell in love with the bear holding the big bunch of flowers, so I knew that I had to use him for my card today!  I started off my card...

Hello and welcome back to the countdown to the release of the January My Monthly Hero kit! Release day is Monday, January 6th at 1pm Eastern/10am Pacific. We will be here all weekend sharing peeks. Now let's join Michelle for another look at this wonderful kit! Hello there, as soon as I saw this kit, I knew that I wanted a layered design but still kept quite clean and simple...

Hi everyone! Ilina here. Today I am sharing a fun card using the Presents Background and the Peek-a-Boo Doors Fancy Die.  Now that Christmas is over we may all have to send some thank you cards, also it can be used for birthdays, weddings, etc. Just change the colors of the presents and you can get different look. I went with more cheery and bright colors,...

The easiest way to make a pretty card is to use a beautiful stamp. The From the Vault Poinsettia wood stamp is the loveliest floral stamp in my collection this year so I couldn’t resist making a pair of seasonal thank you cards with this gorgeous flower design. To make these cards, I started by randomly stamping the From the Vault Poinsettia stamp with Intens-ified...

Hello there! One of my very favorite My Monthly Hero add-ons this month is the Beautiful World stamp set. This gorgeous image was just begging to be watercolored. For a simple, yet stunning watercolor effect I love to use Reactive Inks! These versatile inks are super easy to apply with a small paintbrush, water brush, etc.  To create the one layer design, the Beautiful World image...

Hello there, Michelle here and I am delighted to be joining you today to share a card and video using the newest partners release set - HA + Lawn Fawn Big Thanks.  I love creating scenes on my card, but I often like to limit them to one area, which pleases my clean and simple design process! I am a big fan of the rule...

Hero Arts is celebrating our 45th Anniversary this year, and we've had the honor of partnering with several of your favorite stamp companies in celebration of this milestone. We've already had releases from Concord & 9th, Gina K. Designs and Pinkfresh Studio. Today we are honored and humbled to share that Lawn Fawn is the latest company to collaborate with us to celebrate this wonderful...

Hello there, Michelle here, today I have a card to share using the new Autumn Wreath set that was released as an add-on to the September 2019 My Monthly Hero Kit. I thought the image would work well for an autumnal thank you card.  I started off by stamping the main wreath image from the Autumn Wreath stamp set on to a 4.25" x 4.25"...

Hello, Hero Arts fans! Welcome back for another episode of the Color Layering video series! In this video and episode, we are taking a closer look at the Color Layering Moth stamp set. Watch the video tutorial below to learn how I made the card I'm sharing today. If you’re having a problem viewing this video, please try watching it HERE in HD on YouTube. The Color Layering Moth stamp set...

Today's card features the Sunburst Fancy Die, which is a unique die that creates cuts lines in a sunburst pattern to add texture and interest to your cards.  I started out by cutting a 3.5" square piece of Bristol Smooth paper to do my stamping and ink blending on. First, I stamped the earth image from the You Are Loved Messages set with black ink. Then I...