This weekend is Mother’s Day and if you’re looking for a lovely card to make, I’ve got you covered. With this special day arriving each year in springtime, it’s a perfect time to add flowers to your creative endeavors. Below I will show you how to make a simple, but elegant watercolor flower card.
Here are the supplies needed:
· Watercolor paper (140lb) - Premade card and envelopes are easiest, but a simple piece of watercolor paper can be folded into a card.
· Watercolor paints
· Small round detail brush (size 4 or smaller)
· Jar of water
· Pencil for sketching
· Eraser
· Micron pen – I like Micron pens because they are water resistant, so when watercolor is added, the pen marks do not bleed.
While painting, be sure to open the card and lay it flat on the table. First, decide which colors you’ll be using. I try to keep it a only 3-4 colors. Using complimentary colors helps to add interest and balance to your work. Complimentary colors are easy to remember. They are opposite each other on the color wheel. For instance, red and green are complimentary. I will be using red (rose permanent), green (forest green and olive green), blue (ultramarine) and yellow (lemon yellow).
Begin with making a pencil sketch of flowers. Be sure not to press too hard into the paper with the pencil, otherwise it will leave grooves in the paper once it is erased. If you are short on time or would rather trace the flowers, here is a digital file of the card. If your printer can handle the thickness of watercolor paper, print it directly onto the paper and skip the drawing all together. Be careful though, as different inks may bleed once you add water. It's best to test it out first. If you are printing on regular printer paper, you can cut along the outline of the card to trace the size of the card onto the watercolor paper first. The finished size is a 5x7 card. Then transfer the image.
Enter your info in the link below to download the template.
There are several ways to transfer the printed image to your card. The first option is to simply put it up to a window and trace it. The second option is to use carbon tracing paper. The third option is to shade the outline on the back side of the printout with a graphite pencil. Then lay the printout with the graphite side down and retrace the image to transfer the graphite to the card. The final way, which is the way I do it, is to use a light table. They are fairly inexpensive ($20-$25) and well worth it if you do a lot of tracing. The light from the table acts just like the window method except without having to hold your paper upright while tracing. Whichever way you decide to do it, the next step is to trace over the pencil lines with the micron pen. Then, erase pencil lines.
Next, add water to the watercolors that you’ll be using. I like to use a dropper for this. A spritzing bottle works too. Add paint to the brush and apply a light layer of each color to all of the flowers and leaves. It is important to allow each layer to dry before applying the next. Or if you want a more feathered look then apply darker dabs of color to wet areas and allow the paint to spread naturally.
Once the flowers and leaves have been painted, feel free to add splashes of color by splattering paint around the edges. Be sure to use the same colors that was used in the flowers to give the painting continuity. Also, you’ll want to put something under the card to protect your work surface from paint being splattered.
The card is ready to add a special message inside! Adding a monogram initial in the center of the wreath adds personalization too. Making several of these also make a great gift of stationery! Happy Mother’s Day!
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