• Abstract Bubbles DIY Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial

    Confetti colors and bubbles reminiscent of soda or champagne make this DIY watercolor birthday card perfect for any birthday! This article includes detailed instructions (plus a video tutorial) to teach you how to make this festive card.

    Abstract Bubbles Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    There’s nothing quite like receiving a handmade birthday card. It’s a meaningful way to show someone how much they mean to you. This festive and playful abstract bubbles-themed DIY birthday card is the perfect card for any lucky recipient! Follow the steps below to learn how to make it.

    Abstract Bubbles DIY Watercolor Birthday Card Video Tutorial

    In this ~2 minute long video, I’ll walk you through how to make today’s abstract bubbles DIY watercolor birthday card. The video puts a special emphasis on the border, which requires the tiniest bit of a learning curve!


    Abstract Bubbles DIY Watercolor Birthday Card Written Tutorial

    Before you get started, you’ll need to gather a few supplies. They include:

    Abstract Bubbles Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    This tutorial relies on watercolors and a black gel pen to make magic!

    1. Make a Watercolor Border

    You’ll want to start with a blank card made out of watercolor paper. You can DIY one by folding a piece of watercolor paper in half, or you can use a blank watercolor card. It’s important to use watercolor paper for this project because you’ll be piling on a lot of moisture in this first step! Other papers may disintegrate or bubble up, but watercolor paper won’t.

    Blank Watercolor Card | The Postman's Knock
    For this tutorial, I am using a pre-folded blank watercolor card.

    Next, use a little bit of water to moisten the following colors in your watercolor palette: red, orange, blue, and purple. If you have a Finetec gold pan, moisten it, too! Otherwise, yellow makes a good substitute. There’s no need to pull out your artist-grade watercolors for this project: a simple watercolor set like the Prang palette pictured below is perfect for this project.

    Abstract Watercolor Bubbles Creative Envelope | The Postman's Knock

    Next, alternate between adding plain water and dabs of pre-moistened watercolor around the edges of the card. You can learn exactly how to do that in my video tutorial. Wait for the watercolor to dry, then move on to the next step.

    Abstract Bubbles Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    You can use a hair dryer to expedite the drying process.

    2. Draw the Bubbles

    You can use any black gel pen to add the bubbles to this watercolor birthday card. I find that gel pens like Pilot G2s and Sakura Gelly Rolls work great for this step! Basically, you’re going to take your pen and draw clusters of circles of various sizes.

    Abstract Bubbles Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    The clusters don’t have to have any rhyme or reason … feel free to draw them in wherever you want to. As long as they connect in clusters and follow a bit of a path, they’ll look good.

    Abstract Bubbles Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Once the border is to your linking, you’re finished!

    Abstract Bubbles Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Your results are going to vary from mine based on what you do in this step … and that’s a good thing. The only real “rule” I would follow is this: try to cover up about 15% of the border with the bubbles. Any more than that, and the card will look a little crowded — and it will take much longer to create!

    3. Add a Birthday Message

    Now, use George Style lettering to write “Happy Birthday” in the center of your birthday card. Be sure to leave the thick strokes on the letters empty.

    Abstract Bubbles Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Then, use a Nikko G nib, a straight pen, and Ziller Soot Black ink to trace over the lettering.

    Abstract Bubbles Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    It’s important to use a waterproof ink like Ziller for this step! Otherwise, the ink will bleed when you add watercolor.

    Finish up by using the different tones of watercolor found in the card’s border to fill in the letters.

    Abstract Bubbles Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    Fill in the lettering with all the different shades of watercolor that are found in the card’s border. In my case, that’s red, blue, gold, orange, and purple.

    The result is a colorful watercolor birthday card that is festive and display-worthy!

    Abstract Bubbles Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    4. Send

    If you want to send your birthday card out in style, try choosing an envelope that corresponds with a color in the border. I chose “Purple” from Cards and Pockets (affiliate link), but pink, red, orange, or blue would work as well.

    Abstract Bubbles Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    To write the calligraphy on this envelope, I used Bleed Proof White ink, a Brause EF66 nib + oblique pen holder, and Flourish Formal calligraphy.

    I hope that you enjoyed today’s watercolor birthday card tutorial! Feel free to experiment with the abstract watercolor bubbles technique for a variety of projects. I’ve used this technique for mail art, sketchbooking, and gift tags, all with cool results! It’s also fun to create with kids … my nieces love watching watercolor spread out across a wet page, and drawing over it afterwards.

    Thanks very much, as always, for reading TPK. I am lucky to have you here!

    Warmly,

    Lindsey's Signature | The Postman's Knock