• Tropical Citrus Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial

    I love two things this chilly time of year: eating citrus, and thinking about being in places where citrus grows. Since traveling to the tropics with two small children is a little daunting, I’ll embrace the next best thing: painting oranges. In this watercolor birthday card tutorial, I’ll walk you through how to make an…

    Citrus Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    If you’re tired of sending run-of-the-mill cards, try this watercolor birthday card tutorial. It puts a twist on the “happy birthday” sentiment with its “I’m glad that you exist” message, written in bold brushed calligraphy. A colorful citrus border frames the phrase, making this a card that your recipient will treasure for years to come!


    Before We Get Started …

    I know that watercolor can be intimidating at first. I can promise you this: once you’ve got a little bit of practice, you’ll find that it’s a dream to work with. You’ll enjoy a creation process that’s simultaneously relaxing and challenging, and the results of your efforts are incredibly rewarding! To learn how to harness the power of watercolors, consider enrolling in TPK’s The Ultimate Beginner’s Watercolor Online Course. I’d be honored to get to share all of my watercolor knowledge with you!

    Enroll in the TPK Ultimate Beginner's Watercolor Course


    Now, Let’s Paint a Watercolor Birthday Card!

    The nice thing about this watercolor birthday card tutorial? It’s simple. You only need a handful of supplies and basic knowledge of how to paint with watercolors. Here’s are step-by-step instructions over how to make a card like this one:

    1. Gather Your Supplies

    In order to make this tutorial, you’ll need:

    Citrus Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    I love blank watercolor cards for projects like this one! They’re sturdy and have a crisp pre-made fold in the center.

    2. Make the Lettering

    Moisten a brown tone of watercolor, then dip your paintbrush into it. Then, use the paintbrush lettering technique to write “i am glad that you exist”. (Use all-lowercase letters for a casual tone.)

    Citrus Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    Try to treat your paintbrush like a dip pen: apply minimal pressure on the upstrokes, and more pressure on the downstrokes. This will give you a nice stroke variation! (TPK has a tutorial over paintbrush lettering.)

    The calligraphy doesn’t need to be any particular style; just have fun playing!

    Citrus Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    Try to add a little bit of flourish to your lettering to give it extra “oomph”.

    3. Paint the Orange Branches

    Once the lettering is dry, it’s time to start painting the border! First, you’ll want to paint several dark green branches with leaves. To do that, paint a slightly curved line coming from one of the edges of the card.

    Citrus Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    Each branch starts with a curved line.

    Next, paint several leaves coming from that branch. Don’t paint any leaves on the end of the branch; you’ll be putting oranges there shortly!

    Citrus Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    Remember to leave the end of the branch open! You’ll be painting an orange there.

    Continue to paint branches along the border of the card in random places. Some of the branches should stand alone, and others should be painted very close to another branch.

    Citrus Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Once the branches are all painted, add oranges to them! To do that, choose a nice orange watercolor, and use that orange color to paint a circle at the end of a branch.

    Citrus Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Before the orange paint has a chance to dry, choose a darker orange (or red) value. Then, paint that color along the bottom edge of the orange sphere.

    Citrus Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    By adding a darker orange or red value, you’re giving the fruit some dimension.

    Add oranges to the end of every branch. Then, allow your watercolor to dry.

    Citrus Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    4. Add Blue Branches

    Next, use a blue tone to draw in another leafy branch. This branch should feature leaves that are slightly smaller and closer together.

    Citrus Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    You can (and should) paint a leaf at the end of this branch.

    Continue to randomly populate the edges of the card with leafy blue branches as pictured below.

    Citrus Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    5. Add Leafy Twigs to Finish the Watercolor Birthday Card

    The final element for the illustrated border will be a leafy twig. To paint it, moisten your paintbrush with the same brown that you used for the lettering in the center. Repeating that color will visually pull the whole piece together! Make the twig by painting a slightly curved line, then paint several small connecting lines.

    Citrus Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Continue to paint twigs around the card’s perimeter.

    Citrus Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    To finish up, choose a light green color, and use that color to paint leaves that connect to every little brown twig.

    Citrus Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Enjoy Your Beautiful Watercolor Birthday Card!

    Once you’re finished, your card will look something like the one below. Give yourself a pat on the back for your hard work!

    Citrus Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Then, if you want to, you can make a simple matching envelope! Just write the recipient’s name using the same paintbrush technique that you used to write the phrase on the card. Then, use a pointed pen to write the address, and finish up the envelope with a few oranges, branches, and a pretty stamp collage.

    Citrus Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock


    I love the unique look of this watercolor birthday card, and I hope that you enjoy making it as much as I did! Remember that you can use this concept for anything — you’re not limited to just cards. Try creating orange art prints, sketchbook pages, gift tags, postcards, and whatever else comes to mind.

    Citrus Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Have fun, and have a fun and creative weekend! Happy creating. 🙂

    Warmly,

    Lindsey's Signature | The Postman's Knock

    This article was first posted in May of 2016. It has been updated to include new photos and clearer information.