DIY Bookmarks Tutorial + Printable Gift Label

The DIY bookmark is usually overlooked when people are thinking of handmade gifts. That’s a sad thing, because the humble bookmark is a wonderfully versatile gift. You can give a set to anyone, whether the person is an acquaintance or a family member — which is somewhat rare with DIY gifts. Bookmarks are easy to ship, making them ideal for sending to your friends or family who are far away. And, finally, giving away DIY bookmarks says: “I think you are very intelligent, so naturally you’ll be needing more than one of these to keep track of where you are in your literary pursuits.”

Today, I’ll be showing you four different simple designs to use on DIY bookmarks. I have also whipped up a gift label printable that you can wrap around a set of anywhere from 2-7 bookmarks. If the label didn’t say “Handmade” and have your name on it, your recipient would be asking you which chic paperie you picked up their bookmarks at! Yep, they’re that cool.

To make DIY bookmarks, start by cutting out a few pieces of 2″x6″ {~5 cm x 15 cm} paper. A heavy paper is best; I have chosen to use watercolor paper, but you can use any thick-ish card stock you have around. In a pinch, you could get creative and use some chipboard from a cereal box … you’ll just turn it over so you can draw on the side that hasn’t been printed on.

The first bookmark I am going to show you how to make doesn’t require any special tools … just a pen.

First, draw four vertical lines that are exactly 1 cm apart.

Draw various sizes of diamond shapes, using the lines as the center for each diamond.

You’ll end up with something that looks like the photo below.

Next, go through and slice through each diamond with a centered{-ish} horizontal line.

Draw an angled line to cut through the center of the horizontal line.

Then draw another angled line going the opposite direction of the first angled line.

Do this to each diamond, and you’ve got yourself your first fashionable DIY bookmark!

Before we move on to the second design, I want to remind you that these bookmarks are supposed to look handmade {because, well, they are handmade}; so don’t stress about making patterns perfect. Anyone with a computer can achieve perfection in a design these days. Your goal is to show that you sat down with pen and paper and put energy {and creativity!} into making the piece. Your gift recipient — even if your gift recipient is you, yourself — will love knowing that every time he or she uses your bookmark.

For the second bookmark, I’m going to frustrate you and recommend that you use an art supply that I introduced in the Easy Watercolor Art tutorial … masking fluid. You can buy it for $10.00 on Amazon. Hang tight for a couple of paragraphs, and I’ll show you how to use it!

You’ll want to start with a pencil and mark columns of {pencil} dots. The dots in each column should be 1 cm apart; but the columns will start at different points. Basically, your goal is to ensure that all dots in the first column are marked at 1 cm, 2 cm, 3 cm, 4 cm, etc.; then all dots in the second column are marked at 0.5 cm, 1.5 cm, 2.5 cm, 3.5 cm, etc. What I’m trying to say is the dots in columns that are beside each other should not line up.

Use an old paintbrush coated in art masking fluid to paint a straight line down each column. Then, play a game of “connect the dots”. The dots should connect in a zig zag.

Once your art masking fluid is dry {3-5 minutes, give or take}, paint over it. I’m using the Finetec gold palette, but you can use any paint you want. Masking fluid keeps any medium from seeping through!

When you’re finished painting, you’ll be able to see that the art masking fluid has repelled your paint.

Wait for your paint to dry {it’s not long if you’re using watercolor}, and use a small eraser to rub an area with masking fluid on it. The masking fluid will crinkle up a bit, allowing you to grab onto it and experience one of life’s great joys:

{There is nothing better than peeling off masking fluid and seeing the pristine white paper underneath!}

And, lest you wonder why I personally chose to use my Finetec gold, here’s a GIF to show you how beautifully it sparkles in the light.

The next DIY bookmark has a simple design that can be created with any pen. I have chosen to use a Sakura Glaze pen, but that’s because it’s the only colored non-calligraphy pen I have in my desk. Really, use whatever you want! You’ll start by drawing 2-3 hill-looking shapes, like so:

Then draw more hills on top of your hills. Make sure these new hills start and end in the top centers of your bottom hills.

Draw all the way up, staying loyal to the pattern {but, again, not stressing out about perfection}.

Once you’ve created all your shapes, draw lines from the bottom center of each hill shape that fan out across the sides and top of the shape. It’s easier to understand if you look at the photo below!

Keep on going; each hill only takes a few seconds to fill in.

And before you know it, you’ll have a regal-looking bookmark that does not look like the 4-minute doodle that it is!

I saved my favorite DIY bookmark for last. Naturally, it features a floral motif.

For this bookmark, I did intentionally use the Sakura Glaze pens. They make the bookmark really vivid and give it an interesting texture. Of course, if you don’t have any Glaze pens, please feel free to experiment with your own materials!

Begin by drawing several globs resembling circles, then put dots around each glob.

Next, draw loose petals with a relaxed hand. I made two lines for each petal, which gave the flower more delicate appearance.

This step really doesn’t take long at all.

Once the petals are all done, you’ll have something that looks like this. And, at this point, you really could be finished if you want to be.

I wanted to add some red to the situation, though, so I filled in a few flowers with red and left others white. I totally love that filled-in space vs. negative space look!

These are very neat bookmarks, and I do have to admit that I’m considering keeping the set I made today for myself …

However, all the patterns are easy to create, so you could make several of each DIY bookmark design, and wrap them up as little gifts. To this end, I have created a “Handmade Bookmarks” label template that you may download by clicking here. I like to print out the template on kraft paper, but that’s just a personal preference.

Cut out the label on its guidelines {as shown above}, then center it on the front of your bookmarks stack. Fold one side back, then fold the other side back as well.

Tape the back of the label together with some cute washi tape, and you’ve got yourself a thoughtful and impressive gift!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! It’s a fun little how-to before all the big stuff going on! On Saturday afternoon, I will finally be releasing Hand-Lettering for a Latté as well as showing you how to create a family crest. In the very near future, I’m teaming up with Rodger for another calligraphy pen giveaway {I’m shooting for next week, but need to coordinate with him}. I will also be writing another calligraphy-centric tutorial to clear up questions I have received lately regarding ink flow, nibs, etc.

In short: stay tuned! Thanks again, so much, for reading the TPK blog.

Warmly,