Embellished Winter Greeting Card Tutorial

From November 1st to December 25th, a radio station here in Boulder plays all holiday music all the time. After listening to the tenth holiday song in a row, I realized: you can get too much holiday-themed stuff, and it’s nice to have a break. This winter greeting card is my version of that break. This is a great card to send to friends who will appreciate a nice, neutral “hello” in the midst of the holiday craze! Here’s how you make it:

1. Gather A Few Key Supplies

To create this winter greeting card, you’ll need a blank watercolor card, two brushes (sizes 0 and 3), a watercolor palette with at least two green tones, and a pan of Finetec gold watercolor.

2. Write a Greeting

First, use a pencil to make a faint draft of your greeting. I have chosen to write “greetings” in Kaitlin Style calligraphy for this project.

Moisten a light green watercolor tone and a dark green watercolor tone. Alternate using those two tones to trace over the pencil draft; the colors will blend in to each other as you write.

3. Paint Greenery

Now, choose a brown watercolor tone. Use that color and your size 1 paintbrush to make four curved lines that extend from different edges of the card.

Once the brown paint dries, use a light tone of green watercolor to paint abstract blobs (for lack of a better word) near each brown line.

After the “blobs” dry , use your size 1 paintbrush and a dark shade of green watercolor to draw quick, thin lines to represent pine needles. These lines should all connect to one of the curved brown lines that you drew. You’ll want to start some of the green lines at the same point, while others should stand alone.

Finish up this step by using light green paint to paint simple branches with slender elegant leaves.

4. Draw Gold Outlines

Next, moisten your Finetec gold pan. Brush the Finetec onto the back of your nib as described in the Creating Gold Calligraphy: How to Use the Finetec Palette tutorial, then use the Finetec to outline all of your lettering.

Continue to trace around the edges of the word until you have a complete outline.

Now, use your gold watercolor to draw outlines of stems and veins over all of the light green leaves that you just painted.

5. Add Gold Dots

Finish up by using your size 3 paintbrush to paint various sizes of gold dots. Don’t be afraid to paint over some of the pine needles!

6. Send!

Once the paint on your winter greeting card has dried, tuck it into a festive envelope and send!

If you can, take a bit of relaxing creative time this weekend to make this winter greeting card! It’s a great way to get comfortable with watercolors if you’re not used to using them. I wager that you’ll be amazed at what you can do by following the simple instructions above! If you are a watercolor veteran, try applying some of the techniques in this tutorial on other projects like bullet journals, sketchbooks, or mail art. These pine boughs are fun to make, and I love making gold outlines over graphics à la @inkarellacards!

Thanks very much for reading TPK, and if you have any questions or observations, please feel free to contribute them in the comments section below. Otherwise, I hope that you enjoyed this tutorial, and that you have a great weekend!

Warmly,

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