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  • Welcome to TPK! This is your first of 2 free articles. For unlimited access to tutorials and articles, join TPK Premium for less than the cost of a latte.

    Luminous Watercolor Florals Kraft Card Tutorial

    September 2, 2021

    by

    Lindsey Bugbee

    Floral Illustration Tutorials, Greeting Card Tutorials, Hand-Lettering, Thank You Cards, Watercolor Tutorials

    There’s just something about watercolor florals on kraft paper! The paint’s semi-transparent quality dries beautifully on the paper to result in an elegant piece. Today, I’ll show you how to use watercolors to make a lovely “thank you” card.

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    Luminous Watercolor Florals Kraft Card Tutorial

    If you’re looking for a tasteful way to say “thank you”, try making this lovely watercolor florals card. It features kraft paper, pretty watercolor, and lettering that complements the card’s floral motif. (Watercolor beginners rejoice: this tutorial is suitable for any skill level!)

    1. Gather Your Supplies

    Before you get started making this watercolor florals card, you’ll need a few key supplies. You can find a list with links below the photo.

    Supplies needed to make a floral watercolor thank you card

    • Watercolor palette with green, orange, and red tones
    • 5″ x 7″ (~12.7 cm x 17.75 cm) blank kraft greeting card
    • Finetec Arabic Gold pan
    • Bleed Proof White Ink (or white paint)
    • Blunt art syringe (to moisten watercolors, optional) + art water
    • Size 000 paintbrush + Size 1 paintbrush
    • Pencil + ruler or straight edge
    • Straight pen fitted with Nikko G nib

    2. Make a Pencil Draft

    First, use a ruler or a straight edge to make two sets of horizontal guidelines. The guidelines in each set should be about 7/8″ (~2.25 cm) apart, and the sets should have about 1/8″ (~0.3 cm) of space between them. Once you’ve got those guidelines, use George Style lettering to write “THANK YOU”.

    Making a thank you card pencil draft
    Try to center “THANK” at the top and “YOU” at the bottom. It helps to write the “A” in the center first, then “TH” and “NK”. Then, write the “O” and “Y”, then “U”.

    Now, work on using your pencil to draw a flower garden motif. The garden should include roses, tulips, branches, and leaves.

    Making a thank you card pencil draft

    Please feel free to use the photo below as a reference for your own pencil draft!

    Pencil draft of floral watercolor thank you card
    Notice that most of the florals are concentrated at the bottom of the card. A couple of curved branches help to fill up the top.

    3. Add Watercolor

    Next, use your size 1 paintbrush and a pale green tone to fill in any long, thin leaves in your motif. Use the size 000 paintbrush to paint delicate stems.

    Adding Watercolor to the Floral Kraft Greeting Card
    I used Hooker’s Green from the Winsor & Newton Cotman palette to paint these leaves.

    Then, use a red tone and an orange tone to paint any large flowers. Use a dark green and a bit of brown to start filling in large leaves.

    Adding color to the watercolor floral thank you card
    I used Winsor & Newton‘s Alizaron Crimson for the rose and Cadmium Orange for the tulips. For the leaves, I used a combination of Viridian and Burnt Umber.

    Finish up this step by filling in remaining leaves with a light green tone. Then, use your size 000 paintbrush and a burgundy tone to fill in any thyme-like branches. Finally, use Bleed Proof White ink to paint any small flowers.

    Adding color to the watercolor floral thank you card
    I used Sap Green and Indian Red to complete the watercolor portion of my card.

    4. Fill In the Lettering

    Now, use your Bleed Proof White ink (or white acrylic paint) and your size 1 paintbrush to fill in any thick strokes in your lettering.

    White lettering on a Watercolor Florals Kraft Card

    5. Use a Dip Pen to Add Accents

    At this point, you’ll use the watercolor calligraphy technique to load dark green watercolor onto your Nikko G nib. Use the green watercolor to outline the large leaves and stems on the card.

    Watercolor Florals Kraft Card with outlined leaves
    I used Hooker’s Green to draw the outlines shown here.

    Then, use that same green tone to outline around your lettering.

    Watercolor Florals Kraft Card with outlined leaves

    Once the watercolor outlines have dried, load some Arabic gold watercolor onto your nib. Use your dip pen and the gold watercolor to outline your flowers. Then, use the size 000 paintbrush to add a few random collections of gold dots, which will give the piece some dimension and interest.

    Luminous Watercolor Florals Kraft Card Tutorial

    Enjoy!

    Once all of the paint has dried, your watercolor florals card is ready to be enjoyed. Send it in a pretty envelope — if you have the time, mail art is always appropriate — and prepare for a delighted recipient!

    Luminous Watercolor Florals Kraft Card Tutorial

    I hope that you enjoyed this tutorial, which is perfect for a beautiful end of summer day. Thanks very much for reading!

    Warmly,

    Lindsey's Signature | The Postman's Knock

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About the author

Hi, I’m Lindsey Bugbee, the illustrator, calligrapher, and author behind The Postman’s Knock (TPK). Since 2012, the TPK Blog has been a vibrant creative space filled with tutorials and lessons on modern calligraphy, hand lettering, and illustration. After publishing The Calligraphy Book, I wanted to elevate the quality of content even further—so I launched TPK Premium. You can join here to receive access to some of the internet’s best creative inspiration and project tutorials.

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124 responses

  1. Ali Burke Avatar
    Ali Burke
    September 22, 2021

    Beautiful!! I love the gold accents. Thank you for the tutorial!!

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    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      September 28, 2021

      You’re welcome! The gold is gorgeous!

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  2. Dorina Avatar
    Dorina
    September 22, 2021

    Thank you for sharing this wonderful tutorial, Lindsay! Can’t wait to try this, and loving the rustic romantic vibes from palette combo on Kraft paper <3

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    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      September 22, 2021

      Aren’t they pretty?! Thank you and I hope you enjoy making it.

      Log in to Reply
  3. wendy Avatar
    wendy
    September 21, 2021

    Oh this is a beautiful card! I love kraft, and these colors really pop on that kraft cardstock!

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    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      September 22, 2021

      Thank you so much! I’m glad you like it.

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  4. Caryn Macdonald Avatar
    Caryn Macdonald
    September 21, 2021

    Lindsey, I love all of your work! Thank you for including such beautiful and accessible projects as this card.

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    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      September 22, 2021

      You’re so welcome, I’m glad you enjoy the projects!

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  5. Kathleen Nava Avatar
    Kathleen Nava
    September 21, 2021

    This is beautiful! I always love your ideas and i appreciate how you do a strp by step process with your projects. I haven’t tried watercolor on kraft paper, I’m scared the paper will ‘melt’ with the amount of water i use lol. Definitely need to try it now.

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    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      September 29, 2021

      Definitely give it a try, good luck!

      Log in to Reply
  6. Marty K. Whitney Avatar
    Marty K. Whitney
    September 21, 2021

    Very beautiful! Love your blog.

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    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      September 29, 2021

      Thank you!

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  7. Madalyn Shatzer Avatar
    Madalyn Shatzer
    September 21, 2021

    I adapted this idea and created a “thinking of you” card for a friend undergoing cancer treatments. I substituted a Bible verse for the calligraphy, and I think that the design turned out quite well. Your watercolor cards are always so beautiful!

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    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      September 29, 2021

      That is beautiful to hear, thank you! I’m sure your friend was thrilled to receive it.

      Log in to Reply
  8. Alexa Avatar
    Alexa
    September 21, 2021

    Beautiful-I can’t wait to try this ASAP! Kraft paper is not utilized nearly enough with watercolor, it has such an interesting effect.

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    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      September 30, 2021

      It really does come out beautifully! I hope you enjoy it.

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  9. Brenda Avatar
    Brenda
    September 21, 2021

    Watercoloring is my favorite creative activity! Like this watercolor card.

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    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      September 30, 2021

      It is a beautiful activity! I hope you give it a try!

      Log in to Reply
  10. Megan Avatar
    Megan
    September 21, 2021

    This is beautiful. I like that it is made on Kraft paper. It gives it a natural rustic look that is complemented so well by the bright flowers.

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    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      September 30, 2021

      Thank you! Watercolors and Kraft paper do create a beautiful piece!

      Log in to Reply
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I love watching project timelapses — like a comp I love watching project timelapses — like a complicated calligraphy or watercolor project coming together in a matter of seconds. A cleaning timelapse, then, is a no-brainer! My friend mentioned that she does these when she needs a little extra motivation to tidy up. I was totally feeling that this weekend, so I made a couple of these. The anticipation of knowing that I’d get to watch the room become neat in an instant was actually incredibly motivating. It’s the little things, right? 😉 #cleaningtimelapse #cleaning #tidyingup #neatandtidy
🖍️ We have a million crayons laying around be 🖍️ We have a million crayons laying around because my kids love to color (right now, their pages of choice are K-Pop Demon Hunter-themed). While I’m always down for some adult coloring, I also love to letter with crayons! In the latest TPK tutorial — link in bio — you’ll learn how to make this cozy ombré wax crayon calligraphy. 🍁 Switch up the color scheme if you’re not a pumpkin spice person! This technique looks great with light blue, dark blue, and dark purple; or light green, dark green, and dark blue. #crayoncalligraphy #crayolacrayons #waxcrayons #adultcoloring #autumnart #cozylettering #handlettering #lettering
A couple of days ago, I posted a clip from Lesson A couple of days ago, I posted a clip from Lesson 1 of the new Beginner’s Modern Calligraphy Online Course (seriously, join us — enrollment is a *steal* at $5/month, and you get complimentary tutorials [that happen to complement the course] — link in bio)! People seemed to like the story in that clip, so here’s another fun story from the same lesson. Sorry, I can’t confirm who the client was! That was a project with an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement). 🤐 Still: a very fun, very cool experience ... I’m grateful that calligraphy has given me cool adventures and connected me to such an amazing community. ✍️

#calligraphystory #moderncalligraphy #learncalligraphy #beginnercalligraphy #pointedpencalligraphy #calligraphy
Lesson 1 of TPK’s Beginner’s Modern Calligraph Lesson 1 of TPK’s Beginner’s Modern Calligraphy Online Course doesn’t actually start with the pointed pen! ✍️ Instead, we ease into it with faux calligraphy and then pencil calligraphy. Here’s a little preview of what the pencil calligraphy lesson looks like. ✏️

If you’ve been wanting to learn calligraphy, join us in this course. It is an absolute *steal* because it’s included with your TPK Premium membership ($5/month - cancel anytime). Once the course concludes in January, you can choose to purchase lifetime access to the videos; or just continue on with us to the next course. For more information, visit the link in my bio!

#learncalligraphy #pointedpencalligraphy #moderncalligraphy #pencilcalligraphy #blackwingpencil #pencilart #letteringart #handlettering #modernlettering #artisticletters #artisticlettering
I’m editing videos for the new Beginner’s Mode I’m editing videos for the new Beginner’s Modern Calligraphy Online Course (🎉 JOIN US! link in profile for enrollment info!!) — and wanted to share this story from Lesson 1. In that lesson, we’ll chat about how to develop your motivation (this story is part of me sharing mine); and we’ll ease into our pointed pen experience with faux calligraphy and pencil calligraphy. Step by step, you’ll develop skills that will serve you for a lifetime ... and surprise and delight those around you, just like my “rent check envelopes” did! ✉️

#mailart #moderncalligraphy #learncalligraphy #storytime #calligraphy #snailmail #snailmailrevolution
Some recipes aren’t just instructions — they’re memories on a page. 💛 I spent some time illustrating one of my favorites, and it turned into the sweetest (literally) keepsake. Calligraphy, watercolor, and a little patience bring the story of a dish to life.

If you’d like to try illustrating your favorite recipe, too, I shared the full process (with helpful printables) on the TPK Blog — link in bio. ✨

#illustratedrecipe #calligraphyart #watercolorillustration #creativeproject #keepsakeart #slowcreativity #handletteringlove #moderncalligraphy #calligraphyinspiration #watercolorart
As much as cooking is an art, illustrating a recip As much as cooking is an art, illustrating a recipe takes it one step further. ✨ In TPK’s latest tutorial (link in bio), I’ll show you how to create an illustrated chocolate lava cake recipe using watercolor. You’ll find helpful PDFs and step-by-step instructions so you can follow along — or use the layout to bring one of your own favorite dishes to life.

Frame it as keepsake art, or give it as a thoughtful handmade gift this holiday season. 🎁

#illustratedrecipe #watercolorart #calligraphycommunity #foodillustration #arttutorial #watercolortutorial #creativeprojects #handmadegifts #keepsakeart #thepostmansknock
✨ One of the most beloved assignments from Lesso ✨ One of the most beloved assignments from Lesson 5 of Hand Lettering 101 was this playful project: design an artistic alphabet where no two letters look the same.

The idea? JUST PLAY. 🎨 I used watercolor and a paintbrush, but many students grabbed markers, pens, or anything colorful on hand. The results were incredible — @adriennelovesletters gave it her own flair, Isabel C. made it three times, and Laura M. created a stunning version too. (You can peek at more inside the TPK Premium Discord!)

If you’re ready to try this project yourself, you’ll find the Hand Lettering 101 eCourse waiting in the TPK Catalog. Just head to the link in my bio to be taken to the TPK website. 💌

#handlettering #watercolorlettering #moderncalligraphy #letteringpractice #creativeplay #calligraphycommunity #artinspiration #calligraphyart #watercolorart #letterlove #tpkpremium #handlettering101
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