• Not Your Average Father’s Day Card Tutorial

    Today’s tutorial will teach you how to make a tasteful Father’s Day card. It’s got a clean, masculine design motif that dads of all age groups will appreciate! As long as you’ve got a straight edge and a few basic art supplies, you’re equipped to make it.

    Not Your Average Father's Day Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Before I begin this tutorial, I’d like to say that this isn’t your run-of-the-mill Father’s Day card. I know that because I was looking for inspiration on Pinterest, and all I ran into were grilling-, fishing-, and toolbox-themed cards. I wanted to design a card featuring elegant masculinity. As a result, this card uses patterns and colors that will appeal to a lot of dads, not just those who enjoy manly pastimes. I hope that you have fun making it!

    1. Prepare Your Paper

    To start, cut a piece of black cardstock to 8.5″ x 6.25″ (21.6 cm x 15.9 cm). Then, fold it in half to make a 4.25″ x 6.25″ (10.8 cm x 15.9 cm) card.

    Not Your Average Father's Day Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Next, cut out a piece of 4″ x 6″ (10.2 cm x 15.2 cm) 80 lb. drawing paper.

    Not Your Average Father's Day Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    2. Draw Lines

    Once you’ve cut your papers, use a ruler and a waterproof pen to create a series of sets of parallel diagonal lines. It doesn’t matter how close the lines in a set are to each other. Some can be very close together, while others may be farther. The orientation of each set should be varied such that some lines are perfectly horizontal, others slant up, and still others slant down. Using a parallel glider makes creating lines like these a bit easier!

    Not Your Average Father's Day Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    I used a Micron pen to draw lines.

    Notice in the photo below that overlapping lines disappear behind other line sets. Try to achieve that same effect when you’re drawing your lines!

    Not Your Average Father's Day Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    3. Fill in the Lines

    Once you’ve drawn all the line sets, use the same waterproof pen to make densely-spaced diagonal lines inside a few of a few of the sets.

    Not Your Average Father's Day Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Then, use the same pen or a black marker to completely fill in a handful of the line sets.

    Not Your Average Father's Day Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Grab a gray marker or colored pencil, and use it to fill in some of the sets with gray.

    Not Your Average Father's Day Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Next, find an olive green colored pencil or marker and fill in the rest of the line sets with green.

    Not Your Average Father's Day Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    Gold watercolor would also work for this step!

    To finish up the coloring process, use black watercolor (with a high concentration of water) to fill in half of the remaining open spaces on the paper. The result should look something like the photo below:

    Not Your Average Father's Day Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    4. Assemble Your Father’s Day Card

    Once the paint is dry, use a glue stick or another adhesive to affix the artwork to the front of the black card. Center the artwork on the cardstock to the best of your ability.

    Not Your Average Father's Day Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    At this point, you’ll want to use a white pen (such as a Sakura Gellyroll) to write a Father’s Day message inside the card.

    5. Make the Tag

    Once you’ve finished the card portion of the project, it’s time to move on to making a “Happy Father’s Day” tag. First, cut a 2.5″ x 2.25″ (6.4 cm x 5.7 cm) rectangle of black card stock. Then, cut a 2.25″ x 2″ (5.7 cm x 5.1 cm) rectangle of 80 lb. drawing paper.

    Not Your Average Father's Day Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Next, use George Style Lettering to write “HAPPY FATHER’S DAY” on the white paper rectangle. Don’t skip drawing diagonal lines in the lettering!

    Not Your Average Father's Day Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    The George Style Printable Hand Lettering Worksheet will teach you how to create this fabulous lettering style.

    Affix the white rectangle to the black rectangle.

    Not Your Average Father's Day Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    Do your best to center the white rectangle.

    6. Make the Sash

    Now, cut out two long, skinny pieces drawing paper. The pieces should be about 0.25″ (6.3 cm) wide by 11″ (2.8 cm) long.

    Not Your Average Father's Day Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Use tape or glue to affix the two thin strips of paper to the back of the “HAPPY FATHER’S DAY” tag. Make sure the strips are evenly spaced and parallel!

    1fathers_day_card-16

    Fold the sash around the card. Keep an eye on the front of the card as you are folding; you want to make sure the tag is in the center! Once you’ve centered everything, you can glue the ends of the sash together.

    Not Your Average Father's Day Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    7. Enjoy and Send!

    Flip the card over and admire your handiwork. You’ve just made a one-of-a-kind Father’s Day card!

    Not Your Average Father's Day Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    I hope that you enjoyed this tutorial! Thanks very much for reading, and have a great weekend.

    Warmly,

    Lindsey's Signature | The Postman's Knock

    This article was first posted in June of 2016. It has been updated with clearer instructions.