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  • Starry Spruce Mail Art Tutorial

    by

    Lindsey Bugbee

    , , , , , ,

    Take a creative pause this holiday season with starry spruce mail art! This project is soothing, festive, and perfect for sending a little piece of handmade beauty to someone you care about.

    Winter-themed mail art envelope

    The whirlwind of the holiday season calls for something calming and meditative to help you find balance. It’s easy to feel guilty about carving out time to relax, but this mail art project offers the best of both worlds. Painting the spruce boughs is a tranquil, repetitive process that soothes the mind—and because it’s mail art, you’re creating something beautiful to share with someone else, making it a win-win.

    Starry Spruce Mail Art: The Video Tutorial

    Follow along in this video to learn how to create elegant Starry Spruce mail art. If you’d rather read than watch, a step-by-step written tutorial awaits below.

    Starry Spruce Mail Art: The Written Tutorial

    Before you get started creating this mail art, you’ll need to gather a few supplies. Remember that you can modify the tutorial to suit what you have on hand! The only non-negotiable is a high-quality envelope and two shades of green watercolor. The list below the photo outlines everything else you’ll need to bring your vision to life.

    Supplies needed to create starry spruce mail art
    If you don’t have a high-quality envelope, try making one from sturdy drawing paper.
    • Watercolor palette with at least two green tones (light and dark)
    • Pointed pen nib in the holder of your choice – I used a Brause EF66 nib in an oblique pen
    • Two paintbrushes – one larger (size 2–3) and one smaller (size 0–1)
    • Gold watercolor or ink – I used sumi red gold, but Finetec is a good substitute
    • High-quality white or cream-colored envelope – I used one from Cards and Pockets (affiliate link)
    • Blunt art syringe (optional, for moistening watercolors)
    • Pencil and eraser

    1. Prepare Your Supplies

    First, take a moment to moisten your watercolor palette. Use a syringe to add a few drops of water to your light and dark green tones, as well as any other greens you might want to incorporate. While the water is soaking into the paint, grab your envelope and sketch a faint horizontal guideline where you’d like the first address line to go. You can mark the center of the envelope to help with alignment if you want.

    Prepping an envelope for mail art
    A parallel glider is handy for sketching out a horizontal pencil guideline, but it’s not a must for this project.

    2. Write the Recipient’s Address

    Now, use the watercolor calligraphy technique and your larger paintbrush to load your nib with a mix of the light and dark green watercolors. Use casual, bouncy calligraphy—like Kaitlin Style—to write the recipient’s name on the pencil guideline.

    A recipient's name written in watercolor calligraphy
    Try writing with all-lowercase letters for this project.

    Now, write the rest of the recipient’s address. It’s not necessary to draw pencil guidelines for the remaining address lines. As long as that first line is fairly neat, the other lines will look neat as well.

    An address written using watercolor calligraphy
    Don’t worry if your calligraphy isn’t perfectly centered. The spruce boughs will distract from any spacing mistakes.

    3. Paint Spruce Boughs

    Next, grab your smaller paintbrush and use it to paint the main framework of your first spruce bough. Start with a gently curved line (like the stem of a branch) and then add smaller, short branches to it. Alternate between your light and dark greens for variety and depth. Then, add tiny strokes along the branches to mimic the texture of pine needles. Work relatively quickly while the paint is still wet to allow the colors to blend naturally.

    Spruce boughs on an envelope
    Jump to 5:40 in the video tutorial for a detailed walkthrough of how to paint the spruce boughs.

    Repeat this process around the envelope, framing the calligraphy with lush, full boughs.

    4. Add Starry Details

    Now for the finishing touch: the stars! Using gold sumi ink or watercolor and your pointed pen (or a very fine paintbrush), dot five-point stars throughout the design. Vary the size of the stars to add depth. Smaller stars will look farther away, while larger ones feel closer.

    Adding stars to mail art
    Place the stars sparingly so they don’t overwhelm the design. A few twinkling accents here and there will do the trick.

    5. Add the Final Touches

    Once everything is dry, use an eraser to gently remove any pencil guidelines. Then, add a postage stamp (or two) that complements your design.

    Starry spruce mail art envelope with star accents
    If you have vintage holiday-themed stamps, now’s the perfect time to use them.

    This spruce bough design is wonderfully versatile—you can use it on gift tags, cards, place settings, and much more. But more than just a beautiful final product, this project offers a calming creative process. Whether you’re painting while listening to music or just letting your mind wander, take a moment to enjoy the journey.

    Try making several envelopes like this one. No two will look the same!

    I hope this project brings you as much joy as it brings me every time I create it. Happy holidays, and happy creating!

    Warmly,