It seems that commercial birthday cards tend to fall into one of three categories: too feminine, too goofy, or too somber. Sure, buying pre-made birthday cards saves time. However, if you make one yourself, you can control the “feel” of the card and work on your art and lettering skills! In today’s tutorial, I’ll show you how to make a festive hot air balloon-themed birthday card and a corresponding envelope.
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Every Monday, I’ve been sending out a brief newsletter to TPK subscribers. It’s something I have really enjoyed because a newsletter isn’t nearly as formal as a blog post; instead, it feels more like a conversation. In the last newsletter, I asked for blog post topic feedback — in short, what do readers want more of (or less of)? A theme appeared throughout several of the feedback emails: more watercolor tutorials! So, today, I want to show you how to make this simple twig watercolor thank you card. It features a blending/salting technique that I promise you can do, and I’ll teach you how in a video toward the end of the post!
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A decade ago, I never would have thought to offer printables on a blog. I was in college at the time, and I was just noticing printables popping up on websites that I followed. I always wondered who on earth actually used printable stationery, invitation, and artwork downloads! To me, things that were printed off at home looked cheap (I suspect that a large part of the problem was my hand-me-down printer and generic ink).
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This printable Father’s Day card fills a void that I noticed when I was browsing Father’s Day card designs in search of inspiration. What I found was that almost all Father’s Day cards fall into one of two categories: hyper-masculine or goofy. Tasteful, artistic cards are few and far between — which is why I created today’s printable.
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For the past three months, I’ve taken a day or two to indulge in a few hours of pen and ink illustration. I love using the Nikko G nib and sumi ink to make elegant, detailed pieces! In March, I made a lace butterfly, and April brought a rosy Arc de Triomphe. Today, I’m introducing May’s artwork: an elegant henna-inspired bluebird illustration.
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