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If you don’t consider yourself an illustrator, this gorgeous project will prove you wrong! The included template is designed to help you trace your way to a beautiful watercolor wreath card, which you’ll then bring to life with vibrant colors and thoughtful details.
After the rush of the holidays, it’s nice to take a moment to appreciate the quiet beauty of winter. Here in Colorado, we’ve been treated to sparkling frost, snowy branches, and vibrant pops of evergreen. In today’s tutorial, we’re turning that seasonal inspiration into a watercolor wreath birthday card. It’s a relaxing, celebratory, and supremely thoughtful way to bring a little warmth and personality to someone’s big day.
Before you get started creating this tutorial, you’ll need the supplies listed below. As with all TPK tutorials, please feel free to modify this compilation to accommodate what you have at home!
First, print out the Winter Wreath Traceable Card Template. Then, open your blank watercolor card and position its front over the black rectangle on the template. Grab your straight pen and Nikko G nib, then dip your nib in waterproof black ink to trace over the template illustration.
Note that if you don’t have a light box or you want a challenge, you’re welcome to use the template as a jumping-off point. Instead of directly tracing over it, use it as a reference to freehand draw your own version of the winter wreath. Make sure the left side of the wreath is lush and bushy, while the right side is twiggy and twisted.
Once you’ve finished the wreath illustration, trace over the calligraphy on the template using your favorite pen and nib combination (I used a Brause EF66 nib in an oblique pen). Alternatively, feel free to write using your own hand-lettering or calligraphy style!
Now, get out your favorite watercolor palette (or, if you’re a watercolor hoarder like me, palettes, plural!). Use a blunt art syringe to moisten the colors you want to use for this wreath. I love earthy Greenleaf & Blueberry tones, so I moistened and used the following: French gray, Italian green earth, Estonian green earth, Yucatán mayan blue, Armenian purple ochre, Côte d’Azur, chromite, Indian blue, pyrrole red, and Norwegian rosaline.
When choosing the best colors to use from your palette, look for tones that have a winter feel. A pale, cool pink is great for florals. Vivid red is excellent for berries. Both a warm green and a cool blue works well for leaves. Work with what you have, and don’t be afraid to experiment with mixing up custom colors! In the time lapse video below, I’ll walk you through how you might approach adding watercolor to the card:
Once you finish adding watercolor to the card, it’s a good idea to step away from the project for at least five minutes. Come back to it with fresh eyes, and think about if you need to do anything to add enhancements. I decided that my pale pink and gray flowers were a little too pale, so I added in a deep purple (Armenian purple ochre) to give them some contrast.
Even though this step is optional, it’s fun for adding dimension and glamour to the card. Take eight (-ish) self-adhesive rhinestones and apply them to some of the leaves and flowers in the card. Be sure to match the rhinestone color with the color of the area where you plan to apply it.
Once you’ve added the rhinestones, the card is finished and ready to be sent to an especially beloved loved one.
This card is a great project to tackle on a quiet weekend afternoon. Put on a good book or podcast, make yourself a cup of tea, and enjoy an hour or two of cozy relaxation! Consider today’s tutorial a jumping-off point, and modify the concept as you see fit. You might, for example, add gold foil to the card’s edges (learn how to do that here) or punctuate areas around the wreath with delicate dots of gold. Whatever you decide, I know you’ll love the process as much as the finished card. Happy creating, and thank you for being part of TPK Premium!
Warmly,
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