A Watercolor Floral Birthday Card DIY That Anyone Can Make

Need a calming hobby? This watercolor floral birthday card is a DIY anyone can make. Follow the no-stress steps to a beautiful finish!

 

In these past posts, we have a beginner’s Watercolor Pencil Hydrangea Tutorial and Fall Tree Painting.

This Tutorial shows how to paint a watercolor background, which we’ll go over again in this post.

Just in case you missed the basic list of supplies you need for Watercolor Painting:

 

Watercolor Painting Supplies

• Canson Watercolor Cold Press Tablet* 140 lb, 11″ x 15″ sheets
• Tube Watercolor Paints*
• Brushes*: Size 4 or 6 round (or flat) brush; Size 0 or 1 script brush
• water jar
• paper towel
• watercolor paint pallet*
• scissors, ruler, pencil, mounting tape*

 

 

Wet-on-Wet Card Background:

1. Mark and cut a card for folding: 6″ x 12″. Score and fold in half. (I use a straight knife and ruler to lightly score the fold.)
2. Prepare puddles of paint on your palette in the colors you want your background. We are using red and blue/purple.
3. Wet your large round brush with plain water and brush over the area where you want your background wash.
4. Dip your brush into a paint puddle, then touch onto the wet paper, randomly.
5. Wash the brush, and dip into your other color, and touch onto the wet paper where there is no color yet.
6. If the colors aren’t moving the way you like, tilt the card slightly from side to side to move the colors.
7. Let the background dry.
8. Note: If you want more “bloom” on the card, dip your brush in water and touch to the almost dry paint to move the pigment around and create lighter areas with the darker edges that is called “bloom.” You can also spatter or spray the water to create bloom.

 

 

Floral Accent Square:

1. Mark a 3.5″ square of watercolor paper. Score and fold, then tear around the edges.
2. Paint a light wash with your background colors on the square. Let dry.
3. Lightly outline the rose oval position with a pencil. Mark the leaves, also, very lightly.
4. Load your brush with paint and draw 2 or 3 “c” shapes on the flower center, which will actually be top/left off-center on your rose-shape oval.
5. Keep your brush wet, but not dripping. Draw larger and larger “c” shape petals all around. Note the drawing below as a guide for placing the petals. Leave space between the petals. Go back and darken some places if you wish.
6. Your rose will be more of a suggestion of the flower, not a detailed painting.
7. Wash your brush and then pick up green. Two “c” shapes creates each leaf, with the darker color down the center or the leaf.
8. Wash your brush and pick up purple. Dot the lavender stems up the left side of the accent square.
9. Let dry.
10. Add mounting tape to the back of the accent square, then adhere it to the card front, 3/4″ from the top, centered left to right.

 

 

 

 

Hand Letter the “Happy Birthday”

No, don’t give up now.  This isn’t as hard as you might think.  I promise.  Pinky promise.

(Although, if I can’t make you want to try, here’s an out: Attach the accent square to the center of the card and leave off the lettering.)

In fact, I’m going to give you a download that you can trace onto your card and it’s blue skies from here on out.  Okay?  You’re still with me?

Once you have your download, making sure to size it the way you want it to look on the card, take a pencil and totally cover the back of the lettering area with lead.

Place the lettering right side up on the card front and trace over the lines.  The pencil coloring on the back will be like carbon paper.

Now you will need a Size 0 or 1 Script Brush.  When you’re a pro, you’ll be able to do this with the big brush like the big dogs, but for now, we’re playing it safe.

Dip your brush into the color you want for your lettering, twirl it on the palette to get the bristles nice and tight at the tip, and trace the outlines of the letters.  The number one rule of lettering is that all the up strokes are thin lines, and the down strokes are thick.  Press a little harder going down, or do it in several passes if you need to.  This is not so much writing as it is painting, so twist and turn your paper and carefully paint along the lines.

After practicing a little, brush the message onto your watercolor card.

Just click to download this PDF:

Happy Birthday PDF Download 

 

 

Finishing Touches

We did the lettering last.  You might choose to do it before adhering the small square.  Either way is fine.

 

 

 

 

This is an update of a post from September 10, 2018.

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