Calligraphy & Lettering Art for Cards: Part 2

 Cards for Kids...Using DieCuts

In my last post I focused on using stickers to embellish handmade cards for kids.
However, if you have time and access to a good die cut machine, you can get pretty creative with your designs, making your cards even more unique.

Train Die-Cut Accordion Fold Card

Stampadoodle & The Paper Cafe, my local fine paper and rubber stamp store, has an amazing selection 

of die-cuts and fabulous cardstock.  Bright colors and polk-a-dot paper seemed appropriate 

for this one-year-old's birthday card.  The window cut-outs in the train cars allowed me to add 

sticker images and a photo of the birthday boy as the engineer!

More stickers for the front with drawn lettering, and brush pen for his name on the envelope.

 

Chorus Line of Kids Die-Cut

Another accordion fold card, this one utilized a die-cut silhouette image of five children holding hands.

Although each panel of the accordion fold repeats the five images, I didn't want the children to look the same.  I drew the faces and hair, then my husband and I sat down to work together drawing 

and coloring the clothes on each figure.  No two are the same.

Once the kids were in place, I drew the balloons, signs, kites, presents, etc, spelling out the 

birthday message.

Finally, the Neuland lettering was added along the bottom with a calligraphy marker, and outlined 

with a fine line pen for a more playful look to these block letters.

Starting out with some great die-cuts and stickers can make the card creation process flow a little faster and easier than starting with a blank slate.

Coming up in my next post...calligraphy and hand lettering in cards for adults!

Calligraphy & Lettering Art for Cards: Part 1

Cards for Kids

When I was in the first grade at Roosevelt Elementary in Burlington, WA, I had a teacher, Mrs. Sanchez, who would hand draw cards for her students.  Nothing felt more special than receiving one of those cards, knowing it was made just for me...and now in my 40's, I still have them tucked away in a box of good memories.

Her example stuck with me and now I make cards for the special little kids in my life.  Bright colors, simple designs, some fun stickers or die-cuts and something is created that will hopefully make the kiddos I know feel as special as Mrs. Sanchez made me feel.

Using Stickers to Embellish

What could be happier than Suzy's Zoo stickers?
The colors and cheerful images are my starting point for design.  With the message in mind, I may
add a few drawings (the balloon, polk-a-dots,
and daisy flowers) to fill the extra space.

I wrote the Happy Birthday messages with large Faber Castell PITT brush markers.  Highlights were added with colored pencil to deepen the base color of the marker in the top section of the lettering.  White dots are added last with a Sharpie Poster Paint pen.  

 

Here, my drawings were the main design, with the centers spelling the child's name.  The butterfly stickers added the finishing touch.  A little gray marker shadowing on the left side of the butterflies gives them a slight 3-D effect.  Arches Text Wove paper, Faber Castell PITT markers used as watercolor, pointed pen and sumi ink for the lettering.

This was a recent baby shower card for a friend of mine.  The baby's name, Gabriel, was drawn in my "Whimsical Letter" style and shaded with three tones of blue colored pencil.  The name was mounted with foam tape to make it stand out from the card base.  The grass is layered cut cardstock, stickers added for fun and color, and the "welcome" message written with a PITT fine point pen, size XS.

 

"Look who bloomed!" was hand drawn, based on an image I saw on a rubber stamp years ago.  Adding the baby's name to the flower pot personalized it just for her.  My Whimsical Letters,  watercolor, and colored pencil on Arches Text Wove paper mounted on cardstock.


Be sure to check back for Part 2 of Cards for Kids, using die-cuts!