Table of Contents
Introduction
Audrey Ra is a self-taught artist whose journey into the art of watercoloring and lettering has helped her to heal mentally. Today, we’re lucky to have her share her experiences.
Did you know that you can use your brush pens for more than calligraphy? Well, its true! In this post, I want to share three greeting card ideas using brush pens.
Supplies
– Pencil and eraser
– Pentel Sign Pen Twin Brush (or any other medium to large brush pens) of various colors
– Bristol paper cut to greeting card size (my paper size is 5.5” x 4.25”)
Greeting Card Design #1
The first greeting card will be a happy birthday card. Sketch your layout first.
Choose 3-4 analogous colors and swatch them to see how they look next to each other.
With the first color, press the pen down on its side to create these tiny teardrop shapes. Start with one color, then incorporate the second color, then the third and on, to create a gradient.
Use a black color or other color that coordinates well to write in the phrase in your calligraphy style, and voila!
Greeting Card Design #2
The second greeting card will be a simple thank you card that will have a greenery border. Sketch your layout first.
Choose 3 different green colors. Practice using just the tip of the brush to draw delicate stems and lines. Also practice drawing leaves by pressing down on the pen to create the wide part of the leaf, then dragging and lifting to bring the bristles back together. You should have a tapered looking leaf. I like to add a line or the same leaf shape on the other side to make my leaves look fuller.
We’ll be doing this same motion over and over again as we create the greenery border.
Start with the lightest green color and draw your leaves. Make sure to space them apart so that you have room to fill in with the other green colors.
Keep going around and use the darker green colors. Remember to have the leaves facing different directions. This will make it feel more organic!
Finally, write in the phrase with a color of your choice.
And voila, you’re done!
Greeting Card Design #3
For the final design, we will be drawing waves.
Sketch the phrase “Happiness comes in waves”. And then choose 3 blue colors.
With the lightest color first, draw the waves. Imagine you’re writing the overturn stroke over and over but in a looser way. As your pen is moving upwards, the lines should be a little thinner. And then as you come down, the lines should be a little thicker.
Layer the next blue color and so on.
I used the darkest blue I had in my set for the phrase.
And there you go! Great job!
Originally from Seoul, South Korea, Audrey now resides in the greater Chicagoland area with her husband and their two fur babies: Rocket, a white and grey long-haired cat; and Charcoal, a Pomeranian-Poodle mix. With a Master’s degree in Education from The George Washington University, Audrey guides students in mastering watercolor fundamentals while encouraging them to release perfectionism and embrace the calming effects of the medium.
Her work primarily features illustrations and patterns inspired by florals, food, abstracts, and animals, using watercolors, gouache, and occasionally acrylic gouache and colored pencils. Check-out Audrey’s online store and offers below:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AudreyRaDesign
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audreyradesign
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/audreyradesign
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@audreyradesign
Website: https://www.audreyradesign.com
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