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How To Make A Palm Tree Card

Updated on January 24, 2017
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Sweetiepie is an artist and a blogger. See more of her artwork by visiting the website listed on her profile page.

Handmade cards are extremely fun to make, especially when you draw your own pictures. Why do I sketch own pictures for every single card? To be honest, I do it because I want to create something of my own. From time to time I use scrapbook paper for accents on my cards, but all of the illustrations are hand drawn by yours truly. Yes, this means it takes longer than if I was just using cut-outs or photographs, but I want to hone my drawing technique, which is all my own. I say do not be afraid to grab that pencil and go to town drawing what you love for a handmade card. My obsession is drawing Hawaiian scenes, so I have drawn another one for this handmade card. Here are the supplies that I used to create this masterpiece:

  • A piece of used computer paper
  • Cardstock
  • A drawing pencil
  • Colored pencils
  • A paint brush
  • Mod pod
  • A large tapestry needle
  • Embroidery floss

So does embroidery floss and the needle sound like a weird ingredients for a handmade card? True, these are out of the ordinary, but you will just have to look at the tutorial below to see why I used these supplies. So read the tutorial below to get your own creative juices flowing!

Handmade Cards Say Love:

This handmade card is so much more warm and inviting than the mass produced store variety.
This handmade card is so much more warm and inviting than the mass produced store variety. | Source

Step One: Draw The Picture

Here I have sketched out my Hawaiian scene.
Here I have sketched out my Hawaiian scene. | Source

When creating my Hawaiian scenes I use my imagination and just draw palm trees, mountains, and the ocean where I think these might go. Yes this is not an exact Hawaiian tropical scene, but it is the essence of what a Hawaiian beach looks like from my memories of walking on these many years ago.

Step Two: Coloring The Ocean

Shading in the water of the ocean.
Shading in the water of the ocean. | Source

For coloring in the ocean I used an aqua colored pencil to capture the essence of the vibrant waters surrounding South Sea islands. I made sure to leave some white spots to mimic the waves, and a darker blue pencil was used to give the water depth.

Step Three: Adding Color To The Palm Trunks

Color in the palm trunks.
Color in the palm trunks. | Source

Here I gave dimension to the palm trunks by using a grey colored pencil to lightly color the trunks in the foreground, and pressed down harder to create a shadowy effect for the palms set farther back. I love playing around with colored pencils, especially the water colored ones that blend easily, such as the ones I used for this project.

Step Four: Color The Beach

Coloring in the sand.
Coloring in the sand. | Source

To color in the beach I used various shades of yellow colored pencils. It was soothing to shade in portions of the picture and see it coming to life!

Step Six: Color The Palm Fronds

Adding color to the palm fronds.
Adding color to the palm fronds. | Source

In this step I have added color to the palm fronds by using two different shades of green, which captures the beauty of this lovely foliage. Personally, I love the shape of the fronds on the tree that is leaning far to the right side of the card.

Step Seven: Add The Background Color

Here I am coloring in the mountains off in the distance, and the sky.
Here I am coloring in the mountains off in the distance, and the sky. | Source

For the mountains I used a light green colored pencils, and shaded darker to capture the shadowy portions. The sky was shaded in with a beautiful deep blue color. Now that the picture is complete I can assemble my card.

Step Eight: Painting On the Mod Podge

Here I used a brush to "paint on" the mod podge.
Here I used a brush to "paint on" the mod podge. | Source

Did I mention I love to use mod podge on many of my cards? You probably have not heard of lot of people doing this, but I discovered years ago how it adds luster and brush-like paint strokes to my drawings. Since I used water colored pencils on this tropical scene it also helps, the mod podge also helps to blend the colors, which makes this drawing look slightly more like a painting. Also, I used the mod podge to glue the drawing to a piece of card stock,which made the card sturdier. I could have drawn directly onto the card stock, but I prefer to draw on lighter weight paper because it is easier for erasing. However, as I draw more and more these days I am trying to avoid erasing as much, and I allow my creativity to flow with the sketching.

Step Nine: Sew The Card Together

Here I sewed the picture to another piece of card stock.
Here I sewed the picture to another piece of card stock. | Source

Once I glued the picture to a piece of card stock, I went to bed and allowed it to dry overnight. The next day I cut off the excess card stock. I used my picture as a template to trace around another piece of card stock. The picture will be the top of the card, and the blank card stock will be the bottom part of the card. I decided to join the two pieces of card stock by sewing these together with embroidery floss, so I used a tapestry needle for this project as it is hard to sew through card stock. I actually punctured holes in the card stock before sewing to make it easier as I gathered the two sides.

Step Ten: Finish Sewing Up The Card

Use a zig zag stitch to bind the card together.
Use a zig zag stitch to bind the card together. | Source

For this project I used a zig zag pattern to sew the card together. First, I used a slanted stitch to go across the card from left to right, and then I went back over my previous stitches by sewing from right to left. This zig zag pattern reminds me of the fronds of the palm trees, and I really, really like it. Just remember when you make a card to get creative and try to think of fun and different ways to decorate each piece.

Write A Message Inside

Now the card is ready for writing a personalized message on the inside.
Now the card is ready for writing a personalized message on the inside. | Source

Have you ever picked out a card at the store that had a message you did not really like? I always had to spend a lot of the time making sure the message on the inside of the card was appropriate for the recipient, but when you make your own card there is no time wasted on this triviality. The cards I design can be personalized with messages that come from the heart, which is a special touch I always like to add. I hope you enjoy making handmade cards as much as I do, and please do not be afraid to let your creativity flow like the lava beds of Hawaii, which I hope to visit one day.

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