Happy Spring Postcards by Judi Kauffman for The Queen’s Ink

I took my doodling supplies outside this morning, the first time it was warm enough to be in the yard without a coat. The gold pen sparkled just like the sunshine! Here’s hoping you’re having good weather wherever you are, and that you’ll set aside some time to make (and SEND) some postcards...

How-to and Design Strategies (DS):

1. Cut sheets of cardstock in quarters. (DS - Red, teal, and other bright hues are a great starting point because black and white both show up against backgrounds in that color range and gold really pops!)

2. Color AROUND a single flower, stem and leaves (or whatever you decide to draw!) using a wide nib opaque gold pen. If you’ve used pencil guidelines, erase any marks that are not covered by the gold ink. (DS - The negative shapes around the flower and leaves are what makes these postcards unique and interesting. Beginners: Practice on scrap paper with a pencil before you ‘commit’ to the red cardstock. More experienced cardmakers: Don’t use a pencil - just go for it!)

3. Doodle within the petals, leaves and stem, and add a saying, greeting, date and your signature around the gold rectangle. (DS - space out the lettering so it becomes a border. Keep the words small so the flower remains the focal element.)

4. Divide the reverse side in half with a vertical line like a purchased postcard. Note: At the time that this tutorial was published, postcards cost 35 cents to mail in the USA. (DS - Write a message on the left half using the black pen, adding some doodles in black and white if you want to keep drawing; write the name and address of the recipient in big block letters and numbers on the right half using the white pen to make it easy for the post office to speed your creation to its destination!)

5. Other options -
*Use silver or copper metallic, black or any other opaque color paint or ink to fill the background instead of gold. 
*Instead of a flower and leaves, draw a butterfly, a branch with a bird, a squirrel or other animal. (DS - Any simple shapes and subjects that conjure spring!)
*Instead of black and white, use Gelly Roll Moonlight pens in pink and green (or any other opaque ink pens).

Supplies:

• Red cardstock
• Pen-touch in Gold (Sakura of America)
• Pigma Micron in nib size(s) of choice (Sakura of America)
• Gelly Roll 10 in White (Sakura of America)
• Optional - soft pencil, eraser