Baby Bird Card

In my ongoing efforts to keep up with the creativity, I'm trying to do more of my most-reliable art form: making cards. I really enjoy making cards because they are a nice, small, manageable format (3 x 4 or smaller, generally), I can use whatever medium I like, and it's a fun way to give someone original art without all the pressure of making something larger or 'more important'.

I recently attended a baby shower for a friend; it will be her second baby, and I made her a card for the first one (which she said she still has, aww!). So of course Baby #2 needs a card as well. (PS: apologies to my friends who have had babies but haven't received a handmade card from me -- a great source of guilt...)

I usually try to include a little quote of some sort. For this card, since I'm kind of on a bird thing right now, I chose this sweet quote from J.M. Barrie (author of Peter Pan), "I'm youth, I'm joy, I'm a little bird that has broken out of the egg..." Have you read the original Peter Pan? Such a lovely book!

Anyway. First I draw a border. Always, for cards. For some reason that always helps center the piece and gives me an automatic frame to work within. Then I sketch out the central characters in pencil, then outline them in my favorite sepia fine-point Micron pen.

Then I fill in the rest with, in this case, colored pencil and more pen. I was not happy with the lettering, but that's part of the charm, right? Imperfection? Right. I need to work on my handwriting...

This card is very small, maybe 2.5" x 2.5". A very manageable canvas. I love doing these, I really ought to plan my time better so I can make more of them. Plus, have you seen how expensive cards are these days? Here's one way I can save a few bucks. And make some art in the meantime.

Now, time for more Halloween black-paper decorations. And vegetarian enchiladas.