Fearless Friday, Easy Watercolor Cards and Tags plus free printables!

Today we’re going to make some quick and easy
watercolor cards or gift tags,
great for last minute gifts
or when you want to add a special touch

We’re going to do 2 designs that will work for almost any occasion,
a vase of flowers
And a cake!

These cards are painted on cold press 140 lb. watercolor paper
and cut to fit in a standard 5″ x 7″ envelope
First lets identify the brush types we’ll be using, from top left:
- liner brush: for small details, lines, writing
- Filbert or medium oval: this is a versatile brush, it has multiple uses
- medium round brush: bigger strokes and larger areas
- small round: small to medium strokes
- medium flat square: checks, stripes, rectangles
- small flat square: smaller checks, lines, areas
Let’s “bake” a cake first
Use a sheet of watercolor paper for best results
My cake is fairly small so there is plenty of room to write a message
You can paint the cake larger if desired
and write your message on the back
You can also purchase blank cards and envelopes
at art supply and craft stores*
*make sure you purchase cards suitable for watercolor or the art medium you want to use
CAKE
- make 3 horizontal strokes with a small flat square brush
- add the cake stand in a contrasting color
- paint the cake stand base
- paint petals with 2 adjoining curved strokes
- add a swirled ribbon

Loosely outline the painting with ink to give it a little final definition

The vase of flowers is also just a few simple strokes
VASE
- make 2 comma strokes for the 3 flower centers
- add bigger strokes for the outer petals
- indicate the vase with 3-4 quick strokes
- add leaves and vines with light and dark green
- fill in the vase with a couple more large strokes

Add some loose ink outlines for final definition
Now whenever you want a card,
get out your paint brush and whip one up!

I also made some printable cards and tags for you
in case you don’t feel like painting your own
Print these on card stock for sturdy cards and tags
You can download this printable here

Download this printable here

Download this printable here

Here is a collection of smaller
gift tags that will work for multiple occasions
You can download these 4 gift tags printable here

After printing, cut them out and use a paper punch
to make a hole and insert a ribbon to tie the tag on your gift
You can download this smaller gift tag assortment printable here

Happy Mother’s Day!
I will be joining these fabulous parties and blogs:
Sundays on Silverado/ Love Your Creativity
What’s for Dinner/ Between Naps on the Porch
All About Home/ Common Ground & Follow the Yellow Brick Home
Oh My Heartsie Girl / Turn About Tuesday
Centerpiece Wednesday / Creative Crafts / Crafty Creators
Full Plate Thursday/ Creatively Crafty/ Thursday Favorite Things
Comments
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[…] you love creating art? Jenna from The Painted Apron has inspired me with her Easy Watercolor Cards and Tags. Jenna shared an easy to follow tutorial for creating two different beautiful watercolors, as well […]
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[…] click HERE to to have fun playing with food. Please click HERE to learn how to make yours Please click HERE to start decorating. Please click HERE to see […]
Beautiful Jenna! I especially love the teapot/teacup stack! Happy Friday ♥
Thank you Mary, have a wonderful weekend!
Jenna, thank you for the downloads! Beautiful! Happy Mother’s Day!
You’re so welcome Rita, Happy Mother’s Day!
Jenna, thank you for the printables. They are all so sweet. Love the one in the bathtub! Happy Friday!
Thank you Pam, have a wonderful weekend!
You make it sound so easy. You’ve got the talent for sure! Me? All thumbs!😏 Everything I try to draw looks like a space alien 👽 or germ 🦠. The printable are terrific for those of us with no clue on this front. Thank you! And have a blessed and happy Mother’s Day!
Thank you Alycia! Enjoy all the festivities this weekend!
Your instructions are so easy to follow and the work is so free and light and happy! I have trouble being that loose and have been working on similar roses for a bit with not nearly so good results! These are all just darling! I’ve been on a card-painting binge the past few weeks. It feels good to have a completed piece in a short time!
thanks Jeanie, I agree, less can be more, it is fun to do a fast and loose painting!
Such a lovely gift! Thank you for sharing all your creativity with us.
You’re so welcome, happy Mother’s Day Dorothy!
Happy Mother’s Day to you too!
Jenna, all so lovely and colorful. Such a lovely way to share your beautiful art.
Happy Mother’s Day……..
Thank you Emily, what a beautiful weekend we are having!
Beautiful assortment and I really like your explanation of the brushes needed.
thanks so much Linda!
Love ALL of these–they are simple, elegant and cheery all at once. But that does not surprise me since you are the artist!
I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day, surrounded by your dear family.
Love, Georgia Gal
Thank you so much Georgia Gal! Happy Mother’s Day to you as well!
I always envy your talent with the watercolors ~ your cards are so pretty! Maybe *one* day I’ll make the time to experiment with my watercolors stashed in my craft closet.
Thank you Allyson! I hope you will get them out and play sometime, watercolors are intimidating but they are also lots of fun 🙂
Absolutely beautiful Jenna! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks so much Denise!
Jenna, these are so pretty! I love your tutorial and am inspired to give watercolors a try! I am excited to feature your post this week at Tuesday Turn About. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks so much Lynn! I hope you do try watercolors, they are lots of fun!
Beautiful! You make it look so easy, but I couldn’t paint a straight line lol. Thanks for sharing the tutorials and the free printables with us on Crafty Creators! I’ll be featuring them on tomorrow’s party then across my social media. I’ve fixed my “I was featured” button, so if you’d like, you can now download it.
XOXO,
Niki ~ Life as a LEO Wife
thanks so much Niki, I appreciate it so much!