Hello Makewells readers! I'm so happy to be sharing this tutorial today while Megan enjoys her vacation. This is an easy way to create graphic hand painted postcards. This project requires minimal supplies and no prior painting experience! I love the idea of having handmade postcards ready to send for any occasion.
My name is Tricia, and I'm an art student living in Portland, OR. I write about my love of color, pattern, painting, sketchbooks and art inspiration at DaringHue.com. I'd love to have you to stop by and say hello if you enjoyed this tutorial.
Supplies:
1 large sheet of paper approximately 22 x 30 inches (thick illustration paper)
Newspaper
Painter's tape
2 oz. containers of acrylic craft paint (3-4 colors)
Palette paper or wax paper
Old credit card or grocery store card (one you don't want to use again)
Paper cutter or X-acto knife
Prep work: Protect your work surface by laying down newspaper before starting.
1) Before you begin, you may want to test your tape on the paper to ensure that the tape will come up without ripping. Prepare your paper for painting by applying strips of tape across the paper. Slide your fingers over the tape to ensure all of the edges are stuck down.
2) Squirt the first paint color onto palette or wax paper. Dip your card into the paint.
3) Start painting by scraping the card against the paper in big strokes. Don't worry too much about neatness. Experiment with how you put down the paint. Do you like the look of thin applications of paint, or big gloppy strokes?
4) Add more colors to your palette paper, and keep painting.
5) Overlap the colors if you like that look. Overlapping while wet will create color mixing. If you'd like to keep your colors clean, wait for one layer to dry before continuing.
6) Continue to add in more color until the paper is mostly covered.
7) Patiently wait for the paint to dry (this is so hard!). Don't worry if it looks like a little messy or busy when you are finished painting. It will look fantastic after the tape is removed!
8) Carefully peel back the tape one strip at a time. I have found that it works best to do this slowly and to tug as close to where the tape meets the paper as possible. Grabbing the tape on one side and quickly tearing it off in one pass may rip the paper. If you feel the paper tearing, try switching to the other side of the paper and pull from that end.
9) Cut the paper down to postcard size with either a paper cutter or X-acto knife. I started by cutting the paper in half, and then used a paper cutter to chop down to 4 x 5 inches. This is where you can get creative with composition. Move the paper back and forth and look for pleasing color combinations when you cut.
USPS postcard regulations: Rectangular, at least 3-1/2 inches high x 5 inches long x 0.007 inch thick (like an index card), no more than 4-1/4 inches high x 6 inches long x 0.016 inches thick.
Finale! I was able to make 25 postcards from my sheet of paper. Send your postcards as is, or use the white space of the stripes to write in messages or quotes. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Thanks for reading!
