How to Make a Simple Birthday Card at Home
Gather your materials., Fold a sheet of paper in half., Draw a design on front., Write a message on the inside., Trim the edges with decorative scissors.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Gather your materials.
To draw a birthday card, you'll need unlined paper and drawing tools.
You can use crayons, markers, colored pencils, pastels, or any writing implement that you prefer to design your card.
Plain white paper works well for drawing a birthday card, but you can also get creative and use colorful construction paper.
Light shades work best, though, because you don’t have to worry about the pencils, crayons, or whatever writing tools you are using showing up on it.
If you enjoy painting, you might want to use watercolor paints to draw your design.
Make sure that the paper you’re using is thick or heavy enough for the paint. -
Step 2: Fold a sheet of paper in half.
To form your card, you should fold a piece of paper so it opens like a book.
You can fold the paper in half once to create a larger card, or fold it in half twice to make a smaller card.Keep the size your paper in mind because the larger the piece that you start with, the larger your finished card will be.
When folded in half once, a standard
8.5”x11” sheet of paper will create an a card that’s similar in size to most greeting cards that you would purchase.
After you fold the card, you can use it vertically or horizontally, depending on the type of drawing that you want to create. , On the front of the folded paper, use your colored pencils, crayons, markers, or your favorite writing tool to create a design for the card.
A birthday-related image, such as a cake, balloons, or a wrapped gift box, is an ideal option, but you can draw whatever you prefer.Instead of drawing a generic birthday image, you might tailor your drawing to the interests of the person who you’re making the card for.
For example, you might draw puppies for someone who likes dogs, or a race car for someone who enjoys NASCAR.
You can create additional drawings on the back and inside of the card if you want.
To steady your card while you’re drawing, it helps to use painter’s tape to the paper to the desk, table, or other surface that you’re working on.
That will keep it in place and limit mistakes while you’re drawing.
The painter’s tape will easily peel off too. , Once you’ve finished drawing on the card, you can write a message on the inside.
You can keep it simple by just writing “Happy Birthday!” and then filling it out with the person’s name and signing it with your own as you would with a card that you bought.You may want to write a joke in your card as is often done in greeting cards that you’d buy at the store.
It helps to tie it into whatever you’re drawn on the front of the card, so you may want to plan ahead. , Once the card is finished, you can give it more flair by using craft scissors with a decorative edge, such as a scalloped or zig-zag pattern, to trim the edges of the paper.
You can cut just the edges of the front of the card or trim all of the way around.
You can even find scissors with multiple blades to make cutting a fringe along the edge of the card very easy. -
Step 3: Draw a design on front.
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Step 4: Write a message on the inside.
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Step 5: Trim the edges with decorative scissors.
Detailed Guide
To draw a birthday card, you'll need unlined paper and drawing tools.
You can use crayons, markers, colored pencils, pastels, or any writing implement that you prefer to design your card.
Plain white paper works well for drawing a birthday card, but you can also get creative and use colorful construction paper.
Light shades work best, though, because you don’t have to worry about the pencils, crayons, or whatever writing tools you are using showing up on it.
If you enjoy painting, you might want to use watercolor paints to draw your design.
Make sure that the paper you’re using is thick or heavy enough for the paint.
To form your card, you should fold a piece of paper so it opens like a book.
You can fold the paper in half once to create a larger card, or fold it in half twice to make a smaller card.Keep the size your paper in mind because the larger the piece that you start with, the larger your finished card will be.
When folded in half once, a standard
8.5”x11” sheet of paper will create an a card that’s similar in size to most greeting cards that you would purchase.
After you fold the card, you can use it vertically or horizontally, depending on the type of drawing that you want to create. , On the front of the folded paper, use your colored pencils, crayons, markers, or your favorite writing tool to create a design for the card.
A birthday-related image, such as a cake, balloons, or a wrapped gift box, is an ideal option, but you can draw whatever you prefer.Instead of drawing a generic birthday image, you might tailor your drawing to the interests of the person who you’re making the card for.
For example, you might draw puppies for someone who likes dogs, or a race car for someone who enjoys NASCAR.
You can create additional drawings on the back and inside of the card if you want.
To steady your card while you’re drawing, it helps to use painter’s tape to the paper to the desk, table, or other surface that you’re working on.
That will keep it in place and limit mistakes while you’re drawing.
The painter’s tape will easily peel off too. , Once you’ve finished drawing on the card, you can write a message on the inside.
You can keep it simple by just writing “Happy Birthday!” and then filling it out with the person’s name and signing it with your own as you would with a card that you bought.You may want to write a joke in your card as is often done in greeting cards that you’d buy at the store.
It helps to tie it into whatever you’re drawn on the front of the card, so you may want to plan ahead. , Once the card is finished, you can give it more flair by using craft scissors with a decorative edge, such as a scalloped or zig-zag pattern, to trim the edges of the paper.
You can cut just the edges of the front of the card or trim all of the way around.
You can even find scissors with multiple blades to make cutting a fringe along the edge of the card very easy.
About the Author
Hannah Murphy
Enthusiastic about teaching DIY projects techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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