Could there be a nicer surprise on your birthday than a homemade card with a personal message on the back? The pleasure produced by little gestures like this, into which so much love and effort have gone, is priceless.
My color palette for this project. See My Materials
1For this project you need to sketch the panda in the middle of the paper. Make sure that the distance to the edge of the postcard is roughly the same on all sides as this will make the whole picture more balanced. Start by sketching the oval body of the panda with a thin pencil line, then add the legs, head, ears, and face.
2Think of a little detail to add that is appropriate to the purpose of the card. I opted for a party hat for a birthday. If this is right for your card, keep it simple, drawing a small triangle onto the panda’s head.
Reduce what you see in your mind’s eye to simple lines. Forget about the details. This will make it easier for you to transfer the design you are looking for to the paper.
3Now, with a round brush, start to mix a black tone for the dark fur using Payne’s Gray and Madder Brown. The color should be fairly concentrated. Apply the paint to the dark areas around the eyes, the ears, and the two legs nearest to you. Then, preferably while the paint is still wet, dip your brush lightly into more water and dab it onto the painted areas. This will produce the color gradations typical of watercolors.
Paint slightly over the pencilled sketch lines. This will make the fur appear shaggy and more natural around the edges.
4When the paint is dry you can color in the legs on the other side of the panda, and add the remaining lines of the panda’s body with a transparent gray.
5Now you can add color to the hat, if using. Start with the triangle, filling it completely with color. When it’s dry you can add a pattern and a bobble. Finally, paint some colored confetti on the floor to make the card even more cheerful.
If you want to paint a pattern directly onto a base coat of paint, you need to ensure that the color of the pattern is darker or deeper than the base layer itself. This will make the pattern stand out.