We just came back from the birthday party of the 5-year old daughter of our next door neighbour. Such a sweet little girl she is! Not having had any kids myself, I really wanted to make her feel special by making her a hand-drawn card. I used to do a lot of card-making about 15 years ago but it petered out when my late mother got ill and I had no time anymore. Since two years ago, I began painting and drawing, and I’m using that experience for my mixed media work. Today was the first time in years I designed an impromptu card. What got me started was that when I went to the local newsagents to find wrapping paper, they also sold birthday cards. None of them appealed to me and besides, they are so massed produced that they seem impersonal. I then decided to make one myself, something that would be appreciated by the little girl and her family.
Copic Markers
I used some A4 Bristol Paper by Strathmore and folded the paper in half. Bristol paper is thick with a smooth texture which is well suited for cards. It’s just a simple design and I didn’t want to spend too much time on it for now. All I wanted to focus on was drawing the little birthday girl looking kawaii and happy. The outline was firstly done with pencil, then traced over with my Copic Ciao markers. I’ve noticed that Bristol paper is great for these alcohol markers! Although they bleed a bit to the reverse side, it’s not too noticeable.
Filling it All In
I then coloured the face and dress in with some coloured pencils, as I wanted some softness to the drawing. For the face I used Staedler’s Ergo Soft, and for the pink dress Faber Castell’s Jumbo Grip Neon in pink. Then I thought I’d as some sparkles by adding some details with glitter glue!
Finishing Touches
I found some small metallic Teddy Bear embellishments and glued them on the top section. Five of them, as she is turning five! Then added “5 jaar” which means “5 years (old)” in Dutch. And now, a simple but cute card! I figured something sweet and simple would be nice for a five year old.
I’m glad I made the effort to make a card, even as simple as this one. Perhaps I should do that more often on special occasions! It’s fulfilling and always satisfying to create something people could appreciate and something the little girl may remember us by. She enjoys drawing too. Who knows, in the years to come, she may continue it and we could draw and paint together!
My Kawaii Quarter 