Holiday Creativity

Personalized Greeting Cards

Designing personalized cards is a great way to share your creativity and send holiday greetings at the same time.  Materials can be as varied and unique as you want, and the sentiment can be as specific as the recipients.  Following are a few ideas to help you get started.  Change the materials listed to fit your needs and get an early start.  But beware!  Creating cards can become habit-forming.

The most direct way to create original art cards is to start with pre-made packs of blank cards and envelopes.  If you opt for this convenience, there is a select variety of colors, textures and sizes.  If you choose, on the other hand, to create your own collection of blank cards, you have a wide range of colors and fiber content as the basis of your original art.  You might choose watercolor paper as the base for your cards.  Traditional card stock is another good choice.  Quality drawing papers, sold by the sheet, afford you a huge range of colors at a very reasonable cost.  Check out your sources and select some samples to experiment with.  One will be just right for your style and project.

Adding found objects to the surfaces of the cards (leaves, twigs, tiny pinecones, ribbons, raffia, pressed flower petals, etc.) can give your cards an instant appeal and personality that separates them from the norm.  When you send such a crafty card, it is received with much appreciation.  Other personally selected items such as trinkets, gemstones, sparkles like rhinestones and glitter, tiny bells or holiday ornaments, stickers, foam cutouts and the like give cards a very festive look that is easy to accomplish.

For the amateur or professional artist, painting scenes or designs on the fronts of cards with your choice of media is also one way to share your creativity in a very personal and special way.  Use any painting material that is suitable for paper.  Watercolor designs, both abstract and representational, work very well.  Tip:  Be sure the watercolor is completely dry before slipping it into the envelope.  Colored pencil, conte crayon (spray set for longevity,) charcoal and pastel (also set with fixative), markers and watercolor pencils give especially neat and colorful results.  Art/craft stores are loaded with all the popular materials, and a trip down the aisles will really get you thinking and inspired.

Rubber stampers have a wide range of materials from glitter inks to puff inks and flocking powders, along with an enormous range of designs from which to choose.  Series works are very popular with rubber stamp artists.  Creating a group of similar cards is easy and fun once you are set up at your work table for a creative session.  And adding a stamped design or two to other media looks great, too.  Watercolor works, colored pencil sketches, abstract designs and more can really “pop” with the added embellishment of a stamped design.

The most frequently created cards are holiday cards, but you can use the knowledge you gain during this season to jump start other reasons to create special cards for special people.  Every occasion for which you might otherwise purchase a ready-made card can be a good reason to make an original art card.  But right now is the best time to get rolling on card creation.  Scout out the materials you already have, buy some specialty add-ons, new art materials or papers and get started.  You will enjoy the creation process and end up with a selection of true “art” cards.

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 19 No. 1 — November 2008