Watercolour Christmas Cards

You don’t have to be a pro with paints in order to make these beautiful watercolour Christmas cards. With Ecoline’s brush pens by your side, you can master the look effortlessly. These brush markers are water-soluble so you can use them for a variety of techniques, but they’re perfect for mimicking watercolours just by drawing with them. Combine your pens with watercolour cardstock for easy painterly-look greetings. Ingrid has completed her cards with details using a fineliner pen so you don’t need to overthink your initial painted layer. The good news is that imperfect edges actually add to the effect – phew!

You Will Need:
Royal Talens Ecoline Brush Pens, additional set of 30 pens
Arteza Watercolour paper pad
Waterbrush/watercolour paint brush
Sakura Micron 03 black pen
Stamps: Lawn Fawn Simply Winter Sentiments, Mama Elephant Mini Messages
Cardstock: cream, Hunkydory Gold Mirri
Ink pad, Tsukineko VersaFine Onyx Black
Iridescent sequins
Iridescent rose pink flat-back jewels
Adhesives

Watercolour Leaf Background Card
Make a 10.5cm x 15cm blank from watercolour card. To paint the leaves, simply make small strokes with a green brush pen, gently pressing and lifting at the end. Draw a line in the centre, then add darker green details on top. The two colours will slightly blend and create a watercolour effect. Draw the berries in between the leaves using a dark pink brush pen. Leave to dry. Draw sketchy outlines and details with a black fineliner. Mount a strip of watercolour card onto gold mirri card. Stamp a sentiment in the centre. Fix the strip towards the top of the card front and trim any excess. Embellish with sequins.

Watercolour Aperture Card
Create a 10.5cm x 15cm blank from watercolour card. Lightly sketch the design in pencil, drawing a rectangle in the centre first. Draw branches, leaves and berries with a larger poinsettia flower in the top-left corner. Use an eraser to make the sketch lines visible, but barely noticeable. Add a base colour using green, pink and yellow brush pens. Apply more detail using darker hues. Leave to dry. Draw sketchy outlines with a black fineliner and erase any sketch lines. Use a craft knife to cut out the centre of the design to create an aperture. Stamp a sentiment in the centre of the aperture in black. Embellish with gems.

Watercolour Christmas Wreath Card
Cut watercolour cardstock to 13cm square. Lightly sketch the design in pencil. Use an eraser to make the sketch lines visible, but barely noticeable. Add colour with pink and green brush pens. Apply rough shading using darker-coloured brush pens and leave to dry. Draw sketchy outlines on the design with a black fineliner. Erase any sketch lines. Matt the panel onto gold mirri card, then a white blank, and embellish with gems.

TOP TIPS
- Don’t overwork and keep the watercolour layer simple. The black pen will add detail and bring the design together
- Sketch your design in pencil before you go in with your pens to make sure you’re happy with it
- Test out the Ecoline pens on a piece of scrap paper first so you feel confident using them
- We’ve gone traditional but change up the colours to suit. Ecoline pens come in a huge range of shades so take your pick!