There are so many ways you could decorate the front of your postcard!
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| These are all card FRONTS. You have the entire front to decorate to grab attention. There are several of these that I know now to be too wordy. A few of them took a bit of time to create but while I worked on them, I could feel my stress level drop. Having fun while doing your part to save democracy is a win-win! |
Draw or paint it yourself if you are enjoy doing art.
If you want to practice simple watercolor techniques while fighting for Democracy, Andrea Nelson's YouTube page is a goldmine of fun ideas. You can do one of her tutorials and then use a permanent pen to add a quote or title.
NOTE - CLICK HERE to see lots of EASY TO DRAW POSTCARD ART!
You could use just words or a quote.
To make it more exciting, add a fun border OR vary the size and style of your words. Put the quote over an abstract background. Do an image search for “Chalkboard Ideas” to see lots of layouts options for your quote.
Trace a picture. You could do this with carbon paper, 💙 a light box, taping papers up to a window, or the pencil rubbing technique.
My preferred method are light boxes. They are not very expensive - $20-$30. I now have 3 of them. I bought the extras for a workshop and figured my grands could use them when they visit as well. I have 2 that are USB chargeable. I also have a kid friendly Crayola brand battery-operated one. (These have been seen at places like FIVE BELOW (which is a blue-friendly store) for $5 - $10. I thought the kid friendly one might not be as good and it might be harder to see through the thick watercolor paper, but I was wrong. It's just as good as the others and it does not need to be plugged in to work. Of the 3, I do not have a favorite. They are all equally good. I bought 2 of them at Michaels and used one of their coupons. I can't remember where I bought the other. I've had it a while. You might be able to find these or similar models cheaper at other places. (PS - I have 3 of them so when grandkids visit, they can use them, too.)
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| This shows how a printed page shows up through watercolor paper when using a light board. You can see how easy it is to trace. This page has the image in two sizes. I now know exactly how large to make an image so I don't waste printer paper. |
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| This one was traced, then color was added with colored pencils. It's a thank you to a representative who was boldly stepping up. |
Use decoupage paste to adhere and seal. You can print out memes or photos to use as part of the design OR create an abstract background and write a quote over it. I might decoupage someone's photo along with a message. Or if there's a meme with a good message that can be read and understood quickly, I might print that out and decoupage it onto the postcard.
When I decoupage, I paint the medium on the back of the picture then smooth it on, much as if you were wallpapering. After that dries, I paint another coat over the entire page. Note - I add color before decoupaging. As you can see in the example above, I really didn't have to use a lot of color, but even just a bit grabs more attention than if it was just a basic grayscale.
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| These are not stick figures but are very kid-like. You can draw a similar figure/s, change the hair and wardrobe a bit to make them look younger, change the expressions, and wording to create a completely different message. |
ART SUPPLY Options
- Colored pencils, crayons, markers - I prefer colored pencils. They don't smear.
- Watercolors or acrylic paints (spray with a sealer if you are worried about moisture)
- Pens and markers - I like Pigma Micron black permanent ink pens, fav sizes = 05 and 08. The 05 is the one I use most.
- Matte Decoupage Medium / I have the Mod Podge Water Based Sealer You can make your own with equal parts white school glue to water.
- For mediums that might smear if it gets wet, spray it with matte acrylic sealer or coat with decoupage medium. I have the Mod Podge spray sealer.
ATTENTION GETTING things to remember...
- If it’s colorful and looks hand-made, it may get more attention. - The thing is, you don't really want it to look like it's some printed out thing that has been duplicated hundreds of times and sent out to just anybody. The handmade quality is what sets it apart!!!
- It doesn’t have to be fabulous. If you are sending it to someone you're mad at, who cares if it is museum quality? Relax and have fun while you are helping to save Democracy!
- Kid drawings are fun, too. Your children or grandchildren can do the drawing and you can add the message.
- Shorter messages work best. Assume the reader/s are in a hurry. I try to follow that rule, but sometimes I find a quote that is a little longer and feel compelled to use it.