DIY Personalized Card for Any Ocassion

I enjoy making cards and love that I get to sell them in various marketplaces. I love getting cards that reflect a lovely hand-painted feel and let me know it was actually made by an artist. In today’s DIY, I am sharing how to make a personalized card with a lovely hand-painted seascape, a peaceful beach scene. I like that it is a simple design, with a small palette, but it can be so meaningful with its personalization. Whether you use it as a “Thank You” card for the beach lover or a notecard for sending thoughts to a friend, this card is the perfect handmade personalized card!

I love painting using different mediums, but gouache has been one of my favorites for quite some time now. I love using gouache because I can use it thin, like watercolor, for certain parts of the painting, and then use its full opacity, which gives the painting lovely, bold colors and a matte finish.

Let’s paint a small beach seascape perfect for summer!

Materials you will need to paint the small beach scene:

You can use anything you have on hand. I recommend some of my favorite paints and brushes, and the ones I used for this painting, but if you are starting out, student grade is perfect.

• Gouache Paint – I have various brands, but for this painting, I used the Winsor and Newton Designer’s Gouache
• Paint Brushes
• Watercolor Paper
• Pencil and Eraser – the kneaded eraser is perfect because I can make small tips to erase small areas and do not have to clean any shavings after erasing.
• Palette – I used a Dollar Store clear plate
• Clip Board
• Tape

How to Paint a Personalized Card using Gouache

First, tape the paper to the clipboard or the painting table. This will help with keeping the paper in place, reduce the buckling of the paper, as well as give a small border to the painting.

Tape a small area in the middle of the paper, this will be used to personalize the card at the end.

You can use any paper size you want; in this case, I am using a 4 x 6-inch paper, which I normally use for studies and general practice, and trying new paints.

Sketch the horizon line approximately 1/3 from the bottom of the paper, and sketch the shoreline on the lower side.

Start by painting the sky by mixing Prussian blue and white. Keep the paint fluid to obtain a light look and allow some space between brushstrokes to represent the clouds.

Use yellow ochre, burnt umber, and white, and paint the sand. Add texture by varying the colors and consistency of the paint.

Use Prussian blue and white, and make a darker color for the beach. Paint the beach adding darker areas and lighter areas to reflect the water movement and the light hitting the surface of the water.

Using white, add details including the shore white form that forms from the waves at the shoreline. Also, paint clouds in the sky using white.

Paint the shadows that form right below the foam at the shoreline.

Lastly, don’t forget to sign your beautiful painting.

Add other details that will help make the card look more finished. I added more texture to the sand to create more contrast.

Remove the tape and reveal your lovely creation.

Add your personalization. I provide some examples below.

You can scan the card with the center empty, that way you can use it for several projects and years to come. I share how to scan and digitize your art for products in this short tutorial.

I hope you enjoyed painting this small beach scene, and enjoyed using gouache as another great medium for your art.

With gouache, just like watercolors, you want to keep the painting away from water to avoid damaging it. I recommend framing it quickly or sealing it with a fixative or even a varnish. I’ve used this matte varnish in the past for my gouache painting, and it works very well.

This painting will make great thank you cards, note cards, and lovely art prints for the family.