I enjoy drawing pictures on cards for my friends. Sometimes it is an elaborate picture that I could spend days on, other times it is a simplistic picture that just comes to me. For this project I decided to create a simple desert landscape. Drawing your on picture on a card can be simple, fun, complicated, easy, detailed, or anything that you want. Here is what I did for this project:

For this project I already had pre-cut cardstock cards, but you can buy a package of cardstock and cut the cards down to the size you like. Also, any blank piece of computer paper would work well for your project, just decide what you want to use. I am not rigid when it comes to doing arts and crafts activities and I like to use whatever I have on hand.

A ruler is a good tool for create a quick and accurate horizon line on your drawings. Sometimes I do not use a ruler, other times I do. I just always love having a straight edge for making straight lines because it saves time when you are making a quick sketch.

For this project I am making a Southern California desert scene, so I decided to add a few mountains to the background. I love how trails and roads disappear in the distance out in the deserts of California, and it brings back many good memories of hiking up there with my family as a child.

In this YouTube video I show how I begin to add the color to the sky. Also, I suggest places you can buy cardstock, but just to warn you this video came out darker than I had intended. Next time I will try to film in a lighter place. The idea of this first short video is to get over your fear of adding color to the page and just do it! It is your creation and it will be unique from start to finish.

In this video clip I am showing the finishing touches of adding more color to the card. I like how the trail is heading into the horizon, which creates a vanishing point and gives more depth to this quick picture. I only spent a few minutes on this picture, but you can spend as much time as you like when it comes to making your card.

The card is finished and now I am ready to write a short note on the inside to my friend. Sometimes I like to draw pictures on the inside to, but most of the time I just leave the inside blank so I can write a short letter to my friend. The purpose of this activity was to show how easy it is to make your own card and now you can use the two dollars that would usually spent on a card for something else. Maybe you can use it for postage and send more cards this way!