Try drawing your own pictures on cards rather than buying the overpriced ones at the grocery store. So why do I advocate making my own cards? Quite simply because I believe anyone and everyone is capable of creating something more personalized for their family and friends.  So what do you need to make a very special card by hand?  I used remnants of cardstock left over from other projects, but you can also use paper.  Next, choose a picture to use as inspiration for your card drawing.  What does this picture have to be, it could be your pet, friend, or favorite park.  I have a large collection of African safari pictures that someone no longer wanted, so I often use these pictures as inspiration for art projects.  The picture I choose to draw was an African sunset, but of course I decided to have my own take on the picture.  I enjoy drawing sunsets because this allows for the use of vivid colors in the composition.

Find a sheet of cardstock or paper for this project.  For this project I used a piece of cardstock left over from another project.

Fold the cardstock in half to make a card.  During this step in the process I used the paper slicer to even out the edges, which is especially helpful when using scrap pieces of cardstock.

Find a sunset picture to draw on the card.  Several years ago I was able to keep a collection of African pictures that were going to be thrown away, which is where I found this beautiful sunset image.  African inspired arts and cards are a wonderful way to pay homage to this extraordinary continent.  Any one can buy a card at the store, but very few people will take the time to make a specialized card for a friend. 

Sketch the sunset out on a the card.  Do not worry about the drawing too much as it is going to be covered up with colored pencils.

During this step I added the tangerine tinctures to the sky.  This was mostly the bottom portion and the clouds.  The orange hues of a sunset always bring inspiration and good thoughts.

Add the magenta tones to the sky after adding the orange ones.  The color magenta is produced by mixing blue and purple together, which makes it a nice contrast to the tangerine colors in the sunset.  Creating pictures sunsets can be fun, so be adventurist and try mixing together a few unexpected colors.

Outline the shadows with the black colored pencils.  Next, begin filling in the shadows.

Fill in the shadows with a black colored pencil.  One of the great things about coloring a sunset is the ability to have fun with color and not to worry about the details.

The African sunset card is not complete and blank on the inside for writing a note to a friend.  I still love to send short notes to my family and friends, and my handmade cards are always a hit.  Have fun creating your own cards, which are affordable and creative!