This Flower Garden Card is fun to make and can become a bright card to send to grandparents or other special people who may need cheering up at this time!
It uses an easy crayon resist and watercolor technique. You can paint right over the waxy crayon. It resists the watercolor paints and so stills shines through.
The post looks long, but it’s mostly pictures with simple directions
Supplies:
- a square piece of sturdy white paper. It can be 9X9, 11 X11, etc. The ruler and pencil are only needed if you need to measure and cut your paper into a square.
- You’ll also need crayons, scissors and a simple watercolor set.
- Add a little container of water and some paper towels and you’re ready to go!
Step 1 Fold your square paper into fourths.
Step 2 Cut along one fold line just to the center. This will allow the paper to stand up at the end, but you will want to work on it on the flat.
When it comes time to stand your garden up, you will re-crease the folds and slide one of the cut sections over the other.
Step 3 With crayons draw dirt, stems and leaves. Add roots with white and light pink crayons.
Step 4 With crayons, draw different shaped flower outlines. Don’t color them in. You’ll do that with paint! You don’t have to be very exact. Think Impressionistic! 
Step 5 Use watercolor paints to color the flowers.
(To mix watercolors so they are bright: Using your brush, place a little water on the cover of your water color set and then with a not-too-wet brush, keep adding pigment until you have enough bright paint to paint all the flowers of that color. When changing to a new color, rinse your brush and repeat the mixing process with your new color)
The crayon lines will help contain the paint, but it’s okay to go outside the lines!
Step 6 Now you can add beneficial insects to your garden. Bees and butterflies help cross pollinate flowers. Lady bugs kill off harmful pests. Ants and worms (which I forgot!) help keep soil healthy. Caterpillars aren’t so great since they eat leaves, but they turn into butterflies, so I couldn’t resist adding a couple! I’m sure you can think of other creatures to add!
Each insect just takes a few easy steps, which I’ve illustrated. Use paint or markers for the blobby parts.
One round yellow or red blob for bees or lady bugs.
Three small black blobs for ants. Several any-color-you-want blobs for caterpillars.
A black or brown long slender shape for butterflies.
Step 7 Add the spots, stripes, legs, antennae, etc. with a pen or thin marker. You may want to use paint for the butterfly wings. I did plain wings, but I’m sure you can be lots more creative! Let everything dry.
Step 8 Stand your garden up and color some more brown for the underground you just created and add more ants and worms, etc..
Step 9 To turn your garden into a stand up card to cheer up your grandparents or other special people, follow these steps:
Don’t use paint or marker for this part. Marker and paint would seep through onto your garden. I used crayon, but colored pencils would also work.
- Re-crease and fold your garden up.
- On the front write Happy Spring or some other cheerful greeting.
- On the left flap draw another picture of your choice and sign your name.
- On the right flap (which will be covered when the garden stands up) write a note that explains how to make the garden stand up.
- When your garden stands up the bottom will still show your name!
Molly loves flowers and hopes you’ll find working on this art project fun and relaxing, and if you send it to someone special you’ll be cheering them up too!
Molly would love to hear who you will send your card to!
Kathy, The Picture Lady 