DIY Block-Printed Spring Cards
I love it when I see the flowers starting to poke out of the ground and overwintered garden plants starting to bloom. This time of year always inspires me to make new handmade cards that capture the essence of spring. Making a batch of floral greeting cards in advance is a great way to ensure you have a card ready to pop in the mail to send spring greeting cards, wish someone a happy birthday, Mother’s Day cards, or just because! Below are the steps to make your own DIY block-printed spring cards.
Flowers are an endless source of inspiration—there are so many kinds and colors! You can make floral cards that speak to your interests and use any color palette you like. Keep things simple; use black ink or add visual pop with bright colors.
Making a simple card helps me set (and keep) the intention of sending a bit of joy in the mail to people I love. Spring is a time I feel like reconnecting with friends and family after a quiet Winter. I have been focusing on living intentionally and slowing down to enjoy the simple things life offers. Making hand block-print spring cards is an easy way to connect with the season and be present in the moment.
Steps to creating hand DIY block-printed spring cards
1. Get your cards ready to make your DIY Block-Printed Spring Cards:
Prep your cards by cutting down some card stock (100lbs +) to one of the following sizes:
- 4Bar | 3.5 in x 5 in (my favorite!)
- A2 | 4.25 in x 5.5 in
- A7 | 5 in x 7 in
I like to fold cards while I listen to good music or a podcast. After an initial fold, press the crease with a bone folder to make it really crisp. Prep as many cards as you would like to print, plus a few extra for missprints. Set these aside. You can also purchase already cut and folded cards in advance.
(Not pictured: A7 card size.)
2. Draw your design:
Draw your design: Find inspiration from your garden, a neighbor’s garden, or a photograph of spring plants. It can be helpful to draw several rectangles in your sketchbook or on a piece of tracing paper that gives you about a quarter-inch of room around the edge of your soon-to-be-printed card. I like to do this with a ruler. Sketch it out! Start by drawing the basic shapes of the flower. When you are happy with the placement of the petals, stem, and leaves, go ahead and add some details. Spring card ideas are endless!
Don’t forget the leaves:
Remember the leaves when drawing a block-printing flower design. Take a closer look and consider creative ways to include leaves in your floral design. Adding leaves will help your viewer place your flowers in space. Try surrounding your flower design with a few leaves, or another fun thing you can try is to make the stems and leaves wrap around the back of the card or have them print off the edge of the card.
Take a closer look:
When you look at your drawing, consider balancing your image with the amount of life light and dark areas on your card. This doesn’t have to be 50/50, but it is more visually appealing if you have a mix of light and dark in your print. This principle can be applied to just the flower or to the flower and the surrounding blank card space.
5. Transfer your drawing:
When you have finished a flower drawing you are satisfied with, trace over your final lines with a graphite pencil. Use a graphite pencil to trace the final drawing on your paper so you have a nice soft layer of pencil lead on the surface of your paper. Turn your paper over so the pencil lines are directly on your easy carve block. Rub your image with the back of a spoon (or your hands) to transfer your sketch to the block. Carefully lift up your paper and check to see if you have enough of your image transferred. You can also draw directly onto the easy carve with your pencil to darken up any areas you want to see more clearly.
6. Carve your block:
First, I like to remove the edges by cutting them off or removing the extra material surrounding the flower. Then, remove any part of the easy-carve material you do not want to print. Remember to always carve away from yourself for safety. After you have carved away the bulk of the block you don’t wish to print, go ahead and carve the details.
7. Test print & edit:
When you are block printing on paper, it is nice to do a few test prints on scratch paper before you use your final prints to practice before you use your cardstock. I recommend inking up your block with an ink pad and doing a few test prints on scrap paper. Make your edits. After reviewing how the initial test print came out (so exciting!), remove any little areas of your block you do not want to print.
8. Printing:
(This is the fun part!) I like to use my dining table as a work surface. I lay down a piece of paper to print on and then put completed prints on a cookie sheet or large piece of cardboard so I can easily move the prints around my space. Ink pads might be convenient and easier to use when printing a small number of cards because they require less cleanup. If you print many cards, I would roll out some Cranfield Caligo Safe Wash Relief Ink to print with. I typically print these types of projects by applying pressure to the back of the block with my hands. If you are having trouble applying even pressure to your prints, you might like to try pressing on your block with a Speedball Baren to create more uniform pressure all over the block.
9. Dry:
Drying time will vary depending on the thickness of your ink application and the temperature and humidity of your space. I try to print my cards with enough time that they can sit and dry for a day or two before I need to use them.
10. Make a mailing list:
While your cards are drying, make a list of folks you would like to send a sweet note to! Spring is a beautiful season to send a just-because card or a birthday greeting. And if you don’t send all of your cards, don’t worry! These DIY block-printed spring cards work for all occasions!
11. Finishing steps:
Add your name or the flower’s name to the back of the card—it’s all about the details! For inspiration, look at the back of other people’s cards to see how they signed them and what information they included. Some ideas of what to write are your name, your studio name, where they were made, a fun quote, the year, or a short poem. If you print a lot of cards, you might consider ordering a self-inking stamp with your information; that is what I use for small-batch cards (pictured).
12. Gifting your DIY block-printed spring cards:
If you want to package these printed cards to give as a gift, package them in a group of 4 (or more) and wrap them in tissue paper with a raffia string. You can even make a hand-printed gift tag!
I hope making your own hand block-printed spring cards was a joy! Don’t forget, when you’re done printing your cards, you can use your block to make pattern papers and print future projects!
Jacquelyn
Jacquelyn Speare, M.S.Ed. is a visual artist and professional educator. The Friendly Printmaker is the place to learn about printmaking, find product reviews, and find inspiration for DIY relief print projects. Learn more about Jacquelyn here.
