DIY Calligraphy Birthday Card

What you will need.

In order to make this card you will need:

• A card blank and envelope (I used a square one, but use any size you wish)
• Brush pens in bright colours (I used the Karin Pro Markers)
• Black brush pen (i.e. Pentel brush sign pen)
• Fineliner
• Washi tape

Step One

Start by adding a strip of washi tape to the front of your card. I placed it around a third of the way up as I wanted my lettering in the bottom third. 

Tip: Make sure you use a low tack tape that won't damage your card when you come to remove it. 

Step Two

Grab your brush pens and draw some candles at different angles and heights across the card, overlapping the masking tape. Don't worry about making these too perfect, this design isn't supposed to be super polished! 

Tip: I used different colours for each candle, but if you fancy experimenting, why not try it with stripey candles, metallic or just one or 2 colours. 

Step Three

Don't forget to add the flames to your candles! I used a neon yellow karin brushmarker for these so they really stood out, or you could try adding some gold or foil if you want to switch it up.

Once you have done that, carefully remove your wash tape from the card.

Step Four

Using your fineliner pen, roughly add outlines to your candles. I purposefully made these misaligned to the drawn candles to give it a more sketchy look.

Step Five

Now it's time to add your lettering. I used my fineliner to write the word Happy in block lettering, before using my Pentel Brush Sign Pen to write the word birthday.  

Tip: If you prefer you can lightly use a pencil to sketch out the placement of your lettering before going over it with your pens.