close-up pohoto of four doodle art postcards with pen and stamps

Crafts

Doodle Art Postcards: the beauty of white gel ink on painted recycled cardboard

I don’t know about you but I’ve been spending a LOT of time indoors missing my friends. I’ve also been spending a lot of time indoors crafting which is perfectly normal for me but probably not for everyone else. If we’ve learned anything as we navigate the new normal of pandemic-living, we’ve learned that we each cope in our own ways.

One of my favorite ways to stay close with the ones I miss is to send good old fashioned snail mail. You can see where this is going: sending mail plus crafting equals my latest coping mechanism: Doodle Art Postcards!

Making these Doodle Art Postcards is incredibly soothing. It doesn’t take a lot of skill but it looks like it does and that is the trick!

It’s almost like those adult coloring books but with a little more freedom. You’ll be surprised what kind of art your doodling can unlock with the right medium.

Let’s talk about the medium.

Supplies you’ll need to make your Doodle Art Postcards:

chip board (aka thin cardboard recycled from cereal boxes, pasta boxes, granola boxes…you’ve got them.)
acrylic paint in dark colors
a paint brush
white gel pens

1. Break down your thin cardboard boxes and cut them into mailable rectangles. I recommend something between 4×6 and 5×7 as that is the post-office-approved postcard size. However, if you are worried your cards are a little big or little small just stick a letter stamp (instead of a postcard stamp) on them and the few extra cents will guarantee they make it to their recipient.

2. Once your postcards are cut to size paint (in a very well-ventilated location) them black, or dark blue or green or whatever dark color suits your mood. I like to mix a few colors to make them even more interesting.

3. Let your cards dry completely and you are ready to start decorating with your white gel pen.

4. It’s time to dust off your doodling skills! Remember the days when you doodled in class while your teacher droned on or if you’re even older you might remember decorating a junk mail envelope when you were stuck on the phone. I know, this dates me but back in the olden days before we had phones to scroll on endlessly, doodling used to be a great way to pass the time.

Personally, I love to draw organic shapes. I love flowers and leaves and little squiggly stems with blips growing off them. But you don’t need to be an illustrator to make beautiful doodles. Really anything goes! You could write your name over and over or hatch marks or numbers! Break out a ruler and draw even lines if you like things orderly. Just let your mind drift and let your pen scrawl across the painted cardstock. Put on some music you enjoy and sip a cup of tea or coffee.

There will be a point where the process of doodling becomes more enjoyable than the actual art you create. It’s a meditative state that can be difficult to get to but once you do, you will start to feel the troubles of the day melt away as you get more and more in the zone. I swear, art can be therapy!

When you fill up a card you’ll have something personal and unique that no one else has! So pretty, right? There is something about reverse artwork on a dark background that makes it seem more intentional and contained. It’s not just doodles on a piece of paper. It’s art!

Even better, it’s art that you can share.

5. Lastly, stick a stamp on the back, draw a line down the middle, scrawl a little note and mail them off to your friends! I guarantee your postcard will be treasured.