DIY: Bookmarks

Good Morning!

So yesterday I posted this picture of some bookmarks that I made for a friend.

Lucky you!

I'm doing a tutorial on how to turn your very own doodles into pretty little bookmarks.

First, get out your doodle pad or paper and get inspired.

It's ok to draw a design over and over again.

The eraser on the end of that pencil is not the enemy.

Hints:

Be sure that your finished doodle is darkened with a pen or pencil. The lines need to be clear.

Resist the urge to "fill in" parts of your doodle. That's what the next step is for.

Next, snap a photo or scan your doodle and upload it to picnik.com.

Crop the image and play around with the exposure and contrast under the "Edit" tab. 

The idea is to make the page as white as possible while making your doodle as dark as possible.

Then go under the "Create" and use the "Doodle" option to color your image.

I strongly suggest coloring in one thing at a time then "applying" the color.

When you're finished coloring with your virtual crayons, you'll have an image looking something like this one.

You can now design your bookmark by pasting this diy clip-art to a white rectangle shape.

Hint:

I always create my bookmark rectangle by opening my image in "paint" and saving as a png.

Upload your "new" image to picnik and add words or stickers to the bookmark.

This is where your style comes together so don't just fly through this step.

All that's left to do now is to print your bookmark!

Hint:

Print your bookmark on stiff paper then glue it to thin cardboard before cutting.

This makes your bookmark last longer and resist tearing.

Speaking of bookmarks...stop on by tomorrow for a special freebie made by yours truly!