Cardmaking: Fireflies in a Bottle

I found today's card on Pinterest and wondered how to go about making it. I love the idea of bottled fireflies, even though the thought of actually doing so, abhors me. It is the simplicity of this design that appealed to me. I walk you through the steps I took to replicate this cute card.

Start the project on a blue A4 sheet of cardboard.

Fold it over so that the top is slightly smaller than the bottom.

Use a standard alphabet stencil to draw the base of the jar with a white paint marker.

Draw the top of the jar freehand.

Draw two sets of three circles in a row to start the drawings of the fireflies. Use a black marker for this.

Draw two wings on each of the middle circles. Colour two of the circles on each bug, draw three legs on each and add two antennae to each.

Colour the remaining circle white. Write the words: You make my life brighter.

Add shadows to the lettering.

Use a white pastel to colour the jar and the side strip of the card. Colour over the lines in a circular pattern.

Blend the pastel with a tissue.

Carefully erase the pastel over the two bugs.

Redraw the black lines on the bugs to brighten the lines. I also accentuated the shadows on the lettering here, as I wasn't satisfied with my first attempt.

I then redrew the white lines of the jar as well.

I used fixative to keep the pastel from smudging.

The finished card.

You can also watch the steps above on a short compilation video here:
https://youtu.be/O1GoUQ4c0eM

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.
Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
You can follow Miekie's daily Bible Study blog, Bybel Legkaart, here in English & Afrikaans.
You may prefer to follow the traveling blog, A Pretty Tourist.
For more crafty ideas and great product reviews, visit A Pretty Talent on Facebook.
If you are in a literary mood, follow Miekie's musings, stories and poetry on A Pretty Author - Miekie.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making life PRETTY.
You can subscribe to any of these blogs and receive regular updates by email. Simply register your email address at the top of the applicable blog.