Easy Hand-Made Bookmark | Peacock Design Tutorial
Handmade Peacock Bookmark
If you are anything like me, you are nothing if not a sucker for adorable bookmarks. Instead of buying an overpriced (yet super cute) bookmark, here’s a simple and easy way to make one yourself.
Supplies
If you want to make your bookmark in the most hassle free way, it is important to have all of your supplies ready before you start creating.
For this project, you will need:
- Watercolor, cardstock, or multi-media paper
- Scizzors
- Paper cutter (optional; helps with straight lines)
- Acrylic paints and brushes
Alrighty, let’s get started!
Step 1- Sketching and Shaping
The first step is to cut the shape and size of your bookmark. I recommend making it about 2 inches wide and anywhere from 6-12 inches tall.
This is where the paper cutter comes in handy – scissors just don’t get the same perfectly straight line. I use the Fiskars Supercut Trimmer.
After you have the correct bookmark shape, we can start trimming around the peacock shape! Trimming the sides is an essential part of the process to make a unique bookmark:
To get your bookmark into the correct shape, there needs to be a preliminary sketch. This sketch will help to show you what parts of the book mark to cut out. Start by sketching the background of the peacocks feathers, making sure the waviness tapers down towards the bottom.
Next, we need to sketch out the rounded top of the bookmark. Use the bottom of a cup or water bottle to get a perfectly semi-circular sketch. Now, trim along that line!
Step 2 - Background Painting
Time to start painting! You can use any color that you want … but if you want the same design as my example, use a light pink color as the background
If you are mixing the paint from scratch, start with white and add a dab of red.
After you mix that together, add some yellow and a touch of blue; mix until you get the desired result.
REMEMBER- Acrylic paint will dry darker than it appears when wet!!
Paint the whole back side of the bookmark with this shade of pink. Once that dries, paint the top half of the front with the same color.
Step 3 - Making the Body
Sketching time (again)! To ensure the perfection of the bookmark, we need to re-sketch the body before putting paint to paper.
Its super simple to sketch the peacock shape, since its is really only two large shapes put together. Start with the head, then the neck, then with the outline of the feathers.
If you are having trouble with the sketch, you can print out a picture of my bookmark and trace it onto your bookmark.
Painting the Undercoat
After you finish lightly sketching, fill in the body with dark blue and the background of the feathers with turquoise.
Step 4 - The Details
After the body dries- lightly sketch the eye, beak, and one or two of the feathers for reference.
It is extremely important to use the thinnest detailing paint brush that you have when painting the feathers. The thinner the brush, the better your peacock design will be.
Detail Work
Start painting by using white to color in the eye sketch, head feathers, and the line work of the feathers on the body (warning: the feathers will be time consuming and take attention to detail… but it's SO worth it).
Remember to add yellow onto the eyes and feathers before adding blue dots!
Step 5 - Sealing
Now that the painting and creating is done, it is time to seal your masterpiece. Make sure everything is completely dry before spraying/painting top coat onto your bookmark.
Peacock Bookmark in use
After letting it dry for an hour , it’s time to enjoy your new bookmark!
I hope you enjoyed this process, it truly is very relaxing. Send me your version of the peacock book mark, I would love to see it!
Until next time,
