Halloween Cat Card Tutorial

I made Halloween cards for my nieces and nephew last weekend and midway through starting thinking this would make for a nifty tutorial. Ergo, here's a how-to for making your own seasonally apropos felines.

Tutorial after the jump.

Grab the above items, plus some black construction paper. For pencils, I used Prismacolor pencils because they're bright enough to pop against the black paper, but feel free to use whatever works best for you.

Instructions:

1. Download a template (with folding directions) here.
2. Trace template to black construction paper and cut out.
3. You can start drawing at this point, or fold the card first. I folded first, just because it makes it easier to see what elements fall above or below the ridges.
4. Thread needle and bring twine from back of card to the front. Tape twine to backside of cat. Repeat on both sides of the cat's face, near the mask.
5. To finish, fold up the cat and tie twine behind the head.
6. Voila! You're ready to spread some Halloween cheer.

Mark Your Place

 

Because everyone and their brother makes a New Year's resolution to read more (yours truly included), here's something to help you out: a bookmark tutorial.

 

You'll need cardboard (I used a leftover mailer), paint, a paintbrush, a pen and scissors.

   

Trace the template onto your cardboard (full size = about 1 3/4 by 4 inches). Cut out, then carefully make a slit for both arms, slightly rounding out the hands once free. After you've cut out the figure, fill in features with a pen and add accents with paint. Let dry.

To use, place arms over the page you want to mark, slipping the body a few pages behind. Happy Reading!