Hand Lettered Watercolor Gift Tags with Free Template

These watercolor gift tags will dress up any gift.

It happens every time I need to give a gift.  I haul out my under the bed box filled with wrapping paper, bags and tags.

I sift through the paper and the bags frantically like I just lost my wedding ring in the sand at the beach.

There HAS to be ONE tag in here somewhere. I’m just asking for ONE tag.

But there are no tags.

I’m tired of not having gift tags.  And I hate running to the store to pick some up because you know I always go with the intention of spending a few dollars on tags. And then $100 worth of stuff ends up in my cart. The struggle is real, friends.

So today I’ll show you how to make your own gift tags. Hand lettered watercolor gift tags to be exact. I’m going to use these on a gift for my mom for Mother’s Day but they are perfect for any occasion.

Hand Lettered Watercolor Gift Tags

^^^Pin this so you don’t forget how to make them!^^^

The first thing you need to do is download my free gift tag template. This template is for personal use only so if you have friends that you know will like it, please direct them to this post so they can download it. The template is formatted to fit onto a 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper.

Next, cut out the tags and punch a hole in the top.

After you have your tags all cut out, choose your paint color.  I used Artist’s Loft brand watercolors in Violet.   Squeeze out a tiny amount of paint into a paint palette and add some water.

Dip your paint brush into the paint and brush onto the gift tags. Add more water if you want the color lighter. I chose to paint mainly in the center of the gift tag but you can paint whatever style you like.

If you want an even quicker way to create a watercolor background, check out this tutorial.

If there is too much water on your gift tag, you can blot it with a paper towel.

When you are satisfied with the design on your gift tags, let the paint paint dry. After the paint is dry, you are going add the lettering. Don’t be afraid of this step!  Hand lettering may sound intimidating but it is not that difficult to achieve a beautiful look.

The marker that I used is the Tombow ABT.  It is a dual tip marker with a flexible tip and a firmer tip.

One key to hand lettering is making your downstrokes thick and your upstrokes thin. It is hard for me to get a thin upstroke so with this project, I “cheated” a bit.  I used the firm tip to sketch out the text. Then I went back over the downstrokes and made them thicker (still using the firm tip).

If you have more advanced skills than me, feel free to use the flexible tip.  I suggest practicing on a scrap piece of paper until you are happy with the results. And also don’t be afraid to sketch in pencil first.

When you are done, you’ll have beautiful hand made gift tags.  And you won’t have $100 worth of unecessary stuff.

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