After drawing a whole barrel of folk art doodle apples last week, I just had to give the same technique a try with some bees, and I'm happy as can bee with the results! Okay, truthfully it did take me a whole sheet of bees to get it right, (and I almost gave up, yikes!) as I just couldn't find the right combination of florals and stripes, but in the end, I found a formula that works, and am so happy that I stuck with the idea in my head! And in any case, stripes and florals always go together, so why not with some fun folk art bee cards or gift tags?
With the Jewish New Year, Rosh HaShana, coming up a week from Sunday, now would be the time to get crafting......cards, decorations, something special for the table, a surprise for the kids in your life, a fun little something for a friend or neighbor? These doodle bees can be used for so many of the items I've listed, and are truly a relaxing craft to dive into, so go for it! Keep on reading to see some other versions, and then decide for yourself if you prefer black and white or black and white and festive color!
Truthfully I love them all, though the black and white ones are certainly the most flexible as far as matching any other decor or gift wrap or you name it!
You'll Need:
- watercolor paper or card stock
- permanent markers: fine for the drawing of the shapes, and other larger nibs for coloring in the designs
- cereal box cardboard
- a pencil
How To:
- Draw a simple bee shape on your cardboard in a size that works for your project, and once you've perfected that cut it out and use it as a template to trace around with a pencil.
- I was able to fit four bees on each sheet of paper, with a tiny one in the middle.
- Go over the pencil with a black marker, and then delineate the body from the wings and draw the stripes on the body as shown, using scallops, or not, or just a little.
- Draw your flowers and leaves in the wings with a pencil or go straight to the fine line marker once you've got the hang of it.
- Color everything in, make some little dots all around the outside of the shape for added texture, and then cut out your bee.
- Now go make a hiveful and have a wonderful time doing it!
Ah yes, and my black and white bees do look just perfect together with the colorful folk art doodle apples, right? Now it is time to figure out how to make a simple wall hanging with all of my folk art apples and bees, so stay tuned for that!