How to Make Watercolour Gift Tags

These watercolour gift tags are so pretty and add such a personal touch to any present! Not only are they incredibly easy to make, but painting them is relaxing and really fun to do. Break out those brushes and get ready to create a beautiful batch of tags – the perfect compliment to any present. Such a creative and colourful DIY gift wrap idea!

I’ll admit, I LOVE giving presents. There’s nothing better than picking out the perfect thing to brighten someone’s day. I especially love taking a little extra time to make the outside just as special as the inside. I became obsessed with creative wrapping ideas ever since I learned How to Wrap with Fabric last year. It’s so easy and looks so chic. (You can learn too – just check out my post!)

These watercolour tags are like the icing on the cake! They look amazing with any type of wrapping and add such a lovely, homemade touch. If you aren’t artistically inclined, don’t worry! There are no rules here – the goal is just to use colours that inspire you with simple patterns and brushstrokes. Stick to one colour or mix a few together, the sky’s the limit to how many tiny masterpieces you can create!

In this post, I’ll share some simple watercolour tips for painting, and an easy way to make a whole batch in one sitting! You’ll only need a few basic supplies and you don’t need top of the line materials to get professional looking results.

Check out my video on How to Make Watercolour Gift Tags:

Supplies you’ll need:

Here’s a list of affiliate links that will take you to products on amazon that are similar to the supplies I used to make these.

Watercolour Paints (pan ) or Watercolour Paints (tube)
Watercolour Paper
Paint Brushes
Punch Pliers or Hole Punch
Letter Stamps with Ink (optional)
Scissors
Pencil
Paper Towels
Cup of Water

Getting Started:

Let’s talk supplies! Like I mentioned above, you don’t need the highest quality paint to make this basic craft work. I already had some pan watercolours, but tube paints will work too, and there are a bunch of affordable options on Amazon. The same goes for the brushes, I got a pack of 12 for under $15 and they work great!

Watercolour paper is essential for this project or any art piece using watercolour paints. It’s thick like card stock, and made with additives called “sizing” that allows it to absorb moisture in the proper way. It remains flat, has an even colour tone, and doesn’t tear when water is layered on top. Any size paper will work. For this project I used paper that measured 5.5′ x 8.5′.

Batching your Tags:

Once you have all your main supplies, the only other things you’ll need is a template for tracing out your tags. I used some gift tags I’d bought at Ikea ages ago for dirt cheap. You can easily make your own or use one you already have handy like I did!

I found it easiest to make these in batches. Just trace as many templates as you can on a piece of paper. Use a pencil so you can erase any leftover markings around the edges once you cut them out.

Painting the Tags:

The key with watercolour is to paint in thin layers. For the love of keeping things simple and easy, you can focus on layering only one colour. If you’re more experienced and have used watercolours before, try mixing and layering more than one!

Grab a brush – (I used a larger one called “cats tongue”) and submerge it in water. Use the brush to wet your solid colour or squeeze some colour from a tube and dilute it. Once your brush is saturated, lightly dip it in water once more before laying the colour down on the paper. Have a paper towel handy for wiping off the brush in between colours.

Now you can start painting your first tag! Do what feels right, there are no rules! I used light brushstrokes, and added a few different shapes, but tried to keep some white in between for contrast.

Once your first layer is down, leave it to dry completely. If you want a more vibrant payoff you can add a second wash over the first! I used two layers on each of my tags.

The less saturated your brush, the more vibrant the colours will be and vice versa. I suggest making a practice sheet to start with so you can get the hang of how the paints work. After that, you’ll know exactly how you want to paint them.

Make all the tags the same, or make each one a different colour. Be sure to wash your brush in between each one or you’ll get some colour mixing that you didn’t expect (the blue tag is an example of this, but I think it looks ok!)

Finishing Up:

Leave your sheet to dry. This should only take a few minutes. Once dry, grab some scissors and cut them out!

The last step is punching a small hole in the top of each one. I used a pair of punch pliers. These are awesome since you can choose the size of the hole, but a hole punch will work if that’s all you have!

Write a message on the back or if you want to get even fancier, use some letter stamps for a little extra pizazz.

Once you get the hang of using watercolours, you can experiment with different colour combinations and even throw some patterns in there! You can also customize them to match any paper or fabric you plan to wrap your gifts with.

I think these look amazing paired with a brightly wrapped gift. Just grab some ribbon, string or twine to secure them.

Watercolour Gift Tag Tips and Tricks:

If you decide to mix colours, be sure to work from light to dark.
The more water you add, the more diluted and transparent the mixture becomes, and the lighter the tone of your brush marks.
Water-Paint Ratios: too much water will lead to lighter colours, paint that spreads and muddy looking mixes. Too little water leads to thicker colours that don’t lay down properly and visible brushstrokes.
When adding layers for texture, make sure to let each layer dry in between.
Have some paper towel handy to dry off your clean brushes in between colour applications.

Alternative Method:

If you don’t need to make several tags in different colours, and want them all to match, try this: paint an entire piece of watercolour paper. You can use only one colour or mix it up with a few different ones. Now you can trace your tags on that paper and cut them out OR purchase a gift tag punch and just go to town!

DIY Watercolour Gift Tags

Get creative and crafty with this beautiful DIY gift wrap idea.

Pair of Scissors
Pencil
Paper Towel
Punch Pliers or Hole Punch
Cup of Water

Watercolour Paints ((pan or tube))
Watercolour Paper ((any size))
Paint Brushes
Letter Stamps + Ink ((optional))
Gift Tag Template

Grab a gift tag template. Use an existing tag or make one from card stock.
Trace the template onto a sheet of watercolour paper. Fit as many as possible without overcrowding the page.
Using a watercolour brush, choose a colour and paint a thin layer over the first tag. Leave to dry, then add a second layer (optional)
Paint the remaining tags. Use the same colour or make each one a different colour. Let dry.
Once dry, cut out the tags using scissors.
Using a pair of punch pliers or a hole punch, add a small hole to the top of each of the gift tags.
Your collection of watercolour tags is complete!

Watercolour gift tags are so pretty and really easy to make! Not only do they add a homemade and personal touch to your gifts, but the process of painting them is relaxing and fun. Get creative and crafty with this beautiful DIY gift wrap idea.