How to make a Polar Bear Christmas Card with Alcohol Markers

Hello, cardmaking friends! It’s Mona Tóth here, and I’m so happy to be back on the Spellbinders blog. Today, I’m sharing a Christmas step-by-step card tutorial featuring the Polar Friends Stamp and Die Set by Simon Hurley. This card was inspired by the Christmas advertisements I remember seeing on television when I was a child in the 1990s. They often featured polar bears surrounded by bright red Christmas colors. I wanted to bring a little piece of that memory into my card, but I also added a soft coral shade behind the bear for a slightly different and more playful look. 

The large polar bear is the star of this card, so we will spend some time coloring him and adding small details. We will also create an arched window, add white heat-embossed sentiments and snowflakes, and finish the card with dimension and a little sparkle. Let’s get started!

1. Place a piece of alcohol marker-friendly white cardstock inside your stamping platform.
2. Position the large polar bear image from the Polar Friends Stamp Set on the cardstock. Close the door of the MISTI stamping platform to pick up the stamp.
3. Ink the stamp with black ink and stamp the image onto the white cardstock.

1. Check the stamped image before removing the cardstock. If the outline is not completely crisp and black, ink the stamp again and repeat the stamping in the same position.

TIP: A stamping platform makes it easy to stamp the image more than once without creating a blurry or doubled outline. 

1. Heat-set the stamped image for approximately 30 seconds. This helps the ink dry before coloring and reduces the chance of the black outline bleeding into the alcohol markers.

1. Clean the photopolymer stamp and place it back onto the printed carrier sheet. This keeps the stamp protected and makes it easier to find the next time you use the set.

Choose your favorite alcohol markers or another coloring medium you enjoy using. I use Ohuhu Honolulu markers for this project. 

1. Begin with the darkest red marker. Add color around the edges of the bear’s hat and bow and in the areas where you want the deepest shadows.

1. Continue with a medium red marker. Color next to and slightly over the darker shade to create a smoother transition. Leave some white space for the lightest areas.

1. Fill the remaining white areas with the lightest red marker. Blend slightly into the medium shade.

1. Use the darker muted teal marker to add shadows to the leaves around the bear.

1. Fill the remaining white areas with the lighter teal marker. Overlap the darker color slightly to soften the transition.

 TIP: If the dark teal shade disappears during blending, add another layer to the shadow areas. Small things make a big difference, and one extra layer can give the wreath much more depth.

The bear stays mostly white, but adding a little beige shading helps him stand out from the white cardstock.

1. Use the darker beige marker to add shadows around the edges of the bear. Follow the stamped fur lines as a guide.

1. Continue with the lighter beige marker. Overlap the darker areas and add a few small lines and dots throughout the fur.

1. Use a colorless blender to soften any strong edges and fade the beige color into the white areas.
2. Add more small dots with the beige markers using a stippling motion. These tiny marks create a soft, furry texture.

White details can take simple marker coloring to another level.

1. Use a white pigment or gel pen to add small highlight lines to the red hat, bow, teal leaves, berries, and other colored areas.

 TIP: A white pigment pen is also helpful for correcting small coloring mistakes. If your marker goes outside the stamped outline, cover the unwanted area with a little white pigment.

1. Place the coordinating polar bear die over the colored image with the cutting edge facing the cardstock.
2. Secure the die with Best Ever Craft Tape so it cannot move while cutting.

1. Create the die-cutting sandwich for your machine. For the Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine, place the plates in this order from bottom to top: Platform A, Platform B, Cutting Plate C, cardstock with the die, and a second Cutting Plate C.

1. Run the sandwich through the Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine.
2. Remove the die and release the colored polar bear image.

 The main colored image is now ready.

1. Cut a 5¼ x 4-inch panel from Poppy ColorWheel Cardstock.
2. Position one of the smaller arch dies from the Make a Wish Arch Labels Etched Dies near the upper part of the panel.

 NOTE: Place the die with the raised cutting lines and etched details facing down toward the cardstock. In the photo, I also show the back of the die so you can see the difference between the two sides.

1. Secure the arch die with Best Ever Craft Tape.
2. Run the panel through the die-cutting machine using the correct plate sandwich.

1. Remove the die to reveal an arched window in the red panel.
2. Save the small red arch that was cut from the center. You can use it for another project instead of throwing it away.

Several elements on this card are created with white heat embossing. Emboss the Main Sentiment

1. Place the red arched panel inside your stamping platform.
2. Position the “Sending Bear Hugs and Warm Wishes” sentiment underneath the arched opening.

1. Close the door of the stamping platform to pick up the stamp.
2. Apply anti-static powder to the cardstock. This helps prevent embossing powder from sticking in unwanted areas.

1. Ink the sentiment with clear watermark ink and stamp it onto the panel.

1. Cover the stamped sentiment with white embossing powder.
2. Tap off the excess powder and melt it with a heat tool until the sentiment becomes smooth and shiny.

1. Repeat the same heat-embossing process with the snowflake stamps from the Polar Friends Stamp Set on Poppy ColorWheel Cardstock.
2. Heat-emboss the “Season’s Greetings” sentiment on Oceanside ColorWheel Cardstock.

1. Place the coordinating dies over the heat-embossed snowflakes and sentiment.
2. Secure the dies with Best Ever Craft Tape.

1. Run the cardstock through the die-cutting machine.
2. Remove the finished die cuts and place the dies back into their storage.

1. Place the red card front on a protected work surface.
2. Splatter white watercolor paint over the panel to create a snowy background.
3. Set the panel aside and allow it to air-dry completely.

1. Cut a 5½ x 4¼-inch panel from Bellini ColorWheel Cardstock.
2. Apply Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue to the back of the Bellini panel.

1. Adhere it to a white A2 card base.

1. Add small self-adhesive foam squares to the back of the red arched card front.

1. Add a small amount of liquid glue on top of the foam squares before attaching the panel. The liquid glue gives you a little extra time to move the panel into the correct position.

1. Adhere the red panel over the Bellini background.

1. Add foam squares to the back of the colored polar bear and the heat-embossed snowflakes.
2. Use small white micro foam squares behind the “Season’s Greetings” sentiment for dimension.

1. Place the polar bear inside the arched window.

1. Adhere the “Season’s Greetings” sentiment across the front of the bear.

1. Arrange the snowflakes around the opening and near the edges of the red panel.

1. Finish the card by adding opal self-adhesive gems to the centers of the snowflakes and around the coral-colored arch.

I love how the bright red background brings back the feeling of those old Christmas advertisements, while the coral and muted teal colors make the design feel a bit more modern. Thank you so much for spending a little creative time with me here on the Spellbinders blog today. I hope this tutorial inspires you to try this technique on one of your own cards. You can also find me on Instagram where I share more cardmaking inspiration and easy-to-follow photography tips for cardmakers. I wish you an amazing crafty day.

Spellbinders Supplies:

White A2 card base, black alcohol-marker-friendly ink, clear watermark ink, white embossing powder, anti-static powder tool, heat tool, MISTI stamping platform, Ohuhu Honolulu alcohol markers, white pigment or gel pen, white watercolor paint; paintbrush.