• 72 designs

Bookmark Drawing Ideas for Strips and Folded Corners

Three designs for a tall strip of card, how each fills the strip and whether it suits pen, pencil or watercolour.

Bookmark Drawing Ideas for Strips and Folded Corners

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  1. Tower block at night with lit windowsPen and wash, one tall subject. Twelve floors, three windows each. Light a third of them yellow. Someone reads in one.
  2. Koala climbing a gum treePen and wash, bottom up. The trunk runs up one side. The koala hugs it at 9 cm, looking back. Leaves hang from the top.
  3. Cat corner, whiskers running off the edgesPen, corner fold. Nose at the point, eyes halfway up the flap. Glue two triangle ears so they stand above the long edge.

Next step More cute things to drawMore scenes to paint in watercolour

All 72 designs

Easy 33

  • Bamboo stems with a joint every 2 cm Watercolour, bottom up. Two stems, one fat, one thin. Paint each segment as one stroke, with a gap between. Dab leaves.
  • Bee trail looping down to a daisy Pen, top down. A dashed line loops three times from a bee at the top to a daisy at the bottom. Two colours.
  • Bunting zigzagging down the strip Pen, top down. Swing the string from edge to edge five times. Hang a triangle flag every centimetre. Pattern each.
  • Cat on the top edge with its tail hanging down Pen, top down. The cat takes the top 3 cm. The tail wanders 12 cm and curls at the end. Stripe it.
  • Caterpillar climbing, one segment per centimetre Pen and wash, bottom up. Twelve circles overlap up the strip, alternating two greens. Face at the top, boots optional.
  • Climbing vine with a leaf every centimetre Pen, bottom up. One wavy stem, bottom corner to top. Alternate the leaves left and right. Curl the tip.
  • Dachshund stretched the full length Pen, one tall subject. Nose at the top, tail at the bottom, a long body between. Dress it in a striped jumper.
  • Falling leaves, big at the top and tiny below Watercolour, top down. Nine leaves in reds and ochres, shrinking as they fall. Tilt each a different way. Veins in pen.
  • Feather, quill end down Pencil, one tall subject. The shaft curves gently down the middle. Barbs sweep up and out. Split the vane in two places.
  • Genre icons, one every 3 cm Pen, stacked. Magnifying glass, rocket, crown, ghost, heart. Draw each in a circle. Tick the one you are reading.
  • Giraffe whose neck is the whole bookmark Pen and wash, one tall subject. Head in the top 3 cm, shoulders at the bottom. Patches fill the 10 cm of neck between.
  • Ice cream cone corner Pen, corner fold. Crosshatch the flap as a waffle cone, point down. Glue a paper scoop so it stands above the long edge.
  • Ice cream with far too many scoops Pen and wash, stacked. Cone in the bottom 4 cm, then seven scoops, each a new colour and a little off centre.
  • Ladder to the moon Pen, bottom up. Two rails, a rung every centimetre, a crescent in the top 2 cm. Add one small climber halfway.
  • Lavender sprigs tied with string Watercolour, bottom up. Three thin stems fan out from a knot at 3 cm. Dab purple in pairs up the top 5 cm of each.
  • Mountain peak corner with a snow cap Watercolour, corner fold. Turn the point upward. A jagged white cap, grey below, a row of tiny pines on the long edge.
  • Mountain ranges in five stacked layers Watercolour, stacked. Palest ridge at the top, darkest at the bottom. Let each layer dry before painting the next.
  • Night sky graded from navy down to pink Watercolour, top down. One graded wash, dark to light. When it dries, dot stars in white pen. Add a black treeline.
  • Pencil drawn the full length of the strip Pen and wash, one tall subject. Point at the top, eraser and metal band at the bottom. The strip is the right shape.
  • Pizza slice corner Pen and wash, corner fold. Crust on the long edge, cheese down to the point. Pepperoni circles, some cut by the sides.
  • Rain falling from one cloud at the top Pen, top down. Cloud in the top 3 cm, dashes all the way down, and a puddle with three rings at the bottom.
  • Reading log with ten blank lines Pen, top down. Decorate the top 3 cm, then rule ten lines. Write in each title as you finish it.
  • Rocket with a long exhaust trail Watercolour, top down. Rocket in the top 4 cm. The trail below fades from orange to yellow to bare paper. Stars in pen.
  • Row of balloons on very long strings Pen and wash, top down. Three balloons in the top 4 cm. The strings run 10 cm down to one small hand at the bottom edge.
  • Seven bands of pattern, a new one every 2 cm Pen, repeating bands. Dots, scales, waves, checks, zigzags, leaves, stars. Rule the dividing lines first. One pen.
  • Sharpened pencil tip corner Pen and wash, corner fold. The point is the lead. A scalloped line marks the bare wood. Paint the rest yellow.
  • Spider on a very long thread Pen, top down. A web in the top corner, one ruled thread of 11 cm, a small spider at the end. Most of it stays blank.
  • Stack of books with your real favourites on the spines Pen, stacked. Eight spines of different thickness, a few tilted. Letter a title on each. A mug on top.
  • Strawberry corner, seeds in rows Pen and wash, corner fold. Red flap, point down. A ruff of green leaves on the long edge. Seeds are small yellow ticks.
  • Sunflower on a tall stem Pen and wash, one tall subject. Flower head in the top 4 cm, two big leaves halfway down, a stem of two ruled lines.
  • Teacup with steam rising the full length Pencil, bottom up. Cup in the bottom 3 cm. Steam curls up the other 12. Hide one word in the curls.
  • Watermelon slice corner Watercolour, corner fold. The flap is already a wedge. Green rind on the long edge, pink down to the point, pen seeds.
  • Your name, one capital per line Pen, top down. Pillar lettering: each capital sits in its own 2 cm box. Six letters fill 12 cm. Pattern the boxes.

Cute 18

  • Beanstalk through the clouds to a castle Pen and wash, bottom up. The stalk twists up the middle. Cloud band at 11 cm, the castle above it. A boy climbs at 5 cm.
  • Bookworm poking out over the top Pen and wash, over the top. Draw the head and glasses in the top 2 cm and cut round them. The body bends down the strip.
  • Cat corner, whiskers running off the edges Pen, corner fold. Nose at the point, eyes halfway up the flap. Glue two triangle ears so they stand above the long edge.
  • Cat stretching up to reach a butterfly Pen and wash, bottom up. Back paws on the bottom edge, front paws at 12 cm, and the butterfly just out of reach.
  • Cats and books stacked in turn Pen and wash, stacked. Book, cat, book, cat, five of each. The cats are loaf shaped. The top cat is awake.
  • Corner monster with zigzag teeth Pen, corner fold. Eyes on the front flap, teeth along its long edge. On the book, the monster is biting the page.
  • Fox corner with a white muzzle Pen and wash, corner fold. Orange flap with the point as the nose. White cheeks either side. Glue two paper ears behind.
  • Frog corner with eyes above the fold Pen and wash, corner fold. Green flap, wide mouth line. Glue on two paper eyes that stand above the long edge.
  • Jellyfish drifting, tentacles to the bottom Watercolour, top down. Paint the bell onto damp paper so it blooms. Pull thin tentacles down with the brush tip.
  • Koala climbing a gum tree Pen and wash, bottom up. The trunk runs up one side. The koala hugs it at 9 cm, looking back. Leaves hang from the top.
  • Mouse peeking over the top edge Pen, over the top. Ears, eyes and paws sit in the top 2 cm. Cut round them. The tail runs down the strip in one loop.
  • Octopus with tentacles trailing to the bottom Watercolour, top down. Head in the top 4 cm. Eight arms twist the rest of the way down. Add suckers as dots when dry.
  • Owl corner with big round eyes Pen, corner fold. Two coin-sized eyes meet in the middle of the flap. Beak between them. Feather scallops to the point.
  • Penguin corner with an orange beak Pen, corner fold. Black flap edges, white face in the middle, beak at the point. The only colour is the beak.
  • Rabbit burrow in cross-section Pen and wash, top down. Grass and a carrot top at the surface. The tunnel winds down to a rabbit reading in bed.
  • Sloth hanging from the top edge Pen and wash, top down. Claws hook over the top. Long arms take 5 cm, then the sleepy face and round body. Legs dangle.
  • Stack of sleeping animals, biggest at the bottom Pencil, stacked. Bear, fox, rabbit, mouse, each curled up on the one below. All eyes shut. A moon on top.
  • Tower of frogs sitting on each other's heads Pen and wash, stacked. Five frogs, the bottom one unimpressed. Shrink them as they go up. The top frog wears a crown.

Book lovers 13

  • A line from the book, lettered down the strip Pen, top down. One or two words per line, the key word biggest. Pencil guide lines 1 cm apart before inking.
  • Book dragon corner with fire inside Pen and wash, corner fold. Scales on the flap, nostrils near the point. Paint flames inside, seen when it comes off.
  • Bookshelf seen front-on, five shelves high Pen, stacked. Five shelves of 3 cm. Lean some books, lay some flat, and leave a gap for a plant or a sleeping cat.
  • Bookworm corner in reading glasses Pen, corner fold. Round glasses fill the flap. Letter a tiny page of text on the inside square, as if being read.
  • Candle for reading past bedtime Watercolour, one tall subject. A tall taper with drips. Put the flame in the top 2 cm so the glow shows above the pages.
  • Dragon coiled down the strip, guarding a book Pencil, top down. Head at the top, body in three loops that touch both edges, tail wrapped round a book at the bottom.
  • Fairy-tale tower with a plait to the ground Pencil, one tall subject. One window in the top 3 cm. The plait hangs 11 cm down the stonework. A climber has started.
  • Library ladder against tall shelves Pencil, bottom up. Shelves fill the strip. A ladder leans across them, and a reader sits halfway up with a lantern.
  • Open book with the story pouring out Pen and wash, bottom up. Book in the bottom 3 cm. Ships, dragons, stars and a castle rise from its pages to the top.
  • Reading lamp and its cone of light Watercolour, top down. Lamp in the top 3 cm. A yellow cone widens down to an open book. Outside it, all dusk blue.
  • Spine of your favourite book, title and all Pen and wash, one tall subject. The spine fills the strip. The title reads top to bottom, as on UK and US spines.
  • Tall window with a reader on the sill Pen and wash, one tall subject. An arched window fills the strip. Reader and cat share the sill. Rain on the glass.
  • Thermometer of pages read Pen, bottom up. A tube with a mark every 50 pages. Colour it in as you read. When it is full, the book is finished.

Tall scenes 7

  • Hot air balloon high above tiny fields Watercolour, top down. Balloon in the top 5 cm. Below it, 8 cm of empty sky. Patchwork fields fill the last 2 cm.
  • Lighthouse on a rock, beam across the top Watercolour, one tall subject. Tower 9 cm tall in red and white bands. The beam crosses the top 2 cm. Waves at the foot.
  • One tree through four seasons Pen and wash, stacked. Four boxes of 3.5 cm: blossom, full leaf, orange, bare. Draw the same trunk in each.
  • Sea in cross-section, surface to seabed Watercolour, top down. Pale at the surface, deepest blue at the bottom. A boat on top, an anglerfish and its lamp below.
  • Tower block at night with lit windows Pen and wash, one tall subject. Twelve floors, three windows each. Light a third of them yellow. Someone reads in one.
  • Waterfall from the cliff top to the pool Watercolour, top down. Leave the falling water as bare paper. Rocks darken either side. Soften the foot into mist.
  • Wisteria hanging from a branch at the top Watercolour, top down. Branch across the top. Trails of purple dabs hang to different lengths, the longest 11 cm.

Corner bookmarks 1

  • Shark corner biting the page Pen and wash, corner fold. Grey front flap, eye near the point. Small triangle teeth line the long edge. Red inside.

How it works

A strip of card about 5 cm wide and 15 cm tall, or a folded paper corner: these 72 bookmark drawing ideas are made for that shape. Each names the medium that suits it, pen, pencil, watercolour or pen and wash, and says how it fills the strip: top down, bottom up, stacked, or as one tall subject.

Read the full guide

Work with the tall shape

A strip three times taller than it is wide suits things that hang, climb, stack or stretch. A cat's tail can wander 12 cm, a giraffe is nearly all neck, and eight book spines make a tower. Wide subjects have to be turned on end: the sea becomes a cross-section, and a mountain range becomes five ridges stacked pale to dark.

Pen, pencil or watercolour

Pen is the safe choice: it stays crisp on a strip only 5 cm wide, and 14 of the 33 Easy designs need nothing else. Pencil is for soft subjects such as the feather and the teacup steam. Watercolour gives the best skies and seas; if the strip curls as it dries, press it overnight inside a heavy book. A bookmark should carry nothing that can bleed onto the pages, so let paint and ink dry fully.

  • Rule two strips on the same sheet. If ink smudges on the first, the spare is ready, and a good spare is a gift.
  • Design the top 2 cm for the closed book: it is all that shows above the pages, so give it a face, a flame or a moon.
  • Cut the strip from card and snip the corners round so they do not catch.

Questions and answers

How do you fold a corner bookmark?

Fold a square of paper corner to corner into a triangle. Fold the two side corners up to the top point, then unfold them. Fold the top layer of the top point down to the long edge. Fold the side corners up again and tuck them into the pocket this makes. A 15 cm square comes out as a 7.5 cm corner, and the front flap takes the drawing.

What size should a bookmark be?

There is no standard. These designs assume a strip about 5 cm wide and 15 cm tall, short enough to sit inside a paperback with the top showing. Go narrower for a pocket book, or taller for a ribbon hole.

Which designs make a good gift for a reader?

Press Book lovers. The thermometer of pages read and the reading log get used, not just looked at, and the stack of spines can carry the titles that reader loves. For a tall to-read pile, add a pick from the TBR prompt generator on the back.

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