• 60 ideas
  • Checked October 2026

Postcard Art Ideas

Three drawings for a blank postcard per press, with the side each goes on and what to draw it with.

Postcard Art Ideas

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  1. A railroad track around all four edges with one tiny enginePicture side, pen only. Two rails and short ties all the way around; the engine sits on the bottom straight.
  2. A bean stem climbing the left edge with tendrils across the topPicture side, pen and one color. One wavy stem, a leaf at each bend, curls reaching over the picture.
  3. A moon that changes shape card by cardPicture side, pen and one dark color. Same circle each time; color a different share of it dark.

Next step Patterns to run along an edgePictures that change step by step

All 60 ideas

The picture side 12

  • A crest for your town: its bird, its tree, its flower Picture side, pen and three colors. Split a shield in three and put one plain symbol in each part.
  • A hand-drawn map from your door to the mailbox, dotted footpath and all Picture side, pen and one color. Mark three things passed on the way and put an X on the mailbox.
  • A lighthouse whose beam holds the greeting Picture side, pen and one color. The beam is a pale wedge across the card; letter three words inside it.
  • A wish-you-were-here beach with one empty deck chair Picture side, pen and three colors. Keep the chair empty and letter the greeting along the waterline.
  • Chunky block letters of your town with a small scene inside each Picture side, pen and three colors. Outline the capitals first, then fit one local sight in every letter.
  • Every roof on your block in one skyline, chimneys and all Picture side, pen and one color. One unbroken roofline runs right across; color only the chimney pots.
  • The kitchen table from above, exactly as it is right now Picture side, pen only. Plates are circles, a mug leaves a ring, a book pokes in from one corner.
  • One view ruled into quarters, a different weather in each Picture side, pen and two colors. Rule a cross. The same hill goes in each quarter under sun, rain, fog and snow.
  • The stars you can see tonight above a strip of rooftops Picture side, pen and one dark color. Dot the stars in pencil first, then color the sky around them.
  • Today's weather filling the whole card Picture side, pen and one color. One huge cloud, sun or downpour, with the place lettered small beneath.
  • The view from your window with the frame, catch and curtains drawn in Picture side, pen and two colors. Draw the window frame first; what is outside fills the panes.
  • Your pet as a travel poster, name in capitals underneath Picture side, pen and two colors. One bold shape in the middle, flat sky behind, lettering along the bottom.

Borders and airmail edges 12

  • A bean stem climbing the left edge with tendrils across the top Picture side, pen and one color. One wavy stem, a leaf at each bend, curls reaching over the picture.
  • A checkerboard strip down the left side only Picture side, pen only. Two columns of squares, every other one filled. The rest of the card stays open.
  • A film-strip border with square holes top and bottom Picture side, pen only. Two dark bands with evenly spaced squares; the picture sits between them.
  • A railroad track around all four edges with one tiny engine Picture side, pen only. Two rails and short ties all the way around; the engine sits on the bottom straight.
  • A rope border with a knot at every corner Picture side, pen and one color. Draw S curves end to end for the twist, then a loop knot at each corner.
  • A ruler border with tick marks along all four edges Picture side, pen only. Long tick, four short ticks, repeat. Number only the long ones.
  • Bird tracks hopping along the bottom and up the right side Picture side, pen only. Three toes forward, one back, in pairs; the last pair is cut off by the edge.
  • Paper lanterns and tassels hung from a sagging cord, top edge only Picture side, pen and two colors. A sagging line first, then ovals hung from it in two colors by turns.
  • Paper-doily loops and dots around all four edges Picture side, pen only. A row of half circles along each edge, one dot inside every scallop.
  • Red and blue airmail bars slanting around the edge Picture side, pen and two colors. Short slanted bars, red then blue, with a bare gap between each.
  • Running stitches a finger width from the edge, with a tiny needle Picture side, pen only. Short dashes a finger width in from the edge, with a tiny needle at the end.
  • Waves along the bottom edge carrying one paper boat Picture side, pen and one color. Three rows of curls, the back row palest; the boat rides the front one.

Stamps and postmarks to draw 12

  • A block of four stamps: bud, leaf, seed head and bare twig Picture side, pen and two colors. Rows of dots between the stamps show where they would tear apart.
  • A round postmark for an invented town, with a tiny picture in the middle Picture side, pen only. Two circles, one inside the other; letter the town around the ring and draw in the middle.
  • A row of three stamps that make one long picture Picture side, pen and two colors. A train, a snake or a skyline runs through all three frames.
  • A stamp of a sailing ship, waves cut off by the toothed edge Picture side, pen and one color. Hull low in the frame, two sails, three wave lines running out both sides.
  • A stamp of a single pear with its name underneath Picture side, pen and one color. One fruit, one leaf, plain background. The toothed edge does the rest.
  • A stamp of your pet in an oval portrait frame Picture side, pen and one color. Toothed rectangle, oval inside it, head and shoulders only.
  • A stamp showing one local landmark with the town's name below Picture side, pen and one color. Keep the landmark to an outline and letter the name in small capitals.
  • A stamp turned on its corner as a diamond, a kite inside Picture side, pen and one color. A toothed square stood on one corner; the kite's cross follows its shape.
  • A stamp where a bird's wing breaks out of the frame Picture side, pen and one color. Draw the frame first, then let one wing tip cross it.
  • A stamp whose wavy cancel turns into waves along the card's edge Picture side, pen only. Wavy lines start on the stamp, run left and carry on as a border of waves.
  • A triangle stamp with a mountain inside Picture side, pen and one color. The peak follows the triangle; a zigzag snow line near the top.
  • The whole picture side as one giant stamp with a toothed edge Picture side, pen and two colors. Half circles nibble the border all around; one subject sits inside.

The message side 12

  • A kite in the top corner with its string looping around the date Message side, pen and one color. A diamond, a cross, three bows on the tail, left of the dividing line.
  • A looping flourish under your signature Message side, pen only. One line that loops twice and ends in a dot, inside the message half.
  • A paper plane that loops under the greeting and stops before the address half Message side, pen only. A dotted trail with one loop; the plane stays left of the dividing line.
  • A pencil lying along the bottom of the message half Message side, pen and one color. Point toward the last word, as if it had just finished writing.
  • A potted cactus standing on the last line of writing Message side, pen and one color. The line is its shelf; keep the pot left of the dividing line.
  • A snail with a tiny letter on its shell, crawling toward the dividing line Message side, pen only. Spiral shell, two feelers, a short trail behind. It stops before the address half.
  • A tiny steaming mug beside the first line of the message Message side, pen only. Keep it to the left half; the address half and the stamp corner stay bare.
  • A weather symbol next to the date Message side, pen only. Sun, cloud, drops or a snowflake, the same height as the numbers.
  • The dividing line down the middle turned into a flower stem Message side, pen and one color. Leaves on the message side only, so the address lines stay clear.
  • The greeting's first letter drawn three lines tall and filled with dots Message side, pen only. Outline it first, dot it in, then write the rest of the word at normal size.
  • Three small stars closing off the message Message side, pen only. Centered under the last line of writing, well left of the address.
  • Your own face as a small round sign-off, one hand waving Message side, pen only. Head, one raised hand and a collar are enough at this size.

A set to send 12

  • A countdown to a visit, the number drawn bigger each time Picture side, pen and one color. One numeral fills the card; decorate it more as the day gets closer.
  • A moon that changes shape card by card Picture side, pen and one dark color. Same circle each time; color a different share of it dark.
  • A plant that grows a little taller on every card Picture side, pen and one color. Same pot, same place on the card; add a leaf and a bit of stem each time.
  • A question on each card with a box for a drawn reply Picture side, pen only. Letter the question along the top and rule an empty frame beneath it.
  • A story told one panel per postcard, numbered small in a corner Picture side, pen only. End each card on a question so the next one is waited for.
  • A treasure map sent in pieces, the X on the last card Picture side, pen and one color. Draw the map on joined cards so the dotted path crosses every edge.
  • One big drawing cut across six cards and mailed in a mixed-up order Picture side, pen and two colors. Lay the cards in two rows of three and draw over every join.
  • One long landscape split across four cards Picture side, pen and two colors. Lay the four cards edge to edge and draw the horizon across all of them.
  • One portrait built up over three cards: outline, features, color Picture side, pen and two colors. Trace the same outline on each card so the three match.
  • The view from one bench, redrawn on each card as the weeks pass Picture side, pen and two colors. Keep the horizon at the same height so the cards can be compared.
  • Whatever is on your desk, one object on each card Picture side, pen only. One object, drawn large, with the day lettered under it.
  • Your town from A onward: a capital and a local sight per card Picture side, pen and one color. A big capital on the left, the thing it stands for on the right.

How it works

A blank postcard has a picture side and a message side, and these 60 postcard art ideas say which side each drawing belongs on. Message-side doodles keep to the message half, so the address and the stamp corner stay clear.

Read the full guide

Easy doodles for a postcard

Easy doodles holds the simplest, most of them pen alone: red and blue airmail bars slanting around the edge, a paper plane that loops under the greeting, a round postmark for an invented town.

A set to send

A set to send is for one person and several cards: a landscape split across four, a treasure map sent in pieces, a plant that grows a little taller every time. Lay the cards edge to edge and draw across the joins before any of them is mailed.

  • A card with a drawn stamp or postmark is one to hand over, pin up or mail inside an envelope.
  • Write the address before you doodle on the message side, then draw in the space that is left.

Questions and answers

What are easy stamps to draw?

One plain subject inside a toothed frame: a single pear, a mountain in a triangle, a kite in a diamond. A row of half circles makes the toothed edge. They are pictures, not postage, so that card is handed over or mailed inside an envelope.

What do you draw on the front of a postcard?

Something from where you are. The picture side group has the view from your own window, every roof on your block in one skyline, and chunky block letters of your town with a small scene inside each.

Can you draw on the message side of a postcard?

Yes, on the message half. The message side group keeps every doodle small and left of the dividing line, such as a tiny steaming mug beside the first line or a weather symbol next to the date.

How do you draw an airmail border?

As a band of short slanted bars, red then blue, around the edge of the card with a bare gap between each. Borders and airmail edges has it, with a film strip, a rope with corner knots and a ruler.

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