Robin Christmas Card Template and Tutorial

Easily make your own wonderfully festive robin Christmas cards using my free bird template and tutorial. Robin birds are the perfect theme for wildlife and nature lovers during the Holiday season.

Included is my free printable template which you can download and print yourself. The design is quick and easy to use on your Christmas crafts including greeting cards, gift tags, table decor, garlands, ornaments and so much more.

In the UK, this little bird is known as the gardener's friend. It is very different in looks to the American Robin bird. Because of this bird's stunning bright red feathers, it is used often as a Christmas season motif.

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Robin Christmas Card Template Free Printable and Tutorial

Come and see how you can make these easy and cute Robin Christmas cards with my step-by-step tutorial. Don't forget to print off the free bird template that is available for you too.

These quick and easy handmade cards make for an ideal way to accessorize a themed gift for a real nature, wildlife and garden lover. Robins are truly delightful little birds that make a wonderful festive Holiday theme because of their bright red chests.

Step 1: Make Your Christmas Robin Bird Motif

You'll find the template for this available over here on my craft site.

Print your Robin bird template onto some light colored card and cut it out.

Alternatively, you can print the template first onto paper and then glue the individual template pieces onto a spare piece of cardboard before cutting them out. You might want to go for the latter if you don't have any suitable card to print onto.

This is a great way to make use of cardboard boxes or large cartons that you'd be throwing out anyway. Card templates can last for many years if stored well, some of mine are well over 10 years old and still going strong.

Once you've got your bird designs onto some card, then you can start making as many paper Robins as you want.

Step 2: Make the Main Body of the Robin Bird

Now you've made your cardboard templates for the Robin bird, you can draw around each piece to make as many Christmas bird designs as you like. Ideally choose a piece of cream card to make the main body of the bird which is Template A.

You can use craft paper as well. Bazzill cardstock is my all-time-favorite for card crafting. You can see the texture on this with the example shown in the photo. I prefer to buy assorted packs with lots of colors to choose from but you can buy specific color packs too.

Turn Template A the wrong way around (i.e. printed side down) and draw around it onto the back of your card or paper. Cut out what you've just drawn.

When you've cut all your birds out, turn them over and you'll have no pencil marks showing from where you drew them.

Mark in with a pencil dot where the bird's eye will go. If you have a hole punch, you can use it to punch out the bird's eye. Alternatively, mark in the eye using a black marker pen to make it stand out.

Chalks for Adding Shading to Your Robins

Craft and blending chalks are perfect for shading round the edges of your bird designs for more of a 3D look. Powder chalks such as Pebbles Inc. (not chalk marker pens) add in soft shading and depth.

Blending chalks are much easier to use than trying to blend marker pens. To add some depth around the edges of your bird, find a chalk shade which is a little darker than the card you've used.

Rub some chalk onto cotton wool, a q-tip or cotton swab/cotton bud. Carefully chalk all around the edges of the bird. This will apply better on textured card like Bazzill and gives a professional finish to your bird design.

Step 3: Making the Robin Bird's Famous Red Chest

Draw out the circle or Template C onto the back of some red card or paper and cut it out. If you have a circle punch or a circle die which is a similar size, you can use that to get super neat edges.

Turn the cut circle over so you don't see any pencil marks. Again use craft chalk around the edges.

A darker red or a brown shade of craft chalk will work around the edges to add in some soft shading. You can see how the dry chalks easily add in some depth of color onto the bird design.

Glue the red chest onto your Robin bird.

If you look at the photo, you'll see that you only glue about half of the red circle on as shown. Then turn your bird over and trim away the excess red paper/card. You now have a nearly completed bird design.

Step 4: Adding Wings to the Christmas Robin

Choose some paper to make the bird's wings. As my bird is so far quite plain, I want to add in some funky, patterned paper.

I prefer to use Scrapbook Paper because of the amazing selections and quality. My own favorite brand of scrapbook paper is K&Company but there are loads of other great ones as well.

Turn Template B (the wings) the wrong way around (ie printed side down) and draw around it onto the back of your chosen paper and cut out.

When you turn your paper around, you will have some pretty patterned wings. Glue your wings roughly in the middle of your bird as shown. The wings will overlap the red chest slightly.

Step 5: Making a Christmas Robin Greeting Card

I find that square-shaped cards look especially good with this Robin bird design but you might have your own preference.

Place your Robin or bird onto a greeting card front that's been decorated with some paper. I think it looks best roughly in the middle of the design.

Great card-making though comes from experimenting and finding styles which suit you. I'm really happy with my finished Robin card and matching envelope.

Don't think you need to stick to traditional festive Holiday paper designs to use as backings for your little Robins. If you're using festive reds, greens and golds there are many designs (including modern ones) which would look great as a backing design on cards.

You see how easy that was. Don't stop there, you can make matching gift tags, hanging robins for your Christmas tree, robins made from felt for Xmas stockings and more.

Have lots of fun with it. And do let me know in the comments if you enjoyed this design.