The tutorial in the link listed above is a good 
place to start. There's also a useful forum there 
where you can get advice from various fancel 
artists; it's usually best if you ask for advice 
after you've tried your hand at something and had 
something go specifically wrong. ^_^ Everyone has 
their own materials they like to use, and their 
own way of going about things.

If time is an issue, you also might think about 
requesting a commission from someone. Artists 
usually range from $20-50 or so, depending on the 
complexity of the project. Cels.org has a listing 
of fancel artists:

http://www.cels.org/cgi-
bin/asearch/var=TCAT=cf&op=0&template=category.htm
l&start=1&nb=25

and there's a fancel webring:

http://www.ringsurf.com/netring?
ring=FancelArtists;action=list

Whatever method you choose for your friend's 
present, good luck! :o)