Everyone who knows that I paint KNOWS that I paint and design QUCK AND EASY projects. Learning to paint quick and easy projects is a great way to practice your techniques so that you can then learn to paint more difficult pieces—the techniques are the same! The thing about these projects is that they still need to be done well with some added extras to give them that little PIZAZZ to set them aside and to send them to the head of the class.
I think the MAJOR mistake that people make when learning to paint is to NOT have a good liner brush. This, in my opinion, is a MUST to make your projects have a superior quality. LEARN to make thin lines and I think the rest is a piece of cake. THEN the next thing is to learn to float, and that takes a little time, BUT is easy to do—isn’t EVERYTHING easy WHEN you know how to do it!
I believe that ANYBODY can learn to paint. So, I want to show how easy it is to make a snowman. I have another project for a snowman that is on my Facebook page, so be sure to visit.
Gather your supplies. I am painting on glass, so I am using water based ENAMEL paints today. THERE are other processes, but this project will be done with enamel. The Apple Barrel enamels are thinner than most and are cheaper and they work fine for this. The Folk Art brand is VERY thick. You will need your surface, paint, scruffy brushes, a GOOD liner, a pallet (I use a Styrofoam plate—you can use freezer paper wrapped around a pan), a rag, and water to clean your brushes (I use a pint ball mason jar).
1. Remove the top of the ornament and stipple (dab) white paint onto the ornament all the way around. You may speed up the drying time with a hair dryer.
2. MAKE SURE the white paint is COMPLETELY dry or you will pull off the paint. IF this happens, let it dry and re-stipple with white…all is NOT lost. Using a small scruffy brush, dab red paint for the cheeks…DO NOT RUB or the paint with come off.
3. Using Black and your liner, add the mouth—do NOT make the PIECES OF COAL round because coal is irregular in shape. Make the coal smaller as you go up the SMILE. It may take two coats of paint.
4. Add the Eyes with Black. It may take two coats of paint.
5. Add the nose with orange. It may take two coats of paint.
6. MAKE a brown by adding just a drop of BLACK to the orange…you may buy brown is you wish, but it is not necessary. Line AROUND the nose to make it stand out. If you do this while the orange paint is still wet, you can work the brown paint into the orange so the line’s edges blend with the orange, but still remains as a visible line.
7. Wipe the paint off the brush, but do not get it wet. Using the brown mixture LIGHTLY pounce on the left OUTSIDE of each piece of coal, each eye and UNDER the nose. THIS is one of those LITTLE EXTRAS that helps make your piece have some more detail.
8. With your liner, gently add some white to the TOP inside right of each piece of coal. Add a line to the inside left of each eye. Make a cross next to this line and then an X on top of the cross. Put a dot on top of this “snowflake”. Do this to both eyes. Add 3 dots to the top of each cheek.
9. Put the top back on the ornament. Add a string and you have an ADORABLE ornament!!
Helpful hints: Do not WET your scruffy brushes. They perform better without the added water. BE SURE to clean your brushes as soon as you use them! NEVER add water to enamel paint. You will destroy its chemical make-up and it will not cure properly.
Wasn't that FUN! PRACTICE…practice…practice…This is a wonderful project to get you familiar with using a paint brush!
Thanks Charlotte for this fun tutorial!
Charlotte can be found here:
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