Snowflakes Are Glistening!
by Debby Forshey-Choma
Adding different techniques, however simple or detailed, to backgrounds, adds interest to the design.
SURFACE:
3 – Gift Tags, Old Fashioned (4-1/2” x 2-3/4”) #SKU: 207-0599
PAINTS:
DecoArt® Americana Acrylics
Black Plum 172 Deep Midnight Blue 166 Warm Sunset 385
Bleached Sand 257 Grey Sky 111 Winter Blue 190
Cadmium Red 015 Oxblood 139 Yellow Ochre 08
Cinnamon Stick 391 Snow White 01 Zinc 304
Holographic Glitter Paint DHG01
DecoArt® Sealers/Finishes
DuraClear Matte Varnish DS60
Media Gesso – White DMM18
Multi-Purpose Sealer DS17
BRUSHES:
Royal
#1360 – sm, med Debby Forshey's Texture brushes
#4170 – 8 Majestic filbert
#1114 – Large Royal stencil brush
4585 – 5/0 Majestic liner
#3080 – 1 Oval Wash combo
#4700 – ¾ Majestic glaze wash
#4150 – 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, Majestic shaders
#M770M – ¾ Moderna oval mop
#4160 – 5/8 Majestic angular
#P-7 – Langnickel palette knife
MISCELLANEOUS SUPPLIES:
Blue Shop Towel
Cosmetic Wedges
Frog® Tape
Spattering Tool
Baby Wipes or Rubbing Alcohol
C-Thru® Graph Ruler
Ribbon for hanging
Swirly Snowflakes Square Box Stencil #STCL523 available through www.creativeartslifestyle.com
-OR- use a large stencil of your choice
TIP:
I am frequently asked how I maintain the straight lines on my lighthouse and structure designs. First I trace my line drawings with a graph ruler and then I use the graph ruler to aid in the transfer of any straight lines, by dragging the stylus along the ruler’s edge.
PREPARATION:
Apply one coat of Multi-Purpose Sealer over the entire tags; using the glaze wash brush.
Lightly sand, wipe off with a lint-free cloth.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Relief Stenciling Technique for Snowflakes:
With Gesso and the Swirly Snowflakes Square Box Stencil (or stencil of choice), apply to the top surface areas of the tags; using the Relief Stenciling technique. Refer to photo for placement.
Position the stencil on the surface, secure with Frog Tape.
With light pressure, apply a thin layer of Gesso over the stencil; using the palette knife.
To remove the stencil, hold down one end with fingers, while gently and slowly lifting the opposite end. Immediately clean palette knife and stencil. Repeat steps on the remaining two tags. Allow to dry.
Basecoating Tags:
Basecoat the entire tags and over the Relief Stenciled snowflakes with Deep Midnight Blue; using the glaze wash brush, achieving an opaque coverage.
Transfer Design:
Transfer the designs to the appropriate tags.
Use the graph ruler to aid in the transfer of any straight lines, by dragging the stylus along the ruler’s edge.
Snow Hills:
Corner load the angle with Winter Blue, float a wide highlight along the front side of each snow hill, continue chisel floating* down into the snow hill (foreground area).
*chisel float by corner loading the angle, blend off on your palette, lay the bristles of the brush flat on the surface, chisel edge up.
Push the paint on the bristles from left to right in a scratching motion, allowing the bristles to pull a broken line that is slightly floated.
Corner load the angle with Snow White, repeat steps, not floating as wide, to brighten.
More snow will be added after the design has been painted.
Background Pines
With a pencil transfer the centerline for each pine. Work only on a couple of pines at a time.
Slightly pre-dampen the surface area with clean water. This will help the paint bleed; giving the boughs a softer effect and place them in the distance. Use the #8 filbert loaded with Snow White across the chisel edge. Upon the chisel edge, slightly pull the top of the pine.
Tapping from left to right for the boughs, slowly and slightly widening as you work towards the base of the pine. Allow a bit of the background to show through; so the pine doesn’t look like a triangle. When dry, repeat the same steps randomly over the boughs with Snow White, to brighten and for highlight.
Background Shrubs:
With the med Texture brush and Snow White, dance in the background shrubs.
When dry, randomly repeat steps over the shrubs; to brighten and highlight.
For the proper use of the Texture Brush, use the following method.
Dampen the bristles with water to start the separation of bristles. Tap bristles into the paint on your palette, hold it perpendicular to your palette, pounce it up and down to get some of the paint off – keeping the paint sparse on the brush. Note – this brush can be used on the whole foot or just the toe. Tap lightly on the surface, dance with the brush up and down, rolling the brush in different directions in between your fingers when
it is up in the air (like dancing the twist, light on your feet). Allow some drying time in between dances so the paint sets up and you don’t end up with a globby or muddy look.
See photo above.
Snowman:
Basecoat the Snowman with Snow White; using the #8 filbert. Corner load the angle with Deep Midnight Blue, lightly float a wide shade down the right side of the snowman, and a ‘c’ stroke for the twig arm inset. Then corner load the angle with thinned True Ochre, lightly float a highlight down the left side of the snowman. With the #5/0 liner and Warm Sunset, pull the carrot nose. Double load the #5/0 liner with Cinnamon Stick + Yellow Ochre, pull the twig arm.
Lighthouse Setting:
Using the appropriate size shaders, basecoat with Bleached Sand, the watch room, and the lighthouse tower.
Cadmium Red + Oxblood 1/1 mixture – structure walls
Snow White – roofs
Yellow Ochre – lens
Corner load the angle with Zinc, float wide shades down the left and right sides of the watch room and tower; for a rounding effect. Corner load the angle with Oxblood, float a shade across the top of the lens. With the #5/0 liner and Bleached Sand, pull the lens room panes, walkway base, rail, and supports. Place a Bleached Sand dip dot at the top of the roof, for the ventilator ball. With the #5/0 liner and Bleached Sand, pull a line up from the ball, for the lightning rod. Lightly wash over the lens room with Yellow Ochre. Then corner load the angle with True Ochre, lightly chisel float* on the outside of the lens room, to the left and right.
With the #5/0 liner and Black Plum, pull the wall lines on the structures. With the #4 shader and Black Plum, wash over the two outside walls. Corner load the angle with Black Plum, float shading across the top of the two inside walls. Corner load the angle with Deep Midnight Blue, lightly float shading across the top of each roof. Double load the #5/0 liner with Deep Midnight Blue + Snow White, pull the side roof lines. With the #5/0 liner and Snow White, stroke over the side roof lines, to brighten.
With the #0 shader, pull the windows –
Yellow Ochre – yellow windows.
Deep Midnight Blue – dark windows
Corner load the angle with Oxblood, float a shade across the top of the Yellow Ochre windows.
Barn Setting:
With the appropriate size shaders, basecoat –
Grey Sky – silo wall, barn foundation
Cadmium Red + Oxblood 1/1 mixture – barn walls
Snow White – barn roof
With the #5/0 liner and Zinc, pull the silo wall lines. Corner load the angle with Zinc, float shading down the left and right sides of the silo. This will create a rounding effect.
With the #0 shader and thinned Zinc, randomly pull stones on the barn’s foundation.
With the #4 shader and Zinc, wash over the right side wall, for shade.
With the #5/0 liner and Black Plum, pull the wall lines.
Wash over the right side wall with Black Plum; using the #4 shader.
Corner load the angle with Black Plum, float shading across the top of the left wall.
With the #5/0 liner and Bleached Sand, pull a trim line between the barn’s walls and foundation. Corner load the angle with Deep Midnight Blue, lightly float shading across the top of the barn’s roof. Double load the 5/0 liner with Deep Midnight Blue + Snow White, pull the silo roof and the barn’s side roofline. With the 5/0 liner and Snow White, stroke over the side roof lines, to brighten. With the 0 shader and Yellow Ochre, pull the windows.
Corner load the angle with Oxblood, float shading across the top of each window.
Additional Foreground Snow:
Corner load the angle with Snow White, float under the snowman and structures, for additional snow.
Ground Foliage:
With the sm Texture brush and Snow White, dance ground foliage under the snowman and structures; refer to photo for placement. Randomly repeat step over the ground foliage, to brighten and for highlight.
Window Tints:
Corner load the angle with thinned Yellow Ochre, randomly float over the ground foliage, snow areas, roof edges, etc. for tints from the windows and lighthouse lens.
Spattering:
With the Spattering Tool and thinned Snow White, lightly spatter over the designs, for snow.
TIP: for easier removal of any unwanted specks with a dampened brush or Q-tip, apply one coat of varnish over the design areas, before spattering.
Snowflake Stenciling on Backsides:
With the Swirly Snowflakes Square Box Stencil (or stencil of choice), Snow White, and the large stencil brush, stencil one snowflake on the backside of each tag. Position the stencil on the surface; refer to photo for placement. Secure with the Frog Tape or hold with your fingers. Load the large stencil brush with a bit of Snow White, swirl the brush on a blue shop towel to remove excess. Apply color in a circular motion in one direction and then in a circular motion in the other direction (changing directions frequently) over the stencil. Carefully remove the stencil by holding one end with your fingers and lifting the opposite end. Clean stencil and brush immediately; using baby wipes or rubbing alcohol.
FINISHING:
To protect your painted pieces, varnish the entire tags with the DuraClear matte varnish; using the Oval Wash Combo. This brush doesn't leave any visible brushstroke marks when the varnish has dried.
Finishing Touches:
Apply the Holographic Glitter Paint over the Relief Stenciled snowflakes.
Add a ribbon of choice, to hang.
ORIGINAL WORD FILE - DOWNLOAD HERE
For questions concerning this design, you can contact Debby at debbyforshey@gmail.com or visit her website www.DebbysTouch.com, on Facebook or Instagram.
Debby's Copyright Rules and Information -
Copyright 2021, Debby Forshey-Choma. All rights reserved under Pan American and international copyright conventions. Photocopying or any type of mechanical electronic reproduction of any part of this pattern packet or the designs herein are prohibited, except the purchaser may mechanically electronically enlarge or reduce patterns for their personal use. If this pattern packet is purchased as an e-Pattern or CD, you may not re-sell the pdf file, nor make copies of the pdf files for re-sale or to give away. The projects created from the patterns in this pattern packet may be personally painted by the purchaser for fun or for sale (i.e., at local craft shows, on internet auctions such as eBay, and on their own websites or photosites), although if shown on the internet I do ask that you please give me credit for the design in your description. The designs cannot be used to create web graphics. The product created from or any derivative product made from the designs in this pattern packet cannot be mass-produced in any form without a licensing agreement from Debby Forshey-Choma.
Note to Teachers/Shop Owners…You may not teach this design or your adaptation of it unless a pattern is purchased for each student. I will be happy to sell patterns (print or digital) for each student at a wholesale discount so they can be included with the class supplies at a nominal cost. Disclaimer: The information in this pattern packet is presented to you in good faith. Since the author/designer has no control over the physical conditions surrounding the application of information presented, I cannot guarantee results, nor will I be liable for any charges against the user for claims of copyright or patent infringement. Please note that with printing differences it is difficult to match the images in this pattern packet to the original pieces, although every effort has been made to do so. Therefore, your finished project may look a little different in color than the images in this pattern packet. The colors used in the project instructions are the ones used by me to paint the finished projects.