how to paint a snowman

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Snowman Paint Project

This project can either be painted onto fabric or watercolor paper. If you paint it on to watercolor paper, take a picture, you can then print it on to iron-on transfer paper for your table runner. The image could then be printed for other decorative items such as aprons, greeting cards, candle wraps . . . the possibilities are endless! This photo tutorial is for watercolor paper which affords a little more leeway for beginning artists. Your artwork will not look like mine, but that’s okay. Make it your own and have fun!



Step 1 Download and print the line art pattern. Pattern follows the pictures. You can enlarge or reduce it, however it is sized to fit iron-on transfer paper.

Supplies

Watercolor Paper at least 8-1/2 x 11

Graphite Transfer Paper (available in crafts stores)

Paper towels Two water basins –one to clean

dirty brushes; one for clean water

Foam plate Stylus or ball point pen – to

transfer pattern

Paints & Brushes These are recommended colors only. Delta Ceramcoat was used, but any acrylic paint will work.

FolkArt Floating Medium Blissful Blue (light) White Black Denim Blue (medium) Orange Light Pink Flat Brushes size 6 & 10 Liner Brush



Step 2 Mix Floating Medium with light blue. Paint horizontally on top half of paper. Paint curves on bottom half. The horizontal lines will give the appearance of sky; curved lines give the appearance of hills.



Step 3 Add White to tops of hills. Just the tops. Allow paint to completely dry.

Step 4 Place pattern on watercolor paper. Painter’s tape is helpful in case you need to lift the pattern and then reposition it. Position graphite paper in between pattern and watercolor paper. With a stylus or ball point pen, trace the outline of the trees and snowman.



Step 5 Apply light blue underpainting for trees and snowman.



Step 6 Add white to trees and snowman.



Note: The white is not completely opaque. Allow some of the blue underpainting to show thru the white for texture.



Step 7 Add arms to snowman with light blue, then topcoat with white.



Step 8 Add a little white to black paint. Paint hat and vest with bk/wh mixture. With pure black, paint eyes and facial features.



Step 9 Mix medium blue with a little white and paint scarf, mitten and hat band.



Step 10 Using medium blue, add details –

Outline hatband

Detail scarf

Detail mitten

Pocket stitching

Pocket handkerchiefs Step 11 Paint carrot nose with orange & cheek blush with light pink.

Step 12 Dot each eye with white.

Step 13 With light blue, add curved lines on each arm.



General Instructions

Supplies Two water buckets – one for dirty brushes, one for clean water

Foam plate to pour paint on

Paper towels

Watercolor paper or canvas

Graphite or transfer paper –or you can use a pencil on back of pattern. See FAQ below.

Stylus or ball point pen to transfer pattern

Paint

Brushes

This is a simple technique that doesn’t require previous painting experience. This is because you’ll layer the colors on. Basecoat, shade, highlight, then topcoat. Since most colors in craft paints are not usually opaque in their coverage, underpainting (shading & highlighting) will peek through after you topcoat. Everyone paints differently so everyone’s painting will look a little different. How wet your brush is with water, how many coats you apply, how heavily you apply the paint – or lightly, even the pigments in the paint will affect the overall appearance. I’ve tried to cover all variables above in my notes, if not my pictures. The most important thing to remember is it’s only paint! You can always start over by ‘whiting out’ your original design.

Tips Paints You don’t have to use the colors I’ve used. Go ahead and pick your own. Just choose colors that are fairly close in hue range.

Brushes Flat Brush – rectangular in shape Round Brushes – pointed brushes (I don’t use these but some people like them.) Liners –thin pointed brushes My brushes of choice for craft paints are Donna Dewberry’s. You can get them at Michael’s and some Walmarts, or online, or course. They last well, hold their shape and are not too expensive. They also come in some good groupings, which are a nice value. Always dip your brush in clean water & then towel off excess moisture before picking up paint. Liner brushes – dip in water, towel off moisture. Roll in paint sideways to get fine tip. Cleaning Your Brushes I use regular bar soap. Rinse the brush with clean water, stroke it thru the soap and rinse again. Once the paint is completely removed, I take a few soap suds and leave them in the brush, form it back into shape and let it dry laying flat. If you allow it to dry upright, it’ll lose it’s shape.



Transferring the pattern You can use graphite paper, sewing transfer paper, or an art transfer paper that is removed w/water. I always use graphite paper because I have it on hand. You’ll probably have to go over the transfer and erase it to lighten up the pattern. If you don’t have transfer paper, turn the pattern over and rub a pencil over the outlines. Then turn it right side up, place it on top of your watercolor paper, and trace the design with a ball point pencil. Try to mark your transfer inside the pattern line, rather than right on top if it. Your transfer lines will be covered better. This way if you go outside the lines when painting, you can easily add to it. Much easier than trying to remove paint.

Painting Tips Dip your brush in water first, before paint. Just take a paper towel and remove the majority of the moisture. The water will keep the paint from drying in your brush if it’s out of water for too long.

Basecoat - fill in from the outside of pattern, moving towards center. If you have ridges of paint

build up, try and smooth them. But if they’re on the edge of your pattern, just leave it.

Shade – about 2 shades darker than basecoat. Shading will cause area to visually recede.

Highlight – about 3 shades up from basecoat and/or White. Highlights will visually bring that area forward or make it more prominent.

White – you can always use white to highlight. You just might have to add more glaze over any imperfections.

Detail colors – you can detail either with paint or felt pens. For some fine work, fine tip felt pens will feel more comfortable at first. They’re just harder to correct. I usually detail with paint and then come over it with felt pen.

Topcoat – apply basecoat color over designated areas. Too light, apply another coat. If it covers up your shading & highlighting, apply additional coats of these.

Generally speaking, I apply highlighting next to shading. Not always, but frequently. Finishing Touches You can take a felt pen and draw around the outlines for more definition. Fine tip Sharpies work fine. Or Micron Pigma pens, available in an arts & crafts store or online. Pigma pens come in all kinds of colors and fine tips.

Painting curves If you’re right handed, it’ll be easier to move from left to right. If you’re left handed, you might find it easier to paint curves from right to left.



Terms Opaque – complete paint coverage with no layers showing underneath Translucent – sheer coverage, allowing layers underneath to show through Sideloading - Dip one corner of your flat brush into the paint. Don’t worry about how it looks when first applied. After you apply one or two topcoats, any imperfections will lessen.

Floating Medium/Gel Each pattern is designed to be painted with full strength paint. At some point, however, you might want to experiment with Floating medium for shading, highlighting & topcoating. The medium makes your paint translucent, so the layers beneath show thru a bit. To use Medium, dip your brush in the medium, work it thru by stroking the brush back and forth on your foam plate, then pick up some paint and stroke back and forth. This will mix the paint & medium together. Now what? What can you do with your painting, other than frame it? Take a picture, or scan it, into your computer. Reducing the image will make it look clearer, as opposed to enlarging it. Print it onto iron on transfer paper and iron it on to fabric –table runners, wall hangings, pillows, etc. Print it onto vellum or tissue paper & wrap candles. Use it as decoupage paper for all kinds of projects.

FAQ’s What if transfer markings show thru the basecoat? It’s best to erase dark markings before you basecoat. But if they do show through, you’ll just need a few more basecoats. Or, you can outline the pattern with your detail color or a felt pen when you’re done painting. What if I paint outside the pattern edges? Take a clean damp brush and wipe outside the edge, picking up the “oops” area. It may require a few pick-ups, rinsing in clean water each time. If you catch it soon enough, this usually works, although some dark colors are just hard to remove. Then you might have to overpaint outside the design to clean it up. What if I want a color around the pattern? Do I paint it first or last? It’s easiest to do your background first, although sometimes I add it as an afterthought – carefully. I like to leave the background plain so I can use it for different crafts after scanning it into my computer. If you’re Photoshop savvy, you can always add or delete the background to your liking. What if I paint over the pattern detail on the inside? If you can’t see the detail line art, reposition the pattern onto your paper/canvas, tape it in place and transfer markings again. Do I have to use the same colors as the sample? Not at all. But you’ll want to choose your basecoat, then a shading color about 2 shades darker. You can almost always use White for highlighting, or a very light shade of your basecoat.



How many basecoats do I need to do? That depends upon how wet your brush is and how you stroke your paint. Some people have a naturally light touch; others are heavy. The goal in basecoating is to have a fairly even appearance, with no obvious brushstroke lines. What if I don’t want to cover the shading and/or highlighting? Leave them! If you like the appearance of your details, by all means, leave them as is. Can I do two applications of shading or highlighting? Definitely. Often, two applications gives a deeper, richer look. Why do I dip my brush in water before the paint? A damp brush helps the paint flow a bit smoother. It also protects your brush from dried paint building up, which will ruin the brush eventually. How wet should my brush be? It’s really more of a personal preference. I dip my brush in water and then get most of it off on a paper towel. My brush is damp, not sopping wet. How much paint should be on my brush? It’s really what you’re comfortable with. Try using less, rather than more to get started. Except for basecoating when you just want full coverage. After just a few kits, you’ll know what works best for you. I get ridges of paint built up on the edge of the pattern. How can I avoid this? Stroke your brush just inside of the edge, say about 1/8”. Then smooth out the paint ridge to the edge of the pattern. Do I need to seal the finished painting? You can, but most sealers will add a sheen, which messes up photographs – even Krylon Matte spray. I leave my originals as is and seal any reproduction work.

how to paint a snowman

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