Skill Level: beginner

Time: 30 minutes each (not including drying time)

This snowman and his penguin gal pal are full of down-home country charm. Dry brushing gives the figures a rustic “weathered look” that’s so appealing!

MATERIALS (for both)

• Wooden items: doll pins with stands*, 3-3/4” tall, two; teardrops*, 1/16” thick, 1-1/2” long, two; mini spool, 3/8” x 1/2”; button, 3/16” thick, 3/4” diameter.
• Acrylic paints*: Tangerine, Light Buttermilk, Lamp Black, Marigold, Sable Brown, Country Red.
• Paintbrushes: flat, round, liner.
• Torn homespun fabric strips, 1/2” x 6”, four.
• Miniatures: broom, 3” tall; basket, 1” tall; bamboo hat, 1” across.
• Tiny dried flowers or greenery.
• Thin jute twine, 6 inches.
• Black fine-line permanent marker.

*Wooden items by Forster® and Americana^TM Acrylic Paints by DecoArt^TM were used for this project.

Supplies: Scissors, pencil, ruler, thick craft glue or glue gun, paper plate, paper towel, container with water, drill with 3/32” bit, scrap piece of wood.

INSTRUCTIONS

(Note: Squeeze small amounts of paint onto paper plate as needed. Paint all surfaces of wooden pieces, using as many coats of paint as needed for good coverage. Let paint dry between coats and color changes. Use paintbrushes as follows: liner for nose and beak; flat for clothespin openings; round for everything else.)

Snowman. Basecoat one clothespin and one stand Light Buttermilk. Basecoat spool and button Lamp Black. Dry brush the following with Sable Brown: opening edges, front and back; top edge and side of stand. To dry brush, dip brush into paint, then stroke back and forth on paper towel until almost dry.

For facial features, see image.

Figure 1

Turn clothespin so leg opening is at center front. Use marker to draw eyes, nose, and mouth; paint nose Tangerine. Dry brush cheeks Country Red.

For buttons, draw three dots, down center front of body, 1/8” apart and centered between neck and leg opening. Glue body into stand.

For hat brim, place button on work surface, flat side down. For crown, glue end of spool to center of brim. Glue hat to head; let dry. Dry brush edges of hat Sable Brown. For hatband, tie one fabric strip around base of crown; tie fabric into a knot at center back. Trim fabric ends close to knot; secure knot with a dab of glue.

For arms, cut a 4” length from twine. Tie center of twine into a knot around top of broom handle; tie loose ends together in a knot. With broom at front, glue knot to center back of neck.

For scarf, tie one fabric strip around neck in an overhand knot. Adjust scarf so knot is at right side of neck.

Penguin. Place one teardrop on scrap wood. Drill a hole through narrow end of teardrop, centered and 1/4” from tip.

Figure 2

With pencil, lightly draw line separating light and dark areas on penguin front. Basecoat center front of clothespin and stand with Light Buttermilk. Basecoat the following Lamp Black: outside edges of clothespin front; clothespin back; teardrops. Basecoat hat Country Red.

With edges touching at center back of body, glue teardrops, tips down, to back of penguin so wing with hole is at left side. In same way as snowman, dry brush edges of clothespin opening, stand, and wings Sable Brown. Glue clothespin into stand.

Figure 3

Dry brush cheeks Country Red. Use marker to draw eyes and beak; paint beak Marigold.

Glue hat to head. In the same way as snowman, tie one fabric strip around neck for scarf; tie remaining fabric strip around hat brim, so knot is at left side of hat. Secure knot with glue; trim excess fabric to within 1/4” of knot.

Paint basket Sable Brown; while paint is still wet, quickly wipe off excess paint with paper towel. Trim flowers or greenery to fit inside basket; glue into basket.

Use remaining twine to tie basket to left wing, knotting at back of wing; cut excess twine close to knot. Secure knot with a dab of glue; let dry.

By: Mary Ayres