The Dirt: Frosty Friends

 

For this month's edition of The Dirt, we're bringing you some Festive and Frosty Friends that are sure to cheer up any holiday display! Instead of painting the same green and red on everything, try this simple Snowman on a classic ornament shape!   

Pssst! As your studio fills up with customers hungry for new ideas, did you know you can print our project PDF's to hand out to painters? One studio told us that they keep the projects in an inspiration binder that they keep with their idea books. The Frosty Friends PDF can be found here. Check out our Technique Sheets area for more project ideas!  

Frosty Friends

Frosty never had it so good! This spunky little Snowman is sure to bring a smile to your face. Try switching up the designs and colors to make an adorable set!

 

MATERIALS

2061 Button Ornament
9591 Paint Dotters
9630 Detail Writer Bottles
9635 Fine Writer Tips
CN074-8 Really Red
CN141-8 Light Aqua
CN182-8 Bright Kiwi
CN253-8 Dark Black
CN504-8 Neon Orange
CN522-8 Really White Sprinkles
Assorted Royal Aqualon Brushes

 

TOOLS

Sponge
Ball Point Pen or Pencil

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Lightly wipe ware with a damp sponge to prepare surface for painting.

2. Sketch three interlocking circles onto the ornament with ballpoint pen or pencil. You may wish to trace the circles onto contact paper, then apply the contact paper to the center of the ornament. You can use the bottom of paint bottles or round stickers to create this shape!

3. Apply a thick coat of White Sprinkles around the Snowman. Use short brush strokes to evenly spread the sprinkles. Tip: You may want to prop your ornament on a stilt so you can easily access each side as the paint dries. Once the wash is dry, remove the contact paper by lifting the edge with a straight pin.

4. Add a little water to the Light Aqua. Using a round brush, fill in the snowman shape with a thin wash.

5. Using a thin brush, paint small dashes of color along the head and body of the snowman to create a scarf. Alternate using Really Red and Bright Kiwi to create a striped scarf and toboggan.

6. Using a Detail Writer with a fine tip, outline the snowman in short Dark Black strokes. Add dots and short dashes of black to create the effect of movement. Then, you can add black buttons, eyes, a mouth, and stick arms. Create a carrot nose with a short stroke of Neon Orange.

7. Dip a small paint dotter into the Really Red and create a dotted outline around the edge of the ornament. Fill in the spaces in between each dot with smaller Bright Kiwi dots. (We used the rounded end of a paintbrush.)

8. Using a fine tip detail writer, paint small snowflakes around the snowman in Bright Aqua.

9. Finish your ornament with a message along the bottom of the Snowman and on the opposite side of the ornament! You can write a holiday message, a family name or the year.

10. Let Dry. Dip in Pure Brilliance Clear Glaze. Fire to cone 06.

As always, there's tons more ideas and inspiration to be found in our Resources area.  Good luck, and enjoy the Holiday season!