Woodland wonderland
Personalise your tree this year with adorable homemade woodland characters. Marsha Smith used Resene paints to create these four cuties.
What you need
● Large Christmas baubles (no glitter and preferably with a matt finish)
● Fine sandpaper
● Pencil
● Small paintbrushes
● Empty toilet paper roll
● A4 sheet of cork ● Scissors
● Hot glue gun
● Resene Art Action Clear Glaze gloss (optional)
● Twine
Selection of Resene testpot colours:
● Resene Black
● Resene Cola
● Resene Peru Tan
● Resene Twine
● Resene Squirrel
● Resene Wafer
● Resene Quarter Sisal
● Resene Quarter Black White
1 Give baubles a light sand to remove any dirt and roughen up slippery surfaces. This will help the paint adhere well.
2 Rotate baubles so the “seam” forms the side of each creature’s head. Use a pencil to divide the “face” of each bauble into four parts (see dotted lines on drawings below).
3 Using the drawings as a guide, pencil in curved lines to mark the forehead of the deer, owl and fox and the face of the hedgehog. The lines all come from the “seam” to nearly the centre of the bauble.
4 Now draw in the nose, beak and eyes, and the hedgehog’s tummy and arms. The deer’s eyes are made by drawing two arcs and a centre circle. The owl’s eyes are just a repetition of circles (when you paint these, start from the outside circle and work your way in to the pupil).
5 Once your characters have been drawn on, it’s time to paint. To stop the baubles from rolling around the table while the paint dries, cut round segments from your toilet roll – these make the perfect place for the baubles to rest securely.
6 Following the paint colour guide, start by painting the brow arch using the Resene colour shown. Next, paint the bulk of the face. When this is dry, use the same colour to paint the back of the bauble. Note: Two coats of paint are needed for the best coverage .
7 Once the main colours and shapes are completed and dry, use Resene Black and a very ne paintbrush to paint in eyes, nose, mouth and the hedgehog’s spikes. Small details and textures, like the white highlights in the eyes and and spikes on the hedgehog, are all painted last.
8 To make ears and the deer’s antlers, paint the cork sheet in the required Resene colours, allow to dry, then pencil on the shape of the ears and antlers. Cut out with scissors and glue on using a hot glue gun.
9 Finally, brush baubles with Resene Art Action Clear Glaze gloss, if you want a glossier look, and when this is dry, attach a piece of twine to form a loop for hanging your creations on the Christmas tree.