Thyme to show you a Seaside Santa Dummy Board

We have seen some warmer weather here on 

Cape Cod 

but

Mother Nature still hasn't decided if she wants it to be warm or cold!

The rainy days give me a chance to get some painting done.

Lets head into the STUDIO to see what I have been working on.

Today I wanted to show you a project 

called 

Seaside Santa

The surface piece measures 30" H x 11" W. It is cut from 3/4" pine.

The fish decoys are about 7" x 1 3/4".

Design by Cynthia Erekson

My Palette

DecoArt Americana Acrylics

Dove Gray, Medium Flesh, Midnight Blue, Honey Brown, Milk Chocolate, Lamp Black, Heritage Brick, Light Buttermilk, Neutral Gray, Shading Flesh, Wedgewood Blue

Let's get started!

I began by sealing my piece with Americana Decor Stain Blocker/ Sealer

As you can see my surface piece had a few large wood knots in it. 

If you don't seal a piece like this properly you risk the chance of these spots 

resurfacing and discoloring 

your finished piece.

I applied the stain blocker with a brush 

and 

let it dry well before proceeding to the next step.

I applied a coat of 

Multi Purpose Sealer 

first before base coating my 

fish decoys .

I mixed Midnite Blue with Lamp Black to create "Deep Navy Blue".

 this was used on the coat and fish. 

The other 2 fish were base coated with Light Buttermilk and Heritage Brick.

I added the designs to the fish and distressed them.

I transferred the main details of the pattern to my surface using graphite paper.

I painted the hat and sleeve trim with the "Deep Navy Blue" mix I made.

The coat trim is finished.

I will now start working on the face and beard.

I base coated the beard with Neutral Grey. 

I let that dry then dipped a stencil brush into the Neutral Grey first then Light Buttermilk.

I circled my brush on a paper towel to dry the bristles slightly.

I pounced the textured color onto the beard with the stencil brush leaving about 1/8" of Gray showing around the edges. I allowed a lot of the Neutral Gray to show thru the textured color.

I have transferred the mustache. 

I used the same stencil brush but added a bit more Light Buttermilk to make it lighter. 

 I based the mittens with Honey Brown and shaded them with Milk Chocolate. 

I often use a Large Ultra Round Brush for shading and a Maxine Mop.

The Lowell Cornell Ultra Rounds come in a variety of sizes 

and 

hold a lot of WATER which make them perfect for floating color!

I have base coated the pail.

I have now started shading the coat with Neutral Gray.

I added the stars on the hat band with a stencil.

I am now starting to work on the eyes. 

I base coated the eyes first with Light Buttermilk. 

The iris are painted with Wedgewood Blue

The pupil is Lamp Black.

I decided to add some wood buttons to the coat. 

I painted the button Honey Brown.

I am now working on shading the facial features,

I like to use Silver Ultra Micron Mini brushes for this.

I am working on the eyebrows now.

I am now starting to work on the beard.

Close up of the face and beard.

I painted in the line to connect the buttons with Honey Brown.

I sealed my Santa and fish with several coats

 of 

Dura Clear Ultra Matte Varnish

I like to use the MATTE but it does come in a variety of finishes.

On a large piece such as this I often pour a small puddle of varnish in the center of my surface. 

I then work with a large varnish brush spreading the varnish towards the outer edges of the surface. 

It is important to let each coat of varnish dry completely before adding the next coat to avoid a cloudy look.

I apply additional coats of varnish in the same manner but I use a sponge.

"Deep Navy Blue" mix I made using Midnite Blue and Lamp Black (1:1)

I painted the centers of my wood buttons with the "Deep Navy Blue" mix. 

I used my drill and a small bit to drill holes on either end of the 

Honey Brown lines I painted that will connect the buttons.

I used  thin rusty wire as "thread" for my wood buttons. 

I used pliers to cut the wire then I "threaded" it thru the holes on the buttons. 

I left enough wire to secure the buttons to my surface from the back. 

I trimmed the excess wire once I secured the buttons. 

I lined up the buttons on the coat. 

I attached them with the wire thru the holes I had drilled.

I added larger buttons to the cuffs of the coat.

I attached screw eyes to each of the fish noses. 

I cut about a 16" piece of rusty wire to thread the fish together.

I drilled a hole and attached the fish to my surface. 

I left some "loose ends" of the rusty wire at the top part of his hand.

Rosemary Reynolds and DecoArt 

provided the products and paint to complete this project as part of their 

Helping Artist and DecoArt Blogger Programs.

Thank you DecoArt!

I hope you have enjoyed watching me paint my 

Seaside Santa Dummy Board.

A bit of history regarding "Dummy Boards"

"Dummy Boards" were first brought to this country during colonial times. They were cut from flat boards. These whimsical figures were painted to resemble men, women and children and sometimes plants or animals. They were freestanding and were often placed near a fire place with their backs to the wall and served to "provide a presence" in an empty room.

Happy Painting !

Lynn