Thyme for NICKS 5 Cent Sticks

11 Days until Christmas!

How did THAT happen?

The STUDIO has been a busy place for weeks!

Lets step inside and see what I have been painting!

I see my Elf HINKLEY is at my paint table......maybe he has done some base coating for me!

Today I wanted to show you a project 

called

Nicks 5 Cent Sticks

Design

by

Cynthia Erekson

My Pallette

DecoArt Americana Acrylics

Lamp Black. Buttermilk, Country Red, Neutral Grey, Avocado Dip, Warm White, Camel, Hauser Medium Green, Dusty Rose, Honey Brown

Lets Paint!

I began by sanding my surfaces then wiping off any dust.

When I base coat I mix Multi Purpose  sealer with my paint. I use about a 1:1 ratio.

I usually do two coats of base coating.

I keep a blow dryer on my paint table to speed up the drying process.

If you have ever taken a class with

Cynthia Erekson

you may know that she often cuts stencils

to do a lot of her base coating on projects.

It saves a lot of time when doing multiples of the same project.

I cut a stencil for the inner circle

If I am painting multiples of a project I often complete one entire project then go back and do the rest.

Painting candy cane stripes!

I like to use Silver Micron Mini detail brushes for a project such as this.

The LETTERING brushes are not only good to do lettering they also make easy work of painting STRIPES!

The faux finish edge is done by mixing a glazing medium with the paint.

I then used the chisel edge of my brush to go around the edge of the circle

I have now base coated the main design areas Lamp Black

Design is now painted.

I applied two coats of Ultra Matte Varnish

I added a rusty wire with some tiny bells for a hanger.

Now it's thyme to add some 5 cent sticks!

I then added a bow.

Nicks 5 Cent Sticks

Close up view

DecoArt provided me with the paints to complete this project as part of their 

Helping Artist and Blogger Outreach Programs

Thank you DecoArt and Rosemary Reynolds!

I hope you have enjoyed seeing me paint

Nicks 5 Cent Sticks

Happy Painting !

Lynn

Thyme for a Joyful Snowman

My Studio is a busy place these days!

How did it get to

 be 

15 days before Christmas ?

Are you ready?

Step inside to see what I have been working on.

I have so many project in various stages of "almost done !"

Today I wanted to show you a project that I just completed  

called

Joyful Snowman

Design 

by

Lynne Andrews

My Palette

DecoArt Americana Acrylics

Buttermilk, Snow White, Burnt Umber, Lamp Black  Plantation Pine, Rookwood Red, Country Red, Hauser Medium Green, Spiced Pumpkin

I began by first sanding my ornament. 

I then applied a coat of Multi Purpose Sealer

When dry I painted two base coats with Buttermilk

I used a #8 Lowell Cornell Ultra Round

I did a wash of Rookwood Red on the hat and jacket mopping as I went along with a Maxine Mop.

I use a blowdryer in between washes to aid in the paint drying.

I then added several washes of Country Red to reach the desired depth of color.

The scarf is several washes of Medium Hauser Green. 

Again I washed, mopped and dried with each layer of color.

I used Plantation Pine to float around the scarf and define the sections.

Next I painted the mittens and added the details to the scarf and snowman

I applied 2 coats of Dura Clear Ultra Matte Varnish to my finished ornament

It comes in many finishes.

You can also spray seal if you prefer.

After my varnish was dry I dipped my brush in some CLEAN water and wet the areas that I wanted to 

SPARKLE. 

I then tapped on some GLAMOUR DUST. 

You can shake the excess off over a paper plate and save.

I let that dry then sprayed on a light coat of Sprayer/Sealer

I cut three pieces of card stock and used a ruler to score a line for folding.

I used a fine point BLACK marker for the lettering

I cut a small piece of Bakers Twine and hung my letters on it.

I used Arleene's Super Thick Tacky Glue . 

I had my string ready and placed a small amount of glue on backs of the letters. 

I then folded them over the string and held them for a few seconds until the glue set.

DecoArt provided me with the paints to complete this project as part of their

Helping Artist and Blogger Outreach Programs.

Thank you Rosemary Reynolds and DecoArt for all the wonderful products to create with!

I hope you have enjoyed watching me create my Joyful Snowman! 

Always paint with a Happy Heart!

Lynn

It's thyme to paint some SNOWman Ornaments

I have been busy painting lots of ornaments for Christmas!

Step inside my STUDIO 

It sure IS beginning

 to

 Look a Lot Like Christmas

I see my Christmas Elf HINKLEY is waiting for us!

The Christmas MAGIC is happening 

S-L-O-W-L-Y

Today I want to show you the snowman ornaments that I have been working on.

Two of my favorite designers TEAMED up to create this wonderful project!

Design is by Amy Mogish

You can find this and many of Amy's wonderful designs

HERE

Surface is by Sheila Bergner Landry

You can find it 

HERE

Let's Paint!

My Palette

DecoArt Americana Acrylics

Black Plum, Bright Green, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Deep Midnight Blue, Fiery Red, French Grey Blue, Light French Grey Blue, Winter Blue, Graphite, Light Buttermilk, Neutral Grey, Heritage Brick, Tomato Red, Slate Grey, Lamp Black

Speciality Products

Black Chalkboard paint

Starlite Glitter Varnish

Crystal Glamour Dust 

Silver Bling Glamour Dust Ultra Fine Glitter Paint

I began by base coating all the snowman bodies with Light Buttermilk

I'm working on the scarves. 

I base coated them French Grey Blue

I used Light French Grey Blue to highlight.

Then I used Winter Blue , then Light Buttermilk.

When you are shading and highlighting, be patient!

Don't try to get to the depth of color you desire on the first coat!

Layer your values!

When I am painting multiples of something I usually complete one first them go on to work the others all together!

I use LOTS of brushes when I paint.

A GOOD quality brush is important to achieve a GOOD outcome!

I use DecoArt Traditions brushes to base coat. 

I love their dome shaders for dry brushing.

I use several different size Lowell Cornell Ultra Rounds for most of my shading.

And I absolutely LOVE the Silver Micro Mini's for detail work!

I also never paint without a handful of Maxine Mops!

I love the vintage charm of these snowmen!

I'm working on the face and hat detail

When my snowmen were dry I painted my snowmen

 with 

Glamour Dust Silver Bling paint

I painted the centers 

with 

Black Chalkboard paint

I used a white chalk pencil to personalize the ornaments

You can also use the center of the ornaments to display a picture instead of adding names!

I painted the backs of the ornaments with Black Chalkboard paint .

I used a circle template and small cosmetic sponge to add the dots

I added my name, date and a saying to the backs with the white chalk pencil.

It is very important to spray the lettering that you did with the chalk pencil 

with

 Krylon Workable Fixative.

The spray will prevent your lettering from smudging when you varnish.

I then painted the backs with a coat of Starlite Varnish

I finished by lightly spraying the ornaments 

with 

DecoArt  GLOSS Sealer /Finisher

While my varnish was still wet I quickly sprinkled on

DecoArt Crystal Glamour Dust

I added a silver snowflake to the snowman's hats.

I used red bakers twine to hang the snowmen 

DecoArt provided me with the paints to complete this project as part of their 

Helping Artist and Blogger Out Reach Programs

Thank you Rosemary Reynolds and DecoArt!!

Happy Painting !

Lynn