Create a fall-hued plaque with a scarecrow in autumn shades of Americana® Acrylics.

SUPPLIES

• palette or plastic plate
• paper towels
• tracing paper
• transfer paper
• painter's tape
• burlap
• #10 flat brush
• #4 round brush
• #6 filbert brush
• 1/4" angle brush
• stylus
• #10 filbert brush
• 1/2" angle brush
• cardstock
• 18/0 liner brush
• sanding pad
• medium stencil brush
• #4 filbert brush
• soft white eraser
• 3/4" oval wash brush
• round specialty sponges
• Henry plaque

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preparation: Use a large specialty sponge to apply Multi-Surface Sealer onto the plaque surface. Lightly sand with sanding pad. Using the same sponge, topcoat the surface with Buttermilk.
2. Trace the pattern onto canary tracing paper. Lightly transfer the main pattern lines using the transfer paper and stylus. Transfer the details as needed.
3. Background: Load the oval wash brush with thinned Honey Brown. Using a slip-slap stroke, cover the background. (The strokes should softly blend together, creating a parchment effect.) Let dry.

4. Position the Jacobean Floral Stencil and secure with painter’s tape. Load a stencil brush with Honey Brown. Wipe the brush over a paper towel to remove excess. Gently dry-brush over the stencil to create the background design. Repeat to cover the entire background. Let dry.

5. Load the side edge of a damp large specialty sponge with Antique Maroon. Keeping the sponge flat on the surface with the paint facing the outer edge, use a small circular motion to “float” around the outer edge. Let dry.

6. Basecoat: Using the appropriate-sized brush, basecoat the hat Camel; the face area is Light Mocha and the jacket is Colonial Blue.

7. Scarecrow hat: Load the toe of ½" angle brush with Honey Brown to shade down the right side and across the base of the crown. With the same brush and color, shade around the bottom and up the right side of the brim.
8. Tap Warm White over a piece of burlap using a small specialty sponge. Press onto the hat to make the “woven” effect. (The woven straw can also be created by painting a crosshatch with the script liner brush.) Press the design randomly on the brim and crown.
9. Deepen the shading with Light Cinnamon and darken with Antique Maroon. Base the hatband Colonial Blue. Shade the bottom edge and left side with Uniform Blue. Highlight the right side and across the top with Winter Blue.
10. Brighten the highlights on the crown and brim with Warm White. Load a script liner brush with thinned Light Cinnamon to sharpen the ragged edge of the brim.
11. Face: Highlight the center of face by dry-brushing with Warm White, blending softly toward the edges. Shade below the face and ruffle valleys with Light Cinnamon. Highlight the tops of the ruffles with Warm White. Shade across the bottom and around the sides of the face with softly with Light Cinnamon.

12. Jacket: Base the jacket Colonial Blue. Shade below the ruffle, inside the sleeve area, at the bottom of the sleeve, and down the left side of the jacket center with Uniform Blue. Highlight the top of the sleeves, down the right side of the jacket center, and at the bottom right of the sleeve opening with Winter Blue.
13. Base the stick arm Honey Brown. Deepen and paint horizontal grain lines with Light Cinnamon. Shade against the sleeve with Antique Maroon. Highlight the tips and paint the grain lines with Light Mocha. Brighten the tips with Warm White. Deepen the shading inside the sleeve area and below the stick arm with Antique Maroon.

14. Base the buttons Camel. Shade across the bottom and up the right sides with Light Cinnamon. Deepen the shading with Antique Maroon. Float the top left with Buttermilk and add a strong Warm White highlight. Dip-dot two Lamp Black button holes. Paint the thread Warm White. Float a Uniform Blue shadow on the jacket below and to the right of each button.
15. Paint the string and bow around the neck Antique Maroon. Highlight the top and left side of the string with Warm White. Load a script liner brush with thinned Light Cinnamon to float a transparent shadow below and to the right of the bow loops on neck ruffle. Load a script liner brush with Uniform Blue to paint the hanging ends of shadow on the jacket.
16. Facial features: Eyes are Soft Black; float Winter Blue across the bottoms and up right sides. Add a tiny Warm White dip-dot on the top left of each. Thin Lamp Black and line eyelashes, eyebrows, and stitching on the mouth.
17. Base the nose Persimmon; shade Antique Maroon down the left side and across the bottom. Load a script liner brush with thinned Light Mocha to add stripes. Float Light Cinnamon softly below the eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth. Load a stencil brush with Persimmon to dry-brush cheeks. Add three Warm White dip-dots on each to highlight.
18. Hair: Load a liner brush with thinned Antique Maroon to paint the first layer of straw. Repeat with Light Cinnamon, Honey Brown, Camel, and finish with Warm White.

19. Crow: Base the crow Zinc. Shade Soft Black along the bottom edge and deepen with Lamp Black. Highlight across the top of the head, body, tail and wing feathers with Winter Blue. Brighten the highlights with Warm White. Dip-dot eyes Warm White and add a Lamp Black pupil. With the same color, float a tiny shadow below the eye. Paint beak Camel. Shade bottom edge with Light Cinnamon and highlight top with Warm White.
20. Leaves: The leaves are painted using the same technique for large and small. The large leaves are based using a #6 filbert brush and the smaller leaves use a #4 filbert brush. Several layers of color are added to make the leaves more realistic and to add variety.
21. Basecoat the leaves Persimmon. Pick up Antique Maroon on a dirty brush to deepen the leaves. (It will add more interest if each leaf is painted differently. The leaves at the bottom were a little darker for more contrast.)
22. Wipe the brush and pick up Honey Brown to start adding more color variety. Use Camel to dry-brush highlights on some of the tips.
23. Load a script liner brush with thinned Antique Maroon to sharpen the stems and tips of the leaves. To add leaf shadows on the jacket, load a round brush with thinned Uniform Blue. (The transparent shadow is slightly below and to the right of these leaves.)

24. Words: Basecoat the cardstock with Warm White. Paint the letters Antique Maroon using a script liner brush. With a stylus and Camel, add dip-dots. Let dry. When dry, float Soft Black around the outer edge. Coat the surface area behind the letters and the back sides of the letter rectangles with Matte Medium and position in place. Press to remove any bubbles or wrinkles and topcoat with another layer of Matte Medium.
25. Finishing: Following manufacturer’s instructions, seal with several light coats of Matte Spray Finish, allowing the appropriate drying time between coats.

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