Spring means lots of color, like the Americana® Acrylic color on this bunny- and veggie-themed plaque.

SUPPLIES

• water container
• palette or plastic plate
• paper towels
• sandpaper
• painter's tape
• #3 round brush
• hot glue gun and glue sticks
• stylus
• 1/2" angle brush
• #12 round fabric dye brush
• #14 round fabric dye brush
• tack cloth
• 1/2" filbert whisk or rake brush
• unfinished wooden square sign with round edges
• #10/0 liner brush
• ribbon
• graphite paper

INSTRUCTIONS

NOTES:

Let dry completely between painting steps.

1. Sand the sign well and wipe with a tack cloth to remove dust. Apply Americana Primer & Sealer. Allow to dry thoroughly. Lightly sand and remove dust again.
2. Basecoat the inside of the sign Sand.
3. Basecoat the outside and back of the sign Raw Umber. (You can block off the Sand area with painter's tape before painting Raw Umber if you choose.)
4. Transfer the pattern onto the sign.
5. Mix (1) part Mississippi Mud with (1) part Warm White. Use the mix to basecoat the bunny.
6. Basecoat the carrot Bright Orange and the carrot top, Sour Apple.
7. Mix equal amounts of Bright Orange and Bright Yellow. Use the mix to stipple, then dry-brush, the center and top of the carrot. Use the same mix to float the carrot top and, on one side, all wrinkle lines across the carrot.
8. Float Bright Yellow across the top of the carrot to brighten the highlight; dry-brush the center of the carrot with Bright Yellow to brighten.
9. Dry-brush Persimmon on the bottom of the carrot; float the bottom and across the carrot.
10. Float Country Red on the carrot to deepen shading.
11. Prepare a 1:1 mix of Sour Apple and Bright Yellow. Stipple and then dry-brush the mix on the center of the carrot top. Float "U" strokes in the carrot top.
12. With a 1:1 mix of Sour Apple and Holly Green, shade around the "U" strokes; create smaller "U" strokes inside of the Sour Apple/Bright Yellow "U" strokes; and shade around the carrot top.
13. Deepen the shading on the carrot top with Holly Green.
14. Stipple the entire bunny with Sand.
15. Float Mississippi Mud to shade around the bunny's head, body, ears, feet, legs, eyes, nose, "fingers", and between the "toes".
16. Using a filbert whisk or rake brush, thin Sand with water and, using short, choppy strokes, stroke fur all over the bunny's body.
17. Deepen the shading on the bunny with Mississippi Mud.
18. Mix Snow White and Sand 1:1 and thin with water. Using a filbert whisk or rake brush, very lightly add more fur to the bunny, stroking in the direction of the fur growth.
19. Dry-brush Country Red on the cheeks and center of the ears. With Country Red, very lightly dry-brush the area on the bottom of each ear, feet, and heels and on the fingers and elbow. Thin Country Red with water, and wash the pads on the feet. Float the center of the bunny's ears and around the pads of the feet.
20. With a 1:1 mix of Burnt Umber and Lamp Black, outline the carrot and carrot top; the pads on the feet; eyes; mouth; whiskers; and eyebrow. With the same mix, base the nose; dot pupils in the eyes; dot cheeks where the whiskers grow; and dot a mouth. Using very short and choppy strokes, outline the bunny, creating the look of fur.
21. Double-load a brush with Burnt Umber and Mississippi Mud and float a few small "hills" of dirt below the bunny.
22. Using both a filbert whisk or rake brush and a liner brush, stroke a few blades of grass on the dirt hills with a 1:1 mix of Sour Apple and Holly Green.
23. With Snow White, stroke a highlight on the nose; dot pupils; and base the flower petals.
24. Base the flower center Bright Yellow.
25. Base the leaves by the flower with Sour Apple.
26. Shade the leaves with Holly Green.
27. Shade the flower center with Bright Orange.
28. Shade the flower petals with Sand.
29. Mix Burnt Umber and Lamp Black in equal amounts. With the mix, outline the flower, center, leaves, and lettering.
30. For the carrots on the Raw Umber border: Float carrot tops with Sour Apple, then again with Holly Green. Line the first two lines by the carrot tops with Country Red. Line the next two lines in the carrots with Persimmon. Line the next three lines in the carrot with Bright Orange. Line the last three lines in the carrot with Bright Yellow.
31. Basecoat the large carrot and small carrots on the border Tiger Orange.
32. Basecoat the large carrot top and the carrot tops on the border and leaves by the flower Limelight.
33. Base the flower Ice Crystal.
34. Seal the sign with two coats of DuraClear Satin Varnish, allowing to dry thoroughly between applications.
35. If desired, tie a single or double bow from orange organdy ribbon and glue to the top of the sign with hot glue.

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