Decorate a box for stationery and notecards with a colorful scene in Americana® Acrylics.

SUPPLIES

• water container
• palette or plastic plate
• paper towels
• tracing paper
• sandpaper
• soft cloth
• wooden box
• #2 liner brush
• stylus
• black fine-point permanent marker
• #0 round brush
• white graphite paper
• craft or wood glue
• 1/2" mop brush
• #16 flat brush
• flower buttons

INSTRUCTIONS

NOTES:

The pattern can be adapted to any size box of your choosing.

1. Sand the wooden box and wipe off with a soft cloth. (Shown: 8" x 10")
2. Basecoat the top of the box with Bright Yellow, using a large flat brush. Let dry.
3. Sand with a piece of tracing paper. Wipe off and apply another coat of Bright Yellow.
4. Transfer the pattern onto the top of the box.
5. In the sky and cloud area, slip-slap the following colors, over and around each other, softening with a mop brush while the paint is wet: Celery Green, Hauser Light Green, Hauser Medium Green, and Lilac. (Remember to soften all colors together by lightly using a mop brush.)
6. Dampen a round brush in water. Side-load it with Snow White and float it around the cloud area. Let dry.

7. Using the same round brush, dry-brush in the rays of the sun with Snow White, letting the Bright Yellow of the background show through. Shade with Lilac. (You may have to repeat with Snow White for more highlight. Use the photo as a guide.) Let dry.
8. Give the umbrella a coat of Bright Yellow.
9. The hearts are True Red, as are the lines. The large hearts are shaded with Black Plum.
10. The shading on the umbrella is Raw Sienna.
11. Through the middle of the umbrella sections, use a round dry brush to add some Snow White for a highlight.
12. The ruffles along the bottom are done with the flat brush side-loaded with Snow White. Outline in Snow White.
13. The stick of the umbrella is Raw Sienna with Black Plum shading.
14. Add a highlight of Snow White with a liner brush along the left side of the umbrella stick.
15. Highlight along the bottom of the ruffle with Hauser Light Green.
16. The large ladybug's head and bottom of body are Lamp Black. The wings are True Red. The shading on the wings is Black Plum. (Let dry after each step.)
17. Add dots with Lamp Black on top of the ladybug. Let dry. When dry, shade along the bottom of each dot with Black Plum. Let dry. Highlight around the dots with Snow White using a dry brush. Also, give the dot a tiny spot of Snow White, just above the center of it.
18. The head and the body of the ladybug are dry-brushed with Snow White. The eye and mouth are Snow White.
19. The ladybug legs are Lamp Black, using a liner brush.
20. The ladybug's hat is Raw Sienna. Let dry. When dry, shade with Black Plum. Highlight with a touch of Snow White.

21. The frog is based in Hauser Light Green.
22. Shade the frog with a 1:2 mix of Hauser Dark Green and Black Green.
23. The highlights on the frog are a 1:1 mix of Bright Yellow and Snow White. (These should be very light highlights.)
24. The frog cheeks are dry-brushed with Calico Red. The irises of his eyes are Snow White; the pupil is Lamp Black. When all of this is dry, side-load and float a little Black Green along the bottom of the eyelid and shade from side to side.
25. Add highlights to his eyes, underneath, above, and in the eyes, with Snow White.
26. The mouth and nose dots are Lamp Black.
27. A little bit of True Red is used between the lips for the tongue.
28. The butterfly's body is based in Raw Sienna; Burnt Sienna is used for shading. The highlight on belly is Snow White. The eye, antlers, lines on the body, and a bit of the outline is done in Lamp Black.
29. The butterfly's back wings are floated in with Purple Cow. The front wings are floated in with Lilac. The wings are outlined with Snow White.
30. The bees, ladybugs and flowers are all done the same way. Bees: The body is Bright Yellow; the head, antennae, and stripes are Lamp Black. The wings are floated in Snow White. The body is shaded with Burnt Sienna.
31. The wings are shaded with Hauser Light Green. The highlight on the head is dry-brushed with Snow White. Add a dot of Snow White for the eye.
32. Highlight the body by dry-brushing, very lightly, with Snow White.
33. The harness is Raw Sienna with Burnt Sienna shading and Snow White highlight.
34. Flowers: With the wide flat brush side-loaded with Snow White, make a U stroke for the petals.
35. Come along the outer edge with either Lilac or Hauser Medium Green. (It just depends on what the background color is. Sonja used Lilac on the left flower and upper, and Hauser Light Green on the lower flowers.)
36. Shade the petals along the center with Lilac. Let dry. When dry, add the center in Bright Yellow. Corner-load the brush with Bright Yellow and dab it on. Let dry. When dry, shade with Burnt Sienna. Repeat, but smaller with Black Plum. The highlight is Snow White.
37. The dots are added with the permanent marker. The petals are outlined with Snow White.
38. All leaves and greenery are done the same. The stems are Hauser Medium Green. The shading is done using Black Green, shaded where the stems tuck behind or at the end and beginning of the stem.
39. The leaves are Hauser Light Green. The shading is a 1:1 mix of Hauuser Medium Green and Black Green. The highlight is a 1:1 mix of Hauser Light Green and Bright Yellow. Add a Snow White line on the vein line.
40. Small blue flowers: Some are in Sapphire and some in Winter Blue. The center is a dot of Bright Yellow. Again outline the petals in Snow White. (When Sonja says outline on the big petals and on the small flowers, if you notice, she did not outline the actual petal. She left a little space between the petal and the Snow White outline.) The small Snow White dot flower is done with a stylus.
41. Finishing the top: The top edges of the box are painted with Purple Cow. Let dry.
42. The black squiggly lines are done with the permanent marker. Let dry.
43. Decorate the Purple Cow-painted section with small Snow White dot flowers using a stylus.
44. The bottom section of the box is basecoated with Hauser Light Green. Let dry. Apply other ladybugs, bees, and flowers using the same instructions as above. Let dry. Finish the bottom with the black squiggly lines using the permanent marker. Let dry.
45. Spray lightly with Matte Spray Finish, letting dry in between coats. (Give it three light coats.)
46. Attach the buttons with craft glue.

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