This cheerful snowman and its sled add a touch of whimsey to a cold day.

SUPPLIES

• paper towels
• tracing paper
• #6 flat brush
• #10 flat brush
• fine-grit sandpaper
• #2 liner brush
• 3/4" wash brush
• #6 filbert brush
• #4 flat brush
• black fine point marker
• #1 liner brush
• 1/4" angle brush
• 3/8" angle brush
• #0 flat brush
• 1/2" angle brush
• stapler
• clean cloth
• grey and white graphite paper
• #10/0 liner brush
• #2 flat brush
• palette knife
• #4 liner brush
• #4 filbert brush
• #6 liner brush
• snowman with thermometer
• #2 filbert brush
• 1/4" filbert rake brush
• 1/4" or 3/8" oval mop brush
• 1/8" deerfoot stippler brush
• 1/2" deerfoot stippler brush
• sea silk sponge
• double-ended stylus
• soft white eraser

INSTRUCTIONS

NOTES:

Use the fine tip black permanent marker to trace all patterns onto tracing paper.

Read all instructions before starting to paint.

Wash brush, flats, and filberts are for basecoating. Angular brushes are to float shading and highlights.

Load the corner of an angular brush with a small amount of paint and blend well on the palette. Go over the floated area several times to deepen the shading and lighten the highlights, allowing the surface to dry between coats.

Soften the water edge of the floats with a mop brush.

The size brush you use depends on the size area you are working on.

Add Easy Float to the water to help make liner work and floating easier.

Some shading placement is indicated on the pattern.

1. Use the palette knife to mix Americana Primer & Sealer and Admiral Blue (1:1) together thoroughly.
2. With the 3/4" wash brush, seal and basecoat the back of the snowman and the side edges on the thermometer opening with the Sealer/Admiral Blue mix.
3. Let dry and apply a second coat with just Admiral Blue. Let dry.
4. Moisten the sea silk sponge with water and pounce it into the Sealer/Admiral Blue mix to seal and basecoat the front and sides edges of the snowman.
5. Let dry and sponge on a second coat with just Admiral Blue. Let dry.
6. Using fine-grit sandpaper, lightly sand the entire snowman surface to smooth the surface somewhat. Wipe off sanding dust with a clean, lint-free cloth.
7. Trace the pattern onto tracing paper. Transfer on the hat, scarf, and mittens with a stylus and white graphite paper.
8. Use the flats or filberts with Graphite to apply two basecoats on the hat and mittens, letting dry between coats. (Leave the scarf area blank for now; it will be painted later.)
9. Transfer the rest of the pattern and details on when needed.
10. A 1/8" and 1/2" deerfoot stippler are used to stipple the snow on the snowman. Load the 1/2" deerfoot stippler with Dove Grey and pounce the brush on a paper towel to distribute the paint through the bristles. Hold the brush handle straight up and stipple the snow areas on the snowman's face and body, filling in these areas, but leaving a little bit of the background color showing through.

11. With the dirty brush, pick up Light Buttermilk, pounce on a paper towel, and stipple more snow to start lightening the snow areas.
12. Stipple the snowman with Snow White to lighten again. Keep stippling until the snowman is filled in, but there is a hint of the underneath colors.
13. Use the 3/8" angular brush to float Admiral Blue shading: around the snowman's face; under the hat; on the sides of the face; above and underneath the scarf; and around the arms and mittens to separate them from the body. (If you think the shading needs to be a bit darker, add a tiny touch of Lamp Black to the Admiral Blue and float the darker shading in the above areas.)
14. Using the 1/2" deerfoot stippler, stipple more of the snow, using the above colors, on the edges of the shading to make it look fuzzy and snowy.
15. Transfer on the snowman's hatband and brim with white graphite.
16. Use the #4 flat brush and Wild Orchid to basecoat the hatband and the side edges of the hatband.
17. Use the 3/8" angular brush to float Lavender back-to-back shading on the two outside edges of the hatband and the side edges of the hatband.
18. Use the #4 liner brush and a 1:1 mix of Wild Orchid and Light Buttermilk to dry-brush highlights across the middle of the hatband. Highlight again with just Light Buttermilk.
19. Float Lamp Black shading above and below the hatband, under the hat brim on the two sides, and along the sides of the snowman's face.
20. Dry-brush and lightly float Light Buttermilk highlights on the top left corner of the hat and across the top edge of the brim.
21. Use the 10/0 script liner brush with thinned Lavender to outline the hatband. Outline with Light Buttermilk across the edge on the brim of the hat.
22. Transfer the pattern for the holly and berries on with white graphite.
23. Use the #2 flat brush with Mistletoe to basecoat the holly leaves.
24. Mix Forest Green and Hauser Dark Green (2:1) and outline the veins and float shading on the bottom of the leaves.
25. With Bright Green, outline the leaf edges. Highlight with Thermal Green on the tips of the leaves and on the vein lines.
26. Tap the handle end of a brush into Brilliant Red and tap in three dots for the larger berries. Let dry.
27. Use the 1/4" angular brush to float Napa Red shading around the bottom edge of each berry.
28. Use the large end of the double-ended stylus to tap a Scorching Yellow highlight dot on the top of the berry. Let almost dry and use the small end of the stylus with Napa Red to tap a smaller dot on top. (Push the stylus hard into the first dot, twirling the stylus at the same time to create a tiny indentation in the middle of the dot.)
29. With Bright Green, Brilliant Red, and the stylus, tap different size dots among the berries and leaves. When the dots are dry, tap a smaller highlight dot on top of each filler double dot with Thermal Green and Fiery Red.
30. Transfer the face details onto the snowman with grey graphite.
31. Basecoat the eyes Lamp Black. With thinned Lamp Black, outline the lashes on the two outer corners of the eyes.
32. With Snow White and the 10/0 script liner brush, line in short lines down the right side of the eyes. To highlight these lines, add another set of shorter lines on top of the first lines. (You want this second row of lines to be almost solid.)
33. With Brilliant Red and the 3/8" angular brush, lightly float the snowman’s cheeks.
34. Basecoat the nose Jack-O’-Lantern Orange. Float Napa Red shading on the back and bottom edge of the nose. Add detail lines and outline the bottom of the nose. Float a Scorching Yellow highlight across the top of the nose; outline the top edge.
35. With Lamp Black, outline the mouth. With the stylus, tap Lamp Black descending dots along the mouth line: Tap the largest dot in the center of the mouth. Keep tapping smaller descending dots to the right side until you reach the end of the mouth. Tap the stylus into Lamp Black and tap off one dot on the palette. Tap descending dots on the left side of the center until you reach the other end of the mouth.
36. Use the #6 or #8 flat brush with Mistletoe to paint every third stripe on the scarf. (See photo for placement.) Begin with a 1/4" filbert rake, dry brush. Load the brush with undiluted Bright Green, blot on a paper towel, and highlight down the middle of each Mistletoe stripe. Apply light pressure as you skim the brush across the surface.
37. Don’t clean brush out, just pick up Thermal Green, and again blot on a paper towel. Dry-brush the second highlight down the middle of the first, but keep this highlight smaller.
38. For the last highlight (which will be the smallest), dry-brush with Thermal Green and Scorching Yellow (2:1).
39. Use the 1/4" angular brush to float Forest Green shading on the top and bottom inside edges of each Mistletoe stripe.
40. Starting from the right of the first Mistletoe strip, basecoat every third stripe Brilliant Red. (See photo for placement.) Begin highlighting the stripes by dry-brushing Jack-O’-Lantern Orange down the middle of each stripe. The next highlight is Fiery Red and Scorching Yellow (3:1). For the last highlight, dry-brush Scorching Yellow.
41. Use the 1/4" angular brush to float Napa Red shading on the top and bottom inside edges of each Brilliant Red stripe.
42. Basecoat the remaining stripes with Lavender. (See photo for placement.) Begin highlighting the stripes by dry-brushing Wild Orchid down the middle of each stripe. The next highlight is Wild Orchid and Snow White (3:1). For the last highlight, dry-brush Snow White.
43. Use the 1/4" angular brush to float Grape Juice shading on the top and bottom inside edges of each Lavender stripe.
44. For the final shading on the scarf, float Hauser Dark Green on the top and bottom inside edge of the scarf under the face. Float shading on the bottom edge of the top scarf tie and the top and bottom edge of the bottom scarf tie. Reinforce the highlights on the top edge of the scarf ties where needed.
45. With Hauser Dark Green, outline the entire scarf.
46. Transfer the baby snowman, buttons, and sled on with grey graphite.
47. Float Lamp Black shading on the back edge of the mittens next to the trim. Float Light Buttermilk highlights around the front edges of the mittens. Outline the mittens with Lamp Black.
48. Basecoat the mitten trim with Mistletoe.
49. Use the #6 liner brush with Bright Green and Thermal Green (1:1) and, starting at the top edge of the trim, dry-brush highlights down the middle of the trim.
50. Stripe the trim with Brilliant Red. Highlight the stripes with Fiery Red and Scorching Yellow (3:1).
51. Outline the two side edges of the trim with Bright Green and highlight with Thermal Green.
52. Use the 1/4" angular brush with Forest Green and Hauser Dark Green (2:1) and float shading on the bottom edge of the trim.
53. Trace the buttons on with grey graphite. Basecoat buttons with Graphite.
54. Float Lamp Black shading on the right inside edge of each button.
55. Float a Light Buttermilk highlight on the left inside edge of each button.
56. Float Admiral Blue shading around the outside edges of the buttons. Add a touch of Lamp Black to the Admiral Blue and darken the shading on the left outside edge of the buttons.
57. Tap two Brilliant Red dots in the middle of each button. When the dots are almost dry, push the small end of the stylus into each dot to create an indentation.
58. Basecoat the baby's hat and scarf Brilliant Red.
59. Stripe the scarf with Lavender. Float Napa Red shading on the scarf. Float with Fiery Red highlights.
60. For the pompom on top of the hat, line with Brilliant Red and highlight the tips with Fiery Red and Scorching Yellow. Add Bright Green lines between the Fiery Red ones and highlight the tips with Thermal Green. Float Admiral Blue shading on the bottom edge of the pom-pom.
61. Outline the scarf with Fiery Red.
62. Stipple the fur and face, using the same colors used to stipple the snowman. (See steps 10-12.)
63. Float Admiral Blue shading around the face to separate it from the fur.
64. Paint the baby snowman’s eyes, cheeks, nose and mouth using the same colors on the snowman face. (See steps 10-12.) (But, of course, they are painted much smaller.)
65. Basecoat the baby's snowsuit Mistletoe. Float Hauser Dark Green shading under the scarf onto the snowsuit, on the right side of the middle opening, and down the right side edge. Float Bright Green highlights down the left side and the left side of the middle opening. Highlight again with Thermal Green.
66. Float Admiral Blue shading around the outside edge of the hat, scarf, and snowsuit. Stipple a tiny bit of Snow White around the fur edge to make it look fuzzy.
67. Tap three Brilliant Red dots down the middle opening. When the dots are almost dry, push the small end of the stylus into each one to create an indentation.
68. Basecoat the rails that run underneath the sled Brilliant Red. Shade and highlight with Napa Red, Jack-O’-Lantern Orange, and Fiery Red. Outline with Napa Red and Brilliant Red (2:1).
69. Basecoat the top board of the sled Wild Orchid. Float Lavender and Grape Juice (1:1), shading on the two inside edges.
70. Paint the middle of the sled Light Buttermilk.
71. Use the #0 flat brush to stripe the sled with Wild Orchid. Stripe the thinner stripes with Brilliant Red.
72. Float Lavender shading all the way around the middle of the sled's inside edge.
73. Paint the trim around the top board and middle section of the sled with Mistletoe.
74. With Bright Green, dry-brush highlights on the trim around the top board and middle section. Lighten with Thermal Green.
75. Outline both the top board and middle of the sled with Forest Green and Hauser Dark Green (2:1).
76. Outline the string with Lamp Black; highlight with Light Buttermilk.
77. Float Admiral Blue shading around the outside edges of the sled onto the snowman.
78. Using a black permanent fine tip pen, print the name (Snoball) on the top board of the sled. (You can always personalize the name on the sled with a child’s name that you know.)
79. With Admiral Blue, reinforce all the shading on the snowman wherever needed. Darken with Admiral Blue and a tiny touch of Black where needed.
80. Tint with Lavender floats randomly on the snowman.
81. Take out any remaining graphite lines with a white eraser.
82. Varnish the entire snowman with three or more coats of Dura Clear Matte Varnish.
83. Position the thermometer to the back of the snowman opening and staple in place.

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