These quirky little snowmen are having a great time on a snow day, as will you creating this decorative canvas.

SUPPLIES

• water container
• palette or plastic plate
• paper towels
• tracing paper
• pencil
• #3 round brush
• 3/4" flat brush
• fine-grit sandpaper
• stylus
• 1/2" wash/glaze brush
• #1 round brush
• #10/0 liner brush
• palette knife
• grey transfer paper
• #2 flat shader brush
• jute
• Snow Day Wooden Panel and Kit
• #8 oval dry brush
• easel

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Sand the wooden panel. Wipe clean. Seal with Americana Primer & Sealer. Let dry. Sand again and wipe clean.
2. Load a 3/4" flat brush with Turquoise Blue and tip into a generous amount of Warm White. Brush over the entire panel in a slip slap-motion, brushing back and forth in a diagonal manner and blending out the two colors. Let dry.
3. Basecoat the border in Lamp Black. Let dry.
4. Trace and transfer the provided snowmen pattern or use the wooden snowmen cut-out shapes from the kit.
5. STACKED SNOWMEN: Base the snowmen cut-out shapes in Bleached Sand; their hats in Lamp Black. The hatband on the left snowman is Turquoise Blue; the one on the right snowman is Boysenberry Pink. Apply the pattern for the snowman features, chevron stripes on their bellies, and the SNOW DAY lettering.
6. BACKGROUND: Float softly around the edges of the Turquoise Blue section with a side-load of Lamp Black. Line the SNOW DAY! lettering using the #1 round brush and Lamp Black; tip the brush into Warm White and stroke over the part of the letters that fall onto the Lamp Black background. (Otherwise they won’t show up!) Scatter polka dots using the stylus and Warm White, all over the background for falling snow.
7. ALL STACKING SNOWMEN: Shade all snowmen (to separate their sections), and float down their left sides, with a soft side-load of Mississippi Mud. Line the features with Lamp Black; the noses are filled in with a wash of Burgundy Wine. (We will paint the arms with Lamp Black after gluing the snowmen bodies onto the panel.)
8. RIGHT STACKED SNOWMEN: Upper Snowman: Use the #2 flat shader brush and a soft wash of Boysenberry Pink to stroke the chevron stripe on the belly. Float a soft tint of Burgundy Wine along the right side of the body; float a soft tint of Turquoise Blue on the left side of face and belly.
9. Float Warm White to highlight the snowman; dry-brush the same color in the center of the belly and on the face above the eyes, using the #8 oval dry brush. The cheeks are scrubbed on using the # 8 oval dry brush and Burgundy Wine. (Load the brush with a small amount of color; remove nearly all of the color on a dry paper towel before scrubbing cheeks.)
10. The twig hair has strokes of thin Burnt Umber for the twigs; use the #3 and #1 round brushes loaded in thin Hauser Medium Green to stroke the leaves over the twigs.
11. The button is filled in with Boysenberry Pink, highlighted with a dash of Warm White, and shaded underneath with a soft side-load of Lamp Black.
12. Dry-brush using the #8 oval dry brush and Warm White; scrub through the center section and on the edges of the hat. Float Warm White also, on the brim and left side. The hatband is shaded with Wedgewood Blue; the zig-zag stripe is Hauser Light Green. The stylus dots are Warm White.
13. On the lower snowman: Repeat the facial and twig hair detail from the instructions of the upper snowmen. (See steps 9 & 10.) Use the #2 flat shader brush and a soft wash of Lamp Black to stroke the chevron stripe on the center belly section. Use the same brush with a soft wash of Turquoise Blue to stroke the chevron stripe on the lower section.
14. Float a soft tint of Lamp Black along the right side of the center section and with Turquoise Blue on the lower section. Float a soft tint of Turquoise Blue on the left side of face and both belly sections.
15. Float Warm White to highlight the snowman; dry-brush the same color in the center of the belly and on the face above the eyes, using the #8 oval dry brush.
16. The top section’s button is filled in with Lamp Black, highlighted with a dash of Warm White, and shaded underneath with a soft side-load of Lamp Black. The lower section button is filled in with Turquoise Blue, highlighted with a dash of Warm White, and shaded underneath with a soft shadow of Lamp Black.
17. LEFT STACKED SNOWMEN: Upper Snowman: Repeat the facial and twig hair detail from the instructions of the upper snowmen. (See steps 9 & 10.) Use the #2 flat shader brush and a soft wash of Hauser Light Green to stroke the chevron stripe on the belly. Float a soft tint of Hauser Light Green along the right side of the body.
18. Float Warm White to highlight the snowman; dry-brush the same color in the center of the belly and on the face above the eyes, using the #8 oval dry brush.
19. The button is filled in with Hauser Light Green, highlighted with a dash of Warm White, and shaded underneath with a soft side-load of Lamp Black.
20. Dry-brush the hat using the #8 oval dry brush and Warm White; scrub through the center section and on the edges of the hat. Float Warm White also, on the brim and left side. The hatband is shaded with Burgundy Wine; the zig-zag stripe is Lamp Black. The stylus dots are Warm White.
21. On the lower snowman: Repeat the facial and twig hair detail as from the instructions of the upper snowmen. (See steps 9 & 10.) Use the #2 flat shader brush and a soft wash of Turquoise Blue to stroke the chevron stripe on the center belly section. With the same brush and a soft wash of Lamp Black, stroke the chevron stripe on the lower section.
22. Float a soft tint of Turquoise Blue along the right side of the center section and with Lamp Black on the lower section.
23. Float Warm White to highlight the snowman; dry-brush the same color in the center of the belly and on the face above the eyes, using the #8 dry oval brush.
24. The top section’s button is filled in with Turquoise Blue, highlighted with a dash of Warm White, and shaded underneath with a soft side-load of Lamp Black. The lower section button is filled in with Lamp Black, highlighted with a dash of Warm White, and shaded underneath with a soft shadow of Lamp Black.
25. ASSEMBLY: Place the snowmen on the back panel and, using a pencil, mark a guideline where the lower body section is as a guideline for the snowy ground. Apply the pattern for the arms.
26. Load the liner brush in thin Lamp Black and stroke the arms of the snowmen on the panel.
27. Use the 1/2" wash brush side-loaded in Warm White to float the snowy ground area. Pull the float onto some of the Lamp Black-framed edge.
28. Apply the Americana Matte Decou-Page onto the back of the snowmen cut-outs as a glue and place them onto the panel. Let them dry on an even surface. (Otherwise the snowmen will slip and slide!)
29. When dry, use the palette knife to scoop Snow-Tex onto the palette or plastic plate. Using the 1/2" wash brush side-loaded (load one corner fairly generously in Decou-Page), blend slightly in a tapping manner and then float under the snowmen and onto the snowy ground.
30. FINISHING: Erase any remaining graphite; varnish using the 3/4" flat brush and Soft Touch Varnish. If you want to hang the plaque, glue a looped piece of string, jute, or wire onto the back side. Or you can use a small easel to display it on a shelf.

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