A blue bird highlights the strokework on this box by Judy Diephouse.

SUPPLIES

• water container
• palette or plastic plate
• paper towels
• stylus or pencil
• sandpaper
• ruler
• 3/4" flat brush
• #2 liner brush
• 1/2" flat brush
• #8 flat brush
• #4 flat brush
• #1 liner brush
• grey graphite paper
• #6/0 liner brush
• 10/0 script liner brush
• wooden wine box

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Basecoat the entire box with Light Mocha, sanding well between coats. Let dry. Trace on the pattern.
2. Stems and 15 large leaves: Basecoat with Arbor Green. (See photo for placement.)

3. Shade with Black Forest Green at the base of the leaves, then highlight the tops of the leaves with a mix of Arbor Green and Mint Julep Green. (See photo.)

4. The dark overstrokes and stroke on the leaves are Black Forest Green. The light strokes on the leaves are Mint Julep Green. (See photo.)

5. The medium-sized leaves are a double-load of the mix of Black Forest Green and Arbor Green into Mint Julep Green. The center vein and overstroke are Black Forest Green. (See photo.)

6. Tulip: The two long S stroke side petals are a double-load of Country Red and Terra Cotta well blended. The center strokes next to the S strokes are a mix of Terra Cotta and Warm White. Shade the bottom of the open area in the center with a soft float of Marigold.
7. The dark line strokes and crosshatching are a mix of Country Red and Terra Cotta. The lower side petals are double-load strokes of a mix of Country Red and Terra Cotta into a mix of Terra Cotta and Light Mocha. (See photo.)

8. The overstrokes on the top and the strokes on the lower side petals are Warm White. The dots in the center are Warm White. The dots on the stem are Marigold. The stamen lines and outlines of the lower side petals are Terra Cotta. The dots at the top of the stamen are Country Red. (See photo.)

9. Five petal flower: The petals are strokes of a double-load of Terra Cotta and Warm White, well-blended. The shade lines at the base of each petal is a mix of Terra Cotta and Country Red.
10. The outline strokes and dots between the tops of the strokes are Snow White. The center is Banana Cream shaded with a mix of Marigold and a touch of Country Red and highlighted with Warm White. (See photo.)

11. The dots around the center and stamen lines are Country Red. The dots at the top of the stamens are Snow White. (See photo.)

12. Side trumpet flowers: The inside of the flower is basecoated with Banana Cream. Shade with a float of Marigold. Repeat with a smaller float of Terra Cotta.
13. Highlight the top edge with a float of Light Mocha. Outline and add two more strokes inside the flower with Warm White. Highlight the upper side of these lines with Snow White. The tiny dots in the center are Country Red. Basecoat the remaining petals with Blue Haven. (See photo.)

14. Shade the base of the main trumpet, between the trumpet petals, and the outside edge of the bottom petals with a float of Wedgewood Blue. The light strokes are a mix of Snow White and a touch of Blue Haven.
15. The dark outlines, crosshatching, and strokes are a mix of Wedgewood Blue and a touch of Blue Haven. The top three strokes are the previous mix plus more Blue Haven. The dots at the top are Snow White. The dots on the stems are Terra Cotta. (See photo.)

16. Bottom flower: The center is Banana Cream, shaded with a float of Marigold and repeated with a tiny float of Country Red.
17. Highlight the top edge with Warm White. The top three petals are Blue Haven shaded with Wedgewood Blue and highlighted with Warm White. The second row of petals on the blue flower is side-loaded strokes of Snow White.
18. The bottom two petals are Terra Cotta, shaded with Country Red and highlighted with a mix of Terra Cotta and Warm White. (See photo.)

19. Outline the blue petal with a mix of Blue Haven and Wedgewood Blue. The crosshatching and dots on the center section are Country Red. The strokes on the pink petals are Warm White. The dots on the stem are Marigold. (See photo.)

20. Bird: Basecoat the bird with Blue Haven. Shade the top of the body, top of the wing, and under the wing with Wedgewood Blue. Highlight from the beak to the tail with a soft float of Warm White. (You may need to repeat this.)
21. Highlight again just in the breast area with a float of Snow White. Add a sheer blush of Terra Cotta on the edge of the breast. The cheek is a side-load float of Terra Cotta with a shine line of Snow White. The eye is Wedgewood Blue with a shine line and dot of Snow White.
22. The beak is Banana Cream, shaded on the bottom half with a mix of Marigold and a touch of Country Red. Highlight the top edge with a line of a mix of Banana Cream and Snow White. (See photo.)

23. The curls and strokes on the head, on the wing, and the tail are a mix of Wedgewood Blue and Blue Haven. The overstrokes on the end of the body and on the wing are a mix of Snow White with a touch of Blue Haven. The dots on the wing are Blue Haven, and the dots on the breast are Snow White. (See photo.)

24. Filler strokes: do not overcrowd these strokes. Do as many as you can fit neatly. But remember that what you do on one side has to match the number of strokes on the other side.

25. The green strokes, going from dark to light, are: Black Forest Green; a mix of Black Forest Green and Arbor Green; Arbor Green; a mix of Arbor Green and Mint Julep Green; and Mint Julep Green.
26. The red strokes are: Country Red; a mix of Country Red and Terra Cotta; the previous mix plus more Terra Cotta; and a mix of Terra Cotta and Warm White.

27. The blue strokes are: a mix of Wedgewood Blue and a touch of Blue Haven; the previous mix plus more Blue Haven; the previous mix plus more Blue Haven; and Blue Haven.
28. The small filler leaves are small leaf strokes of a mix of Arbor Green and Light Mocha. (See photo.)

29. The trim on the box: The bottom 1" of the box is basecoated with a mix of Light Mocha and a touch of Terra Cotta. The stripes are a double-load of the basecoat mix and a mix of Country Red and Terra Cotta. The stripe along the top of this 1" band is Country Red. The 1/4" band above this is a mix of Banana Cream and Marigold. The 's' stroke border above this is a mix of Black Forest Green, Arbor Green, and Mint Julep Green. (Save this mix for next step.)
30. The flat band of the lid and matching 1/2" on the sides of the lid are the same green mix as STEP 29. The fine lines on the top's band are Mint Julep Green.

31. The stripe on the top of the box 1/4" from the edge and along the bottom of the box is a mix of Wedgewood Blue and Blue Haven.
32. Erase any visible tracing lines. Varnish with three coats of DuraClear Satin Varnish. Allow 24 hours between coats for complete curing.

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