Owl in A Tree Plastic Container

Owl in A Tree Plastic Container

Posted by DecoArt on Mar 25th 2020

Give a plastic storage container a wise face with Americana® Multi-Surface Acrylics.

SUPPLIES

    • sandpaper
    • hot glue gun
    • X-Acto® knife
    • branch
    • container
    • paintbrushes
    • colored pencil

    INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Gather materials: paints, plastic container, variety of brushes, sandpaper, hot glue gun, branch, pencil, and an X-Acto® knife. (Any size or color of plastic container will work. I used one with a lid.)
      2. Instruction #1
    2. Prepare the container by first peeling off any labeling and then giving a light sanding to the entire surface. (If the container is any other color besides black, paint the entire surface with Black Tie and let dry completely.)
      3. Instruction #2
    3. Using a white colored pencil, sketch on the owl. Draw a line around the owl that will be his "hole" in the tree.
      4. Instruction #3
    4. Break the branch until it is at the desired length and hold it up to the container to check placement. Once you know where you want it to be, trim the end at an angle so it is flush to the surface of the container.
      5. Instruction #4
    5. Adhere the cut branch to the container with hot glue by building up spots of where the branch will. The strings of glue that result can be wiped off when the cools. (I added rings on the lid to look like a cut stump.) Create and build up the hole around the owl with the glue.
      6. Instruction #5
    6. Use the glue gun to "draw" on texture all around the container, making lines and knots. (I used white birch tree bark as inspiration, although any tree bark would work.) Let the glue cool completely.
      7. Instruction #6
    7. Paint the basecoat of the tree using Coffee Bean and Cotton Ball.
      8. Instruction #7
    8. Paint with loose, horizontal brush-strokes, picking up some of each color with application.
      9. Instruction #8
    9. For the top, use the same technique as STEPS 7 and 8 with Cotton Ball and Goldenrod.
      10. Instruction #9
    10. Paint the owl design with Cotton Ball, leaving some areas black. (These will be the shadows in the design.) Let dry.
      11. Instruction #10
    11. While the owl dries, mix Green Beret with Cotton Ball. Use mix to add accents on the bark and branch.
      12. Instruction #11
    12. Mix Coffee Bean with Black Tie and use to paint all the raised glue textures.
      13. Instruction #12
    13. Adding another layer on the owl using Goldenrod and Coffee Bean. Leave some Cotton Ball and black areas exposed.
      14. Instruction #13
    14. Mix Cotton Ball and Sky Blue. With the mix and a dry-brush technique, apply paint with horizontal brush-strokes.
      15. Instruction #14
    15. Go over the detail areas on the owl with Cotton Ball. (Use different brush-strokes and directions to emphasize the feathers.) Paint the irises of eyes with a mix of Coffee Bean and Black Tie with a darker mix toward the top of eye. The pupil of eye is filled with Black Tie. Add curved accents of Cotton Ball to create dimension and shape.
      16. Instruction #15
    16. Using the dry-brush technique, go over the tree bark with Cotton Ball.
      17. Instruction #16
    17. Touch up the recessed areas with Black Tie to create depth in the detail.
      18. Instruction #17
    18. For the top, brush on Coffee Bean and let dry completely. Dry-brush over the texture with Cotton Ball.
      19. Instruction #18

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