Purely Acrylics Online E-­‐Course Bonus Gift Boxes R & R: Repurpose and Recycle Transform a Matchbox! Surface: Matchbox (4 ¾” x 2 ¾” x 1 ½”) Other supplies: Palette Knife, graphite pencil, Cookie Cutter, Scissors, tacky glue, 1 3/8” wide lace, painters’ tape, small piece of cardstock or cardboard, coordinating scrapbook paper and a piece of lace to go over top or tulle Brushes: Scharff (artbrush.com) Flat Series 140 #8, #12 and #24 (or a ¾” wash brush) Dresden Series 455 #1 Dresden Liner Deerfoot Series 750 #4 & #8 (or ¼”and ½”) an old scruffy brush Medium: DecoArt Gesso First step is to gently sand the design area. Using an old scruffy brush, apply two coats of gesso over the entire outside of the box. Let dry overnight. If you’d like to vary from my example, choose colors that coordinate with your scrapbook paper. Decide which color you are going to use for the background. Choose a darker and lighter value for the basecoat color. Palette: (DecoArt Americana) Antique Maroon Cadmium Red Milk Chocolate Avocado Honey Brown Mink Tan Burnt Umber Jade Green Snow White Buttermilk Midnite Green GINGER FRIENDS Use a cookie cutter to trace (inside) the shape onto a piece of tracing paper. Reduce the pattern to fit onto the top of the box. I have included my Gingerbread man shape in this pdf for you. Background: Using a ¾” Wash brush, basecoat the outside of the box with Avocado. This may take two coats of color. Gift Boxes Wk4, Cindy Harrison Page 2 of 3 Cover the top of the box with a piece of lace that can be wrapped over the edges. Load a ½” deerfoot brush with Jade Green. Off load onto a dry piece of paper towel so that you take off excess paint. Gently begin to pounce over the lace. Remove lace and dry. Sideload a #24 Flat with Midnite Green and shade around the outside edges of the box top. Trace your design on. I center the first Gingerbread man on but at an angle. Place the tracing paper back on the box top overlapping the hand & foot or just the hand. Gingerbread Men: Use a #8 flat and basecoat with Mink Tan. It may take two coats. Shade edges with Milk Chocolate using a #12 flat; make this quite wide. Using a ¼” deerfoot brush and Honey Brown, pounce this color over the centers of all three gingerbread men. Repeat this step using a brush mix of Honey Brown + Buttermilk. Keep the area smaller on this one. Do not make it too light. Apply a final shade of Burnt Umber. Keep this in smaller areas as well as narrower. Dry completely. Evaluate your men and deepen with more Burnt Umber as needed. Glaze over the highlighted area with Honey Brown. Frosting: Using a #1 Dresden brush and Buttermilk, apply a squiggly line of frosting over the men. This may take two coats. Punch up the frosting with a line of Snow White just in the centers of the squiggles. Details: Eyes are Burnt Umber; highlight with Snow White. Smile is painted on with Cadmium Red using your #1 Dresden. The Heart is also Cadmium Red using the wooden end of the brush. Shade the top and bottom of the hearts with a small sideload of Antique Maroon. Shade around the eyes, mouth, heart and on the inside of the icing with Burnt Umber using a #12 flat brush. Evaluate and add as needed. Inside Box (ends): Cut two pieces of cardstock or cardboard to fit over the ends. Paint Snow White (prep with gesso if needed). Using painter’s tape (reduce tack on clothing), block off the sides of an area the width of a #8 flat brush. Paint this stripe with Cadmium Red (2 coats). Place a stripe the width of the #8 flat on either side of the tape as well. Remove tape gently. Let Dry. Using a #1 Dresden, paint a line of Cadmium Red down the center between the wider stripes of red. Let dry. Using a palette knife, spread glue on the backs of the pieces of paper and press onto the outer ends of the inside box. Let dry, then trim excess paper as needed to slide into outer box easily. Outer Box sides: Cut lace trim to size. Cover sides with tacky glue using a palette knife. Press lace onto surface. Let dry then trim overage. Gift Boxes Wk4, Cindy Harrison Page 3 of 3 Inside of Box: Finish off the inside with a piece of coordinating decorative scrapbook paper. Glue in. Option: If you would like, add feet with items such as wooden knobs or checker pieces painted like candy cane. Finish: Use your favorite varnish to protect you painting. Cindy Harrison (603) 429-­‐3556 Cindy’s Decorative Painting [email protected] www.cdpnh.com www.facebook.com/cindysdecorativepainting This design may be enlarged or reduced for personal use. May be taught with written permission. ANY COPYING or REPRODUCTION OF THIS PATTERN, INSTRUCTIONS OR PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANY MECHANICAL OR ELECTRONIC MEANS IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.