Bring the enchanting charm of the woods to your holiday decor by creating your woodland creature Christmas baubles! From adorable owls and hedgehogs to mischievous foxes and deer, you can transform plain ornaments into charming creatures that will give your tree a touch of nature-inspired whimsy. Read on for you step-by-step guide on how to bring a little woodland magic to your festivities.
You will need:
- Large Christmas baubles (no glitter and preferably with a matte finish)
- Fine sandpaper
- Pencil
- Small paintbrushes
- Resene testpots. We used Resene Black, Resene Cola, Resene Peru Tan, Resene Twine, Resene Squirrel, Resene Wafer, Resene Quarter Sisal, Resene Quarter Black White
- Empty toilet paper roll
- A4 sheet of cork
- Scissors
- Hot-glue gun
- Resene Art Action Clear Glaze – gloss
- Twine
Step 1
Give baubles a light sand to remove any dirt and roughen up slippery surfaces. This will help the paint adhere well.
Step 2
Rotate baubles so the “seam” forms the side of each creature’s head. Use a pencil to divide the “face” of each bauble into four parts (see dotted lines on drawings below).
Step 3
Using the drawings as a guide, pencil in curved lines to mark the forehead of the deer, owl and fox and the face of the hedgehog. The lines all come from the “seam” to nearly the centre of the bauble.
Step 4
Now draw in the nose, beak and eyes, and the hedgehog’s tummy and arms. The deer’s eyes are made by drawing two arcs and a centre circle. The owl’s eyes are just a repetition of circles (when you paint these, start from the outside circle and work your way in to the pupil).
Step 5
Once your characters have been drawn on, it’s time to paint. To stop the baubles from rolling around the table while the paint dries, cut round segments from your toilet roll – these make the perfect place for the baubles to rest securely.
Step 6
Start by painting the brow arch with your Resene testpot. Next, paint the bulk of the face. When this is dry, use the same colour to paint the back of the bauble. Use two coats of paint for the best coverage.
Step 7
Once the main colours and shapes are completed and dry, use Resene Black and a very fine paintbrush to paint in eyes, nose, mouth and the hedgehog’s spikes. Small details and textures, such as the white highlights in the eyes and spikes on the hedgehog, are all painted last.
Step 8
To make ears and the deer’s antlers, paint the cork sheet in your desired Resene colour, allow to dry, then pencil on the shape of the ears and antlers. Cut out with scissors and glue on using a hot glue gun.
Step 9
Finally, brush baubles with Resene Art Action Clear Glaze – gloss, if you want a glossier look, and when this is dry, attach a piece of twine to form a loop for hanging your woodland creature bauble creations on the Christmas tree.
Use these drawings as a reference for the woodland creature placement of eyes, noses and other features. The guide lines should help you achieve the correct proportions. If you like, you can photocopy and enlarge them to the right size, which may help with your drawing. Another option is to rub pencil over the back of your photocopy, then place the paper pencil-side down on top of the bauble. Firmly draw over the lines marking eyes and nose etc to get an imprint on your bauble.
For a more subtle washed look, mix Resene FX Paint Effects Medium with your Resene testpot colour.
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