Santa’s Candy Caneby Cindy Mann-Vitale

Santa’s Candy CaneBy Cindy Mann-Vitale

Palette: DecoArt Americana AcrylicsAlizarin Crimson #13179 Antique Green #13147Antique Teal #13158 Avocado #13052Baby Pink #13031 Black Plum #13172Bubblegum Pink #13244 Burnt Umber #13064 Citron Green #13235 Cranberry Wine #13112 Deep Periwinkle #13212 French Grey/Blue #13098 Green Tea #13282 Lamp Black #13067 Light Cinnamon #13114 Light Mocha #13241 Limeade #13206 Mistletoe #13053Moon Yellow #13007 Mustard Seed #13254Prussian Blue #13138 Raw Sienna #13093Sea Aqua #13046 Slate Grey #13068Spa Blue #13267 Taffy Cream #13005Warm White #13239

Surface:Door Crown with Insert #62597Inserts for Door Crown – set of 4 #62598

Misc. Supplies:DecoArt DuraClear Varnish – Matte #87395DecoArt Acrylic Sealer/Finisher – Matte #70836Spatter Tool or Old ToothbrushIdenti Pen – Black #70830 or Fine Line Painting Pen #70829

Brushes: Papillon by the Artist’s ClubRound, size 2 #20158; size 5 #20162; size 8 #20164Liner, size 0 #20146; size 1 #20147Glaze Wash, size 1” #20103

Preparation:Before We Begin:This is a note to encourage you, especially if you are trying my technique for the fi rst time!I never, never worry about being perfect! I gave that up years ago! Strive to create an acceptable result, keeping in mind that most errors and mistakes are never discerned by anyone but you!Relax, and have fun! Enjoy the experience, and give yourself permission to enjoy the painting as you learn! Good is Good Enough!

A Note about Brushes: Use a brush size that’s in proportion for the area in which you are working, and is the best fi t for you. I use round brushes for almost all of my painting, basing, and shading. The only time I use a fl at or wash brush is for very large areas of base coating, antiquing, and varnishing.1

Fill in holes, if needed, lightly sand, and wipe away dust.

I like to seal the surface with a light application of the Dura Clear Matte Varnish, slightly diluted with water, in a ratio of approximately 50-50. Allow to dry, then lightly sand the surface to smooth. The surface should not be overly slick or smooth, as in a glass like surface. You should be able to discern a slight texture to the surface when brushing your fi ngertips over the wood. Clean off the surface of any residue or dust before transferring the pattern.

I usually transfer the entire design onto my board, and paint the background and base coat around each design element. This is, of course, a tedious process. What can I say? It’s a “Cindy” thing!However, it is more reasonable to base coat the majority, if not the entire board surface with the primary background color, allow to dry, and then transfer all the design elements.

If you are working with a pale or white background base coat, it works well to base in the entire surface, since painting over a very light and neutral color does not distort the next paint applica-tion.If the background is a dark color however, then I suggest an undercoating of white to lift the base coating back up to the desired level for best results.

If the surface or grain of the wood raises during the basing process, then sand lightly with very fi ne grit sandpaper, or a piece of brown paper bag. As I have mentioned above, do not sand the surface until it become slick and shiny. If you only have the very fi ne grit sandpaper, be sure to use a very light touch. Using the sandpaper will most likely require an additional coat of paint. With the brown paper I fi nd it does not require any touch up painting.

If the surface becomes too slick, it will hinder the shading mixture from adhering. The paint mix-ture will slide over the surface and smear. My shading process works much better if the surface is slightly rough, or has “tooth”. In that way, the shading mixture grabs into the grain.

Keep in mind that the results I achieve are a result of many layers, or applications of the shading applications, and are not accomplished in one simple step. In the fi rst steps of the process, the results may be slightly blotchy or mottled. Do not be concerned with this, but simply allow to dry

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completely, then apply another application until you are pleased with the results.

Painting Instructions:Door Crown:Transfer all the checkerboard squares and the gold edging which will create the area for the fl oral insets. Note: In the event that there may be slight discrepancies in the exact duplication of the board, you may need to slightly adjust the line drawing to fi t your board.

Do Not Transfer the Following:The fl ower, stem or leaves. This will be transferred after the base coating and shading are com-pleted.Black and White Checkerboard Design:Base in the white squares with Warm White.Base in the black squares with Slate Grey.Begin shading all of the squares with highly diluted Lamp Black. A suggested ratio to begin is 95% water to 5% paint, then adjust accordingly with less water, if needed. If you fi nd this is too drastic of a contrast for you to work with comfortably, then use a grey color of your choice. As you work, try to create different levels and variations of shading, so each square is slightly dif-ferent in effect. Apply more shading to the black squares to deepen, than to the white squares. This process may take quite a few applications of color, and can be time intensive. A short cut would be to simply base coat the squares with Lamp Black, and or a very dark charcoal shade. I like the sharp contrasts and variations of color, so I use this method, but go with what works best for you.

The Board Edge:I suggest that you complete the entire front panel of the surface, allow the paint to dry, then var-nish with two light coats of varnish, as given in the basic varnishing instructions. When the fi nish-ing coats of varnish have been applied and are dry, begin to paint the board edges. I am a “messy” painter and fi nd it diffi cult to use great patience and precision while working in tight areas, therefore, I have paint all over the place! With a varnished surface, should I have a mishap ( which I will have! ) I fi nd that it is an easy fi x to simply wipe away the wayward paint from the varnished surface if I do so immediately. I painted the edges with Slate Grey, and when dry, washed diluted Lamp Black over the surface in a wash effect in keeping with the shading process for the checkerboard squares. However, if you want a faster and easier application, simply paint the board edges with Lamp Black or a dark char-coal grey.

Gold Band: Base coat with Moon Yellow. Shade some areas with Raw Sienna, leaving “open” areas to provide contrast with the base coat.

Floral Design:Transfer the fl ower center, the petals, the stem and the leaves.Do not transfer the dots around the fl ower center, or the veining on the leaves. Those will be transferred after the base coating and shading are complete.

The white fl ower: Base in the fl ower center with Taffy Cream. Shade with Raw Sienna.Base in the petals with Warm White. Shade with highly diluted Lamp Black. Add the green dots around the outside center of the fl ower with the tip of a liner brush, with Green Tea. Allow to dry, then use diluted Avocado and lightly shade over the dots with a liner brush. 3

The Stem and Leaves:Base coat with Green Tea. Shade with diluted Avocado. Paint the veining on the leaves with diluted Avocado and a liner brush.

Varnishing:When all the paint has thoroughly dried, brush on a thin, even application of varnish. Using a damp glaze/ wash brush, dip into diluted varnish ( approx. 50-50 varnish to water ) and brush on a light even coat. Allow to dry and repeat for com-plete coverage. I do not like a heavy, shiny fi nish. The surface should be adequately sealed, so when the antiquing is brushed on later, it will not grab into the grain of the wood and cause dark staining.

Antiquing:Allow the varnish to completely dry, and then apply a wash of highly diluted Burnt Umber to create an an-tiqued effect with a large brush. I prefer a 1 inch glaze, or wash brush. Fill damp brush with mixture, and work over the surface until brush is empty. Work in grids, brush mixture over the surface, pulling out as far as possible to empty the brush.Refi ll brush, and repeat until entire surface is covered, blending the edges as you work, for even coverage.The process can be repeated to darken, if needed, when the fi rst application has completely dried. You can also add additional applications of the Burnt Umber wash to accent certain areas, such as the corners, with the glaze brush, or a small round brush for smaller areas, just as you would ap-ply the shading technique.

Note about Inking:For this project I decided against inking all the design elements. Use your own judgment as to what details you want to add to your project. If you decide to ink, then it should be drawn on before the spattering process.

Spattering:Spatter the surface with a spatter tool or toothbrush, using Lamp Black. I suggest that you test the spatter pattern before spattering your project to be sure the paint is the right consistency before going directly to the surface.

Santa Design:Transferring the Design:I transfer the design details in “layers,” just as with basing and shading applications, building to-ward the fi nal result. Transfer only the outlines of the design elements onto the sealed wood. Do not transfer any of the “interior” details. Those will be transferred when the base coat colors are dry. For this design, however, I did add the bow on the Merry Christmas tag in the original transfer process.

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Base Coating:When base coating large areas, I use a GlazeWash brush; and for all of the smaller areas, I use round brushes. I slightly dilute the paint if it seems a bit too thick to glide easily and saturate the surface. An estimated ratio would be 25% water to 75% paint depending on the consistency. I often apply two coats of base color for even saturation. The basecoat and shading application are meant to enhance each other. The light base coat is engineered to work as a highlight, and/or a contrast to the shading color. If the base coat is too light, the shading can over-power, and even distort the color. A weak base coat will also affect the antiquing process, by allowing the antiquing to grab into the wood grain, resulting in a brown staining.My fi rst step is to base coat the entire background, working around the large design elements I transferred initially.

Painting the Design:The Background:1. Beginning at the top of the background area use a 50-50 mixture of Taffy Cream and Warm White, then gradually begin to work with just the Taffy Cream to fi ll in the rest of the area down to the shoulder area of the Santa. 2. Working from the shoulder area up toward the top of the board, begin shading with Mustard Seed, allowing the color to fade off gradually at about mid-point to give a smooth transition for a light to dark effect.

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The Santa Face:1. Basecoat the face with Light Mocha. Transfer the eyebrows, and the nose. The outline of the eye area should already be com-pleted. 2. Basecoat the entire eye area with Warm White. Transfer the iris area. Paint in with Deep Periwinkle. Shade with highly diluted Prussian Blue. Be careful to allow for the Periwinkle Blue to show through. Paint in the pu-pils with Lamp Black. Add a highlight on both sides of each eye with diluted Warm White. 3. Shade the Light Mocha areas with Light Cinnamon to create depth and create the nose area and the wrinkles around the eyes. Use a small round brush to fl oat on highly diluted applications of Light Cinnamon, working in layers to deepen the effect. Be sure to al-low each application to completely dry before repeating the process. Refer to the photo for shad-ing placement. 4. Create the rosy cheeks and red nose by beginning with a wash of slightly diluted Alizarin Crim-son. I turn the board upside down, with the top of board closest to me as I work. Begin at the edge of the Santa beard, and pull the shading mixture toward the eyes. This shading application should be a very light mixture. Use the same technique for the tip of the nose, except you will be reversing the direction of the shading working from the top of the nose down. Usually I achieve the desired effect in two or three applications. Use a light hand and do not overfi ll the brush, because you want the shading to dissipate before you reach the eye area. 5. If you have not transferred the mouth, do so now. Paint in the entire area with Bubblegum Pink.

Defi ne the lip line to distinguish the bottom lip from the inside of the mouth. Either freehand or transfer the design. Shade the inside area with a mixture of Cran-berry Wine and Light Cinnamon. Shade the sides of the lip with Alizarin Crimson. Allow to dry, then use a small amount of Cranberry Wine to deepen. Add a very light highlight of Warm White at the tip of lip toward the center. 6. Refer to the instructions below for the hat and collar, as these areas need to be completed so the paint can be pulled out to create the effects of strands of hair. 7. Base in the eyebrows and beard with Warm White. Using a “dirty” brush, fi lled with some Warm White, dip the tip into a very small amount of Lamp Black, and begin pulling through the wet base coat. The fi nal ef-fect should give the effect of strands of hair. If you are initially unhappy with the results, repeat the process by basing over the area when dry and trying again! There is some open time before the paint has dried, so simply add in more white if needed, and continue to adjust the ratio until you are pleased. Be sure to pull out a few strands of hair here and there to give a more realistic result.

The Santa Hat, Tassel, Holly Berries and Sprigs, Coat, Collar and Mitten:1. The Hat and Coat: Basecoat with Bubblegum Pink. Transfer or freehand the stripes. Paint in the stripes with Alizarin Crimson. Shade over the pink areas with Alizarin Crimson. Shade over the red areas with Cran-berry Wine. Add a little of the Black Plum in some areas to add more depth. 2. When the beard has been completed, come back to do the tassel. Base coat the decorative band with Spa Blue. Shade with Antique Teal. Paint on the ovals with Baby Pink. Shade with Alizarin Crimson. Base in the overall shape of the tassel with Taffy Cream. Working much the same way as with the beard and hair, begin pulling Mustard Seed through the wet base coat to blend, and give the effects of sepa-rate strands. Repeat by adding a small amount of Raw Sienna, to add more depth. 3. The Hat Trim and the Collar: Note that there is small section of the collar peeking out from be-hind the candy cane, above the mitten. Base with Green Tea mixed 50-50 with Warm White. Shade with Antique Green. Freehand or transfer the polka dots. Paint on with French Grey Blue. Shade with Lamp Black. 4. Base the berries with Bubblegum Pink. Shade with Alizarin Crimson, and Cranberry Wine. Add small dot of Lamp Black with the tip of a liner brush. Add a highlight on the side of each berry with Warm White. 5. The Pine Sprigs: These can be added after the hair and beard are completed. Begin by free hand-ing or transferring a stem for placement guidance. Paint on stem with diluted Light Cinnamon. Be-gin to paint these on with a liner brush alternating the colors to create balance and interest, with the following colors: Green Tea, Mistletoe, Limeade, Spa Blue, Antique Green and Antique Teal. I 7

shaded the Spa Blue areas with a small amount of Antique Teal to slightly darken, and did the same with the Limeade, using Mistletoe. 6. Basecoat the interior area of the scalloped edging with Warm White. Base in the edges with Spa Blue. Shade the white areas with highly diluted Lamp Black, or use a grey shade of your choice. Dots are Lamp Black,7. Basecoat the mitten with Spa Blue. Shade with Antique Teal. Base coat the black stripe with French Grey Blue. Shade with Lamp Black. Base in the inset area with Warm White. Shade with highly diluted Lamp Black. Base coat the ovals with Bubble-gum Pink. Shade with Alizarin Crimson, and whey dry, follow with a light shading application of Cranberry Wine.

The Candy Cane and Tag:1. Base the red areas of the candy cane with Bubblegum Pink. Base the white areas with Warm White. Shade both areas with diluted Alizarin Crimson. Intensify the red areas with Cranberry Wine to deepen. 2. Basecoat the tag with Warm White. Shade with highly diluted Lamp Black Transfer or free-hand the lettering: Merry Christ-mas! Paint in the lettering with Sea Aqua. Transfer or freehand the polka dots. Base in Baby Pink. Add a small amount of diluted Alizarin Crimson to deepen. Base in the edging on the tag with Baby Pink. Shade with Cranberry Wine. 3. Transfer the fl ower pattern after the candy cane, mitten, and bow are completed. Paint in the center with Taffy Cream. Shade with Raw Sienna. Base in the petals with Warm White. Shade with highly diluted Lamp Black. Add dots of French Grey Blue around outside edge of the fl ower center. Deepen with diluted Lamp Black. 4. Transfer the pattern for the leaves and basecoat with Citron Green. Shade and paint on veins with Antique Green. 5. Basecoat the bow with Limeade. Shade with Mistletoe, then deepen with Antique Teal. Highlight with a mixture of Warm White and Limeade to give the appearance of sheen. Apply the colors so as to keep a sharp contrast. Use the photo for reference in placement of colors.

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Finishing:Allow all the painting applications to thoroughly dry before applying var-nish.Dip the Glaze Wash brush into water, tap out drips, then dip into the varnish to brush on a light even coat. I fi nd that slightly diluting the varnish can help to give a smoother application.

Antiquing:Allow the varnish to completely dry, and then apply a wash of highly diluted Burnt Umber to create an antiqued ef-fect with a large brush. I prefer a 1 inch glaze, or wash brush. Fill damp brush with mixture, and work over the surface until brush is empty. Work in grids, brush mixture over the surface, pulling out as far as possible to empty the brush.Refi ll brush, and repeat until entire surface is covered, blending the edges as you work, for even coverage.The process can be repeated to darken, if needed, when the fi rst application has completely dried. You can also add additional applications of the Burnt Umber wash to accent certain areas, such as the corners, with the glaze brush, or a small round brush for smaller areas, just as you would ap-ply the shading technique.

Inking:As an option, you can outline the fi nished design with an IdentiPen after the varnishing and the an-tiquing are completed. Inking draws the eye to each design detail, and defi nitely provides a fi nish-ing “pop” to the over- all effect.

Spattering:Spatter the surface with a spatter tool or toothbrush, using Lamp Black. I suggest that you test the spatter pattern before spattering your project to be sure the paint is the right consistency before going directly to the surface. For this design, I spattered with Warm White.

Finishing:As an option, for a protective fi nal fi nish I suggest using DecoArt Acrylic Spray Sealer/Finisher – Matte. . Brushing over the inking can cause bleeding so I prefer to add a spray on varnish fi nish. I usually apply two very light coats, allowing ample drying time, in between coats.

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Pattern at 100%

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Pattern at 100%

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Pattern at 100%

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Pattern at 100%

1” x 1”

To ensure your pattern is at 100%, this box should measure 1” x 1” when printed.

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Pattern at 100%

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Copyright 2012 Cindy Mann-Vitale and Crafts Americana Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. #331686

No. *A331686*© Artist’s Club ®. All rights reserved. For private, non-commercial use only. Please see our web site for terms of use.