"Too Early for Christmas Card Tutorial"

Step by Step Instruction 

Create this quirky Christmas Tree Card.

Welcome to my first tutorial on my new blog. I designed this Christmas card with beginners in mind, and although it looks flashy and hard, it is actually a breeze. If you’re new to decorative painting, my YouTube videos will help you. The appropriate links demonstrating each technique, are provided at the start of each step.

YIKES I hear you say, I can’t draw. Don’t panic, you don’t need to. We use line drawings, tracing paper and transfer paper. Gradually learn the techniques taught on "My YouTube Channel", and you  will slowly build your knowledge and confidence. This will gradually open new options within this highly addictive art form. Just give it a try, you’ll be amazed at what you can produce. 

Supplies

·    DecoArt Americana Acrylic Paint

Burnt Umber, Emperors Gold Metallic, Titanium White, Green Black, 
Olive Green, Medium Hauser Green and Teal Green

  Brushes

       3/8 Angle or 10 Flat
       No 4 Round
       0 Liner
       Art or Sea sponge for basecoats

Basic Crafting Kit

     White Cardstock

·            A4  Slim Card Blank and Envelope

·            Tracing Paper

·            Black and White Transfer Paper

·            Palette

·            Stylus

·            Scissors

·            3 Bottle Tops

·            Glue Stick

·            Double Sided Tape

·            3mm and 5mm Foam Pads

·            Hairdryer – use on a low heat setting to speed up the drying time between each painted step.

 Instructions

Sponged Basecoats

Click here to watch my Sponging Basecoats Video.

Cut the card in various sizes.

• First background layer is 10cm x 29.3cm.
  Base coat the outer edges with Emperors Gold. 

• The next background layer is 9cm x 28.8cm
   This is a three colour base coat using Olive Green, Emperors Gold and White. Dry between colours.
   
• Three pieces of card are 14cm x 20cm
  These are base coated with Teal Green, Med Hauser Green and Olive Green.

 

Tracing and Transferring the Design

Click here to watch my Tracing & Transferring video.

Trace the line drawings

Then transfer the trees and pots onto the appropriate coloured card. Use black transfer paper for Olive green and white for the darker colours. 

Add Dimension

Click here to watch my Floating Colour – Shading Video

Use a 3/8 angle or 10 flat brush. Load your brush with Black Green paint, float shading to create dimension as shown on trees and pots.

Load the No 4 round brush with Burnt Umber, paint the trunks, do not worry if you paint over the lines, all mistakes will disappear when they are cut out.

 

Ensure the paint is dry before carefully cutting out the shapes.

I made a "boo boo" my Lollipop tree trunks are thinner than I'd like them to be -OOPS!. Thank goodness I matched all 3 without the need to re-paint them :-)

Assembling the card

I prefer double sided tape on the background layers. I can’t remember the brand of this one! I love the way the paper backing stays bent back

Layer the backgrounds and remove the tape strips.

Now it is wise to check which way the card will open :-)

LOL had a few "boo boos" in the past by not checking OOPS!

Arrange the trees in the order you wish them to be.

I’m going to attach these with varying dimension heights.

The lollipop trees will be glued directly to the card.

For the triangular trees I will use 3mm foam pads.

And the layered trees 5mm foam pads.

Attach the trees at each end of the card and place the remaining pots evenly between them.

Then attach each tree into its pot.

Maybe my thin Lollipop tree trunks were a "happy accident".

I like the look of these :-)

Time now to get “Dotty” 

·       Squeeze a blob of Olive paint into a bottle top.

 

Place dots along the floated lines on each lollipop tree with a stylus.

Squeeze a blob of Emperors Gold into another bottle top.Dip and dot the lines on the triangle trees.Dot as near as possible to the overlapping tree.

At this point I did not like the plain olive green dots on the lollipop trees and decided to place a smaller dot of gold on the top of each one!

Squeeze a blob of white paint into the remaining bottle top and dip and dot the layered trees. 

Liner Work

C  H  R  I  S  T  M  A  S  these letters are optional.

Click here to watch my Liner Work video

Trace the letters and transfer to the pots.

  Use the liner brush, add a little water to Emperors Gold the paint needs to be an inky consistency. 

Line each letter over the transferred lines and fill in the band as shown in this example.

Add the white dots with the stylus. These dots follow the original transferred lines

My finished project

All comments are greatly appreciated.

Until next time.

HAPPY PAINTING