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Chickadee Window Toppers

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Anita Morin

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months, and then flip them over and paint the other side with a summer theme.

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Tweet! Chickadees are enjoyable to watch throughout the season. Display these banners in the winter

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Preparation

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Note: Follow all manufacturers label

instructions for proper product usage.
1. Sand any rough edges from the
surfaces. Remove dust particles with the
tack cloth. Use the 1" flat wash to apply
sealer over the toppers and stars. Let dry
overnight to cure.
2. Basecoat the fronts of the toppers
and stars with several coats of inkyconsistency Fawn using long, even
brushstrokes; let dry. Smooth the surface
between each coat using the sanding pad.
3. Float around the outer edges of the
banners and stars with Asphaltum.
Darken the corners and a few sections

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Note: Refer to the Color Worksheet

while painting the chickadee. Unless
otherwise indicated, use the brush best
suited to the area being painted. All fine
details are painted with the #10/0 script.
When using the script brush, use inkyconsistency paint. Roll the tip on the
palette to thin the tip for finer lines. Make
sure to hold the brush handle straight up
and use the wrist for long strokes.
Add a few drops of Easy Float to the
clean water to assist with the shading and
the highlighting.
Wet the areas to be shaded or highlighted with Extender Medium for the
chickadee and branches. Use a mini mop
brush in a pouncing motion to remove
water lines and soften the shading/
highlighting. Keep a paper towel close by
and continually wipe excess water from
the mini mop brush to keep the bristles dry.
1. Branches.Use a flat wash to base
the branches with a thin layer of Milk
Chocolate, avoiding solid coverage. Let
dry. Freehand more branches, if desired.
Apply Extender Medium to the branch
area to be shaded. This will allow you to
play with the colors longer. Use a chisel
blender with Burnt Umber to apply a dry
float, pulling upward from the bottom of
the branch to the center. Deepen the
shading with Charcoal Grey.
In the same manner, highlight with
Warm White, pulling from the top of the
branch toward the center. Some areas
may appear lighter, depending on how
much Extender Medium you apply.
2. Needles. Working freehand and
using your wrist to stroke, use the #1
script with inky-consistency Hauser Dark
Green to pull pine needles. Clean brush.

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Painting

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Window Toppers with Stars,

No. WT310 (13" x 7-3/4")
DecoArt (www.decoart.com)
Americana Acrylics: Asphaltum,
Burnt Umber, Charcoal Grey,
Fawn, Hauser Dark Green,
Hauser Light Green, Lamp Black,
Milk Chocolate, Mink Tan, Warm
White
Drying Time Extender Medium
DuraClear Matte Varnish
Easy Float
Wood Sealer
Dynasty (www.dynasty-brush.com)
Black Gold #6 and #10 chisel
blender (Series 206CB); #12
filbert (Series 206FIL); 1/4", 1/2",
and 1" flat wash (Series 206FW);
#20/0 mini fan (Series 206MFN);
#10/0 and #1 script (Series
206SL); #20/0 and #10/0 shader
(Series 206S)
Decorator 1/4" and 5/8" mini mop
(Series 400)
Eversand Sanding Pad, fine/
extra fine
Masterson Art Products (www.masteronart.com)
Sta-Wet Palette
Miscellaneous: crafty wire (10" length),
decorative metal beads (9), fine-grit
sandpaper, gray transfer paper,
paper towels, pencil, ribbon
(1-1/2" x 5), scissors, stylus, tack
cloth, tracing paper, water basin,
wire cutters

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Coyote Woodworks (www.coyotewoodworks.net)

Pull fewer needles with Hauser Light

Green. Clean brush. Pull even fewer
needles with Warm White.
3. Chickadee. Use the filbert to
basecoat the entire body with Warm
White. Let dry. Transfer details. Base top
of head, bib, and wing with Lamp Black
(Fig. 1).
4. Stomach. Apply Extender Medium
under the wing and on the stomach. Use
the #6 chisel blender to blend Mink Tan
from under the wing down to the side,
working from dark to light. Float inkyconsistency Charcoal Grey lightly along
the bottom of stomach above the feet.
Use the #10/0 script to stroke fringe along
the edge of the neck with Mink Tan, Burnt
Umber, and Charcoal Grey (Fig. 2).
Stroke Warm White fringe at the bottom
of the stomach and over the top edge of
the brown feathers.
5. Tail. Float Charcoal Grey + Lamp
Black (1:1) along the base of the tail,
down the upper edge of the tail feathers,
and around the tips of the tail feathers
(Fig. 3).
6. Back and wing. Load the bristle tips
of the #6 chisel blender with a very
sparse amount of Mink Tan, and apply to
the base of the wing. Add a second layer
using the dirty brush with Burnt Umber
(Fig. 4). Pull in lines of Burnt Umber + a
touch of Charcoal Grey. Dirty the #10
chisel blender with Lamp Black. Use the
dirty brush to pick up Warm White, and
layer feathers on the wing. Pull lines of
Warm White feathers along the top of the
back and bottom of the stomach (Fig. 5).
Stroke Lamp Black feather lines along the
base of the wing and down the top of the
wing. Pull lines of Warm White feathers
from the side of stomach onto the wing
and along the top of the wing.
7. Beak. Base the beak with Charcoal
Grey. Pick up Lamp Black on the dirty
brush, and apply along the opening on
the upper half of the beak to create
separation. Highlight the top of the beak
with Warm White.

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along the outer edges with the same

color, applying a wider float to some
areas. Let dry.
4. Trace and transfer the pattern. Note:
To accommodate a longer window, create
a fourth banner of branches.

Supplies

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1. When dry, spatter snow on the

toppers and stars with Warm White. To
spatter snow, dilute the paint to an inky
consistency. Load the mini fan brush and
lightly spread the bristles along the side of
the palette. Stand over the surface and
tap the ferrule with a handle of another
brush. Let dry.

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Finishing

2. Apply two coats of varnish, drying

completely between each coat.
3. Cut a 2" long piece of craft wire.
Thread one end of the wire through the
hole of the star and twist to secure. String
three beads on the wire. Thread the end
of the wire through the hole in the topper
and twist to secure. Cut off excess wire.
Repeat for each topper.
4. Cut two ribbons to desired lengths
for each topper. Insert ribbons into holes
in tops of toppers. Hang toppers and trim
excess ribbon.

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10. Feet. Outline the feet with Lamp

Black. While still wet, line Warm White
highlights (Fig. 7).

8. Head. Stroke feather lines along the

beak and back of head with Lamp Black.
Outline the eye with Lamp Black + Warm
White. Add a small stroke on top of the
eye with Warm White (Fig. 6).
9. Side of the face. Apply Extender
Medium to the side of the face. Use the
#10 chisel blender to blend a wash of
Lamp Black under the black cap. Use a mini
mop to soften. Stroke fine lines of Warm
White along the beak, lower edge of the
black cap, and upper edge of the bib.

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Color Worksheet

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Fig. 5

Fig. 6

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Fig. 1

Fig. 4

Fig. 7

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April 2011 EXCLUSIVE ONLINE PROJECT www.paintworksmag.com

PAINTWORKS | All American Crafts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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April 2011 EXCLUSIVE ONLINE PROJECT www.paintworksmag.com

PAINTWORKS | All American Crafts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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April 2011 EXCLUSIVE ONLINE PROJECT www.paintworksmag.com

PAINTWORKS | All American Crafts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.