February 2, 2016 Projects

Heart Note Holder

Our adorable hearth note holder is sure to evoke smiles from family and friends and convey a feeling of warmth and love! Rating Medium: acrylics on wood

Materials

Allen’s Wood Crafts heart note holder
DecoArt Americana Acrylics
Brushes: Silver Brush Limited Series 2000S No. 3 round; Series 2002S Nos. 2, 4, and 10 bright; Series 2008S 3/4” square wash; Series 2005S No. 1 liner; and Series 5319S 3/8″ wee mop.
Wood sealer
Fine sandpaper

Tack cloth
Tracing paper
Pencil
Stylus
Palette
Water container
Paper towels
Eraser
Varnish of choice

Preparation

Step 1. Apply wood sealer, let dry, and sand surface. Wipe to remove dust. Base entire note holder (inside and outside) with RA to cover completely. Allow to dry. Step 2. Trace pattern onto tracing paper and transfer using the stylus. Step 3. Base bear MT and bottom of feet FT. Leave heart in hand RA.

Painting

Step 1. Background. Sideload brush with RA + LB (1:1) and paint around bear from tip of right foot to right ear, blending out completely. Repeat procedure working your way from the left hip to left ear. Shade curved top of wood piece with BW. Step 2. Ribbons. Base IB and shade with DMB. Mix equal proportions of DMB + water and, using liner strokes, paint a line down the outside lengths of ribbon and then across to form plaid. (Refer to pattern for placement.) Thin AC with an equal amount of water and paint stripe all the way down the center of ribbon. Reshade ribbon over striping with DMB if necessary, and then add an AC edge to each side of ribbon. Add highlights over plaid using TW. Step 3. Roses. Load the No. 4 bright with RA, and then tip one side into AC and the other into TW. Blend well on palette. Stroke small roses, working on the cup first, then the bowl, and finally the chisel petals around the cup and bowl. For stamens, tap in AV and a little YO into center of rose. Step 4. Leaves. Double-load the No. 4 bright with MG and SG and stroke in leaves, adding MG veins and stems. Paint tiny fern leaves with water + MG (4:1). Step 5. Blossoms. Double-load a bright with UB and LB and stroke in each petal, keeping the lighter color to the outer edge. Centers are YO with AC shading.

Palette

DecoArt Americana Acrylics	Abbreviation
Alizarin Crimson	AC
Antique Maroon	AM
Avocado	AV
Burgundy Wine	BW
Burnt Sienna	BS
Dark Chocolate	DC
Deep Midnight Blue	DMB
Flesh Tone	FT
Ice Blue	IB
Lamp (Ebony) Black	BLK
Light Buttermilk	LB
Midnite Green	MG
Mink Tan	MT
Raspberry	RA
Sable Brown	SB
Shale Green	SG
Titanium (Snow) White	TW
Uniform Blue	UN
Yellow Ochre	YO

Step 6. Bear. Define body parts with SB, using a large brush to accentuate shading. Base eyes and nose BLK. Referring to pattern for placement, side-load brush with LB and add crescents and dots for highlights. Tint body with a thin glaze of BS, followed by DC in the more shaded “V” areas. Stipple FT to add a furry look, keeping the highlight away from the shading. For an even furrier appearance, stipple only the most dimensional parts (tips of ears, foot, muzzle, outside of arms, and hips) with FT + a small amount of LB. Add warm tones to bear with a very thin sideload of AC, glazing over all of the darkest shading areas. Step 7. Heart. Shade with BW around entire heart in bear’s hand. Shade with AM to form slots for ribbon in heart. Highlight next to slots with RA + LB. Step 8. Lace. Sideload brush with TW and add to edges of lace, also stroking in TW gather lines where lace attaches to heart. Step 9. Referring to color photo, place shadow under heart in bear’s hand with AM. Border around diamond-shaped handle is UB. Allow entire surface to dry completely.