Palette:

DecoArt Americana...Sapphire Blue, Midnight Blue, Shading Flesh, Moon Yellow, Antique Gold, Burnt Umber, Winter Blue, Sand, Titanium White (Snow), Mocha (fair skin), Burnt Sienna (dark skin)

Other Supplies: White Lightening, or Gesso to seal entire box. Black ink permanent technical pen such as Rapidograph Rapidoliner .25 or Pigma Micron 0l. Water base varnish (such as JW Etc. Right Step), wool sea sponge, netting or fine fiberglass screen wire scrap, Delta stencil adhesive or Blair Stencil Stik, round hog bristle brush or favorite dry brush.

Preparation:

Seal entire box with White Lightening or gesso.

Paint entire box with Sapphire Blue, one coat only.

When well dried, sponge on Sapphire Blue and then with dirty sponge, sponge on Midnight Blue allowing colors to blend together (do not overblend though). You should have good coverage now.

Allow to dry thoroughly and spatter box Antique Gold profusely on box lid and side edges. These are "distant stars".

Transfer on main pattern lines.

Baby, blanket and pillow areas are all undercoated in Sand. The moon is based Moon Yellow. The stars are stenciled on with your own stencil cut from waxy palette paper using Antique Gold. Stars on sides of box (click for pattern) are also stenciled with Antique Gold. Once Sand undercoat is well dried transfer on main pattern lines for baby, blanket, and pillow. Base head and hand with Mocha for fair skin and Shading Flesh for darker skin. The little feet and piece of sleeve of jammies are Moon Yellow.

Moon: Based in Moon Yellow, it is shaded with Antique Gold all the way around outside edges, behind pillow, blanket and feet, and to create craters. Slip slap a little Antique Gold (thinned color) if you wish more texture to moon. Highlight around craters with Titanium White floats. Float Shading Flesh on eyelid, cheek and "nostril/nose phalange". Eyeball is Sand at corner (white of the eye) and Burnt Umber for the rest of the eyeball. (Black is inked, and when inking is well dried tiny Titanium White stylus dots are applied for highlights). Dry brush highlights on eyelid and nose phalange with Titanium White.

Face and Hand: For fair skinned baby, base Mocha and shade Shading Flesh...dry brush with Titanium White across forehead/eyes. For darker skinned baby base with Shading Flesh, shade with Burnt Sienna, and dry brush the highlights with Mocha.

PJ's: Shaded Antique Gold at blanket edge and toe tips. Highlight top of foot bottom at sleeve edge Titanium White.

Pilllow: Shade Winter Blue, and highlight with nice and bright drybrushing in Titanium White.

Blanket: Spray netting or screen wire scrap with Delta stencil adhesive (or Blair Stencil Stik) and adhere well to surface of "blanket". Stencil through this onto blanket with Sand first to seal under the netting or screening and allow to dry well. Then stencil through screen or netting using Winter Blue. This stenciling is a dry brush technique something like stippling, but with a much drier brush so that paint does not bleed under the screen or netting. You may scrub the color only slightly on the screening, but don't scrub on netting as the fibers are more delicate. Remove screen/netting and when well dried, shade Winter Blue. Drybrush Titanium White highlights. (Stenciling is optional.)

Stars: Stencil with Antique Gold. Shade stars with Burnt Umber and dry brush Titanium White highlights on largest smiling stars (dry brushing optional on all other stars). Dot two eyes with Brnt. Umber on smiling stars. Lines on shooting stars are lined with Antique Gold. Fill in with some criss-cross Ant. Gold stars. Or you can stencil smaller stars...I made a stencil using a heart shaped paper punch and waxy palette paper (or wax paper).

Inner Circle: To create the circle, the sky area is shaded Midnight Blue on the inner edge of circle (color edge out). The outside edge of the circle was floated with thinned color Antique Gold. Then line with very narrow line of Antique Gold (thinned color).

Box lid edge and box edge bottom: A quick and easy border is created with a cellulose sponge (new one for painting purposes only). The sponge is dampened and all excess wrung out thoroughly. Dip into Antique Gold and blot on palette to blend into sponge somewhat. Place sponge on rim of box and lift straight up leaving the textured color behind. Let lots of background color show through. Tape off the box bottom edge and paint in same manner. When this color is well dried, wash with Midnight Blue (thinned color).

Finishing:

Do inking outlining and detailing using short and shakey lines and dots. Avoid color book outlining by breaking up lines. Don't forget the eyelashes, black on eye (white stylus dot highlights when ink is well dried), smiles on large stars on box lid, dots on craters, shooting star lines and blanket fringe. Allow ink to cure for several hours or overnight. Spray with Krylon Matte Spray Finish #1311 to insure that the ink doesn't bleed when varnished. Allow to dry and then varnish with water base varnish (such as JW Etc. Right Step). Allow varnish to thoroughly dry and the box can be finished inside as you desire. Say a prayer for the recipients of this box and it is ready to send on its way!

Please feel free to email me with any questions...woodrain@aol.com

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