Christmas Shapes Tutorial

By Barbara

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Christmas Shapes Tutorial

November 25, 2020

Making Christmas decorations for your Christmas tree is such fun and you can paint them with your kids too. To purchase your Christmas shapes, go to this link. They’re all specially designed for Rock Paint, handmade by our carpenter and you can order the whole set or individual shapes along with any paints you need for the project. We have 6 shapes to paint this year and we’ll start with the star.

Christmas Star
To paint the star, you can use Dragon’s Gold, Sterling Silver, or Cherry Red. Or, all three if you’ve bought additional stars.

Step 1: White undercoat
We recommend White Chalk Paint as a base coat and you’ll only need to paint one layer of white. If you don’t have White Chalk Paint, Lily White is perfect but you’ll probably need to paint 2 layers for coverage. Using a flat, wide brush like a Flat 8, paint the wooden shape with a smooth layer of white and take care to paint the edges of the wood and also the other side. This decoration will be hanging from a Christmas tree and you’ll be seeing both sides at it swings.

Step 2: Paint a flat colour
Gold Star: Using a flat, wide brush again, paint the first layer of Dragon’s Gold paint, remember to paint the edges of the wood and the reverse side as well when the front is dry enough. Your first layer will look quite patchy, don’t be tempted to apply the paint thickly, a thin layer is fine. Your gold star will need three or even four layers before it has a lovely, shiny, even finish. Make sure the paint is dry before applying the next layer.
Silver Star: Using a flat, wide brush again, paint the first layer of Sterling Silver paint, remember to paint the edges of the wood and the reverse side as well when the front is dry enough. Your first layer will look a little patchy, don’t be tempted to apply the paint too thickly, a thin layer is fine. Your silver star will need two layers before it has a lovely, shiny, even finish. Make sure the paint is dry before applying the following layer.

Red Star: Using a flat, wide brush again, paint the first layer of Cherry Red paint, remember to paint the edges of the wood and the reverse side as well when the front is dry enough. Your first layer will look a little patchy, don’t be tempted to apply the paint too thickly, a thin layer is fine. Your red star will need two layers before it has a lovely, rich, even finish. Make sure the paint is dry before applying the second layer and before painting the reverse.
Three different stars: The gold and silver star will look lovely on your Christmas tree so if you’ve also painted a red star, let’s add some detail. You can also add this same detail in white to your metallic stars if you wish.

Step 3: Red Star detail
• Start by using a white pencil and a ruler to draw straight lines between the point at one end and the indent at the other end of the star. You’ll end up with 5 lines which cross in the centre of the star.
• Using a dotting tool with a big end, make a dot in the centre of the star where the lines cross over.
• Using your finest brush, like a 4/0, paint short, fine lines around the centre dot.
• Using your dotting tool again, paint dots at the ends of the short lines and using your fine brush, lengthen the dots so that they make little petals onto the stems.

• Using a medium-sized dotting tool, put white dots in the corner of each point of the star, use the drilled hole as a guide.
• Paint a thin line with your fine brush from the dot to three-quarters the way to the centre flower.
• Add three branches to each stem and do this all the way around so you have five branches.
• Add big dots using a dotting tool, to each branch. Be careful to allow the paint to dry as you go along so as not to smudge the paint while you’re working.
• Add three dots with a smaller dotting tool to the white pencil lines, from the five stems towards the centre flower.
• Add a big white dot plus a smaller white dot to the spaces in between.
• Your star is ready, remember to decorate the other side as well and Varnish when all paint is dry.

Christmas Snowman
Step 1:
Using a pencil and a ruler, draw a straight line across the brim of the hat then paint the Snowman, under the hat area using White Chalk Paint. Be sure to keep the brim a nice straight, clean line. Remember to paint the edges of the wood and do the same procedure for the reverse once the front is dry. The snowman will hang from a Christmas tree, so you’ll need to paint both sides. You can give the Snowman a second coat of White Chalk Paint to get a good, even coverage.

Step 2:
Use Jet Black paint to paint the hat part and keep the brim a nice straight, clean line. When painting dark colours, there’s no need for a white undercoat so you can paint the black straight onto the wood. Remember to paint the edges of the wood and do the same procedure for the reverse once the front is dry.

Step 3:
Using a Palette Knife, scoop a little Periwinkle Blue and Lily White paint onto a mixing dish. Wet your wide, flat brush in water, pat it dry then dip it into the white paint. Paint white over the bottom left of the snowman and while this white paint is still wet, dip the same brush into your blue paint and paint over the edge of the snowman, blending the blue into the white, keeping the edges of the Snowman blue and more white towards the middle. Carry on, using the same method on the head, right-hand side and ends of the hands. If you’ve added too much blue, blend in some more white when the blue area is dryer. Remember to add some blue to the edge of the wood and do the same for the reverse side.

Step 4:
When the snowman is dry, use a Round 4 brush to add a curve of Lily White to the left and right tummy area.

Step 5:
• When all the paint is completely dry, cut out the Snowman shape from your trace sheet. Don’t worry about the hands but cut around the body and hat for positioning.
• Hold up the paper Snowman to a window so you can see through the paper and scribble on the positioning lines, on the reverse of the paper using a pencil.
• Position the paper Snowman right way up, on top of your painted wooden Snowman. Carefully draw over the scarf area to transfer the pencil onto the Snowman. Only do the scarf area for now.

Step 6:
Using Cherry Red, paint the scarf area and allow it to dry before painting the tassels on the ends of the scarf using your finest brush. A Round 4/0 will work well.

Step 7:
Using the same fine brush, paint two thin white lines using Lily White. The lines should be to the left and the right of the longer scarf tail, at the Snowman’s neck area.

Step 8:
Using a dotting tool with the smallest end, make evenly spaced white dots all over the scarf. Allow to dry and remember to paint the other side of the Snowman as well.

Step 9:
Use your trace sheet again, line it up over your Snowman (make sure those dots on the scarf are dry), draw the eyes, nose, smile and buttons lightly with pencil on top of the paper to transfer pencil marks onto the Snowman.

Step 10: Paint the carrot nose using Naartjie Orange paint. It will need two layers but allow the first layer to dry first.

Step 11: Using a small dotting tool and Jet Black, add the eyes and smile.

Step 12: Using your big ball dotting tool, dot the buttons. Your little Snowman is complete and you can give him a coat of Varnish. Use sewing thread through the hole and hang him in your Christmas tree.

Gingerbread Man
Step 1:
Paint Gingerbread Brown straight onto the wooden shape, remembering to paint the edges of the wood and when the first side is dry, paint the reverse as well. You’ll need two coats of paint on each side.

Step 2:
Cut out the Gingerbread Man from your trace sheet, hold it up to a window and scribble pencil on the back of the paper Gingerbread Man.

Step 3:
Position the paper Gingerbread Man on top of the painted wooden shape and use a pencil to draw over the eyes, mouth, bowtie, buttons and wavy shapes on the hands and feet.

Step 4:
Using Lily White, paint the eyes, bowtie and buttons. When dry, add a second coat of white. Remember to paint the reverse as well. Then, using your finest brush (we suggest a Round 4/0), paint the smile.

Step 5:
Again, using your finest brush and Lily White, paint the curvy lines at the hands and feet.

Step 6:
Using Cherry Red, paint the bowtie, it will need two coats.

Step 7: Using a big dotting tool, tot two eyes on top of the white circles, position them towards to top right to give the Gingerbread Man a cute, cheeky look.

Step 8:
Using a medium-sized dotting tool, add dots to the ends of the Gingerbread Man’s smile

Step 9:
Using a smaller dotting tool, add dots to the curvy lines at the hands and feet.

Step 10:
Add tiny white dots to the bowtie, using your smallest dotting tool. Remember to do all the same steps for the reverse. Your cute little guy is complete. Now you can add a layer of Varnish to both sides to protect your artwork.

Reindeer
Step 1:
Put a blob of Gingerbread Brown and a blob of Chocolate Brown into a mixing dish, using a palette knife. There should be around equal amounts of each colour. Mix them up with your brush until thoroughly mixed. You might need to rinse your brush if it has become messy.

Step 2:
Paint the whole of the reindeer straight onto the wood, no need for an undercoat of white. Remember to paint the edges of the wood and the reverse side. This reindeer will hang from a tree so you should paint both sides.

Step 3: Cut out the reindeer shape from your trace sheet. You don’t need to cut out the detail on the antlers, but cut around chin, ears, top point of antlers on both sides.

Step 4:
Put your paper reindeer against a window and scribble on the reverse of the paper, using a pencil. You only need to scribble over the eyes, ears, mouth and nose.

Step 5:
Place the paper reindeer on top of your painted wooden shape and using a pencil, draw over the eyes and nose areas first.

Step 6:
You can use either White Chalk Paint or Lily White to paint the nose and eyes. Chalk paint will need two layers, Lily White has a finer texture and you’ll need three or four layers. Keep the edges clean and neat.

Step 7:
Once the white paint is dry, paint the reindeer’s nose with Cherry Red paint. You’ll need two layers.

Step 8:
Once all your paint is dry, place the paper reindeer trace sheet over the painted reindeer wooden shape again and this time draw over the ears, nose highlight and mouth to transfer pencil onto the wooden shape.

Step 9:
Using a dotting tool with a big ball, dot the inside of the eyes using Jet Black. The black dots should be towards the top right of the white dots to give the reindeer a cute look.

Step 10:
While you have your black paint out, paint a fine line over the mouth area.

Step 11:
Use White Chalk Paint to paint the highlight on the nose.

Step 12:
Paint the inside of the ears using Gingerbread Brown. You’ll need two layers. Now you can add a layer of Varnish to both sides to protect your artwork. Your little guy is complete, pull some thread through the hole and hang him from your tree.

Angel

Step 1:
Cut out the angel shape from your trace sheet, hold the paper angel up to a window so you can see through the paper then scribble with pencil over the eyes, mouth, hearts and dotted lines between the dress and wings.

Step 2:
Place the paper angel, right way up on top of your wooden cut-out angel and draw over the circle which marks the bottom of the head.

Step 3:
Use Chocolate Brown paint to paint the round head area, you can paint straight onto the wood because it’s a dark colour. You can do the same on the reverse of the angel and remember to paint brown onto the edges of the wood for the head area.

Step 4:
Paint the rest of the angel below the head using White Chalk Paint. You can use Lily White paint instead of chalk paint but you’ll need additional layers as chalk paint is a lot thicker and has better coverage for flat background areas. Remember to paint the edges of the wood and the reverse of the angel too.You’ll need two layers of chalk paint.

Step 5:
Once your paint is dry, place your trace sheet over the angel again and draw the dress lines.

Step 6:
Now paint the dress area with a layer of Lily White paint and while the paint is still wet, add a little Piggy Pink to the edges of the dress, blend more white paint into the pink to get a soft effect. There should be more white in the centre of the dress and more pink towards the edges. You can paint some pink onto the edges of the wood as well.

Step 7:
Use Queen’s Gold to paint the wings, keeping a nice straight clean edge where the wings meet the dress. You’ll need two or three layers of Queen’s Gold.

Step 8:
Use a ruler to draw two straight lines at the bottom of the dress and paint this stripe using Queen’s Gold.

Step 9:
Place your trace sheet over the angel again and draw the hearts on the dress, the heart mouth and eyelids. The mouth and eyes will probably be very faint so you can draw over them lightly with a white pencil.

Step 10:
Use Piggy Pink to paint the hearts on the dress and a heart for the mouth.

Step 11:
Use Lily White and your finest brush to carefully paint the closed eyelids.

Step 12:
Use a medium-sized dotting tool to make a line of black dots around the head using Jet Black.

Step 13:
Then use the same dotting tool to create long braids. Your beautiful angel is complete. Well done! Now you can add a layer of Varnish to both sides to protect your artwork.

Christmas Pudding

Step 1:
Cut out the Christmas Pudding shape from your trace sheet, place it face-down on a window so that you can see through the paper and scribble with pencil on the back of the paper, over the cherry, leaves and wavy lines.

Step 2:
Place the paper Christmas Pudding on top of your wooden cut-out pudding and draw over the wavy line so that the pencil marks transfer onto the wooden shape.

Step 3:
Using Chocolate Brown, paint the bottom part of the pudding, up to the wavy line, keeping the wavy line clean and neat. Remember to paint the edges of the ball as well and you’ll also be painting the reverse of the ball so that you can hang it on your Christmas tree. One layer of brown will be enough but if you would like a flatter colour, add a second layer once the first layer is dry.

Step 4:
You can use either White Chalk Paint or Lily White to paint the area above the wavy line. Chalk paint will need two layers, Lily White has a finer texture and you’ll need three or four layers. Keep the edges clean and neat where your white paint meets the brown paint. The white area represents the white icing.

Step 5:
When your paint is very dry, put your paper Christmas Pudding on top of the painted wooden shape and carefully trace over the cherries and leaves.

Step 6:
Use Cherry Red to paint the three cherries, they will need a second layer.

Step 7:
Using Parsley Green, paint over the leaf shapes and give these a second coat of paint as well.

Step 8:
Using Olive Green, paint only half of the leaf, choose either the left or the right side of the leaf, and keep the line down the middle of the leaf clean and neat. this will probably need a second layer of Olive green.

Step 9:
Use a medium-sized dotting tool and place three white dots, top right of the three cherries

Step 10:
Lastly, use Sterling Silver and a medium-sized dotting tool to dot a few silver balls onto the icing. You’re done! Now you can add a layer of Varnish to both sides to protect your artwork.