Paint a Folk Art Snowman Board for Your Christmas Mantel

Paint a folk art snowman board to prop up on a mantel or shelf as part of your Christmas decor.

What You Need:

Wood frame in desired size
3/8-inch birch plywood panel to fit frame
Wood glue
Small brads
Fine- and medium-grit sandpaper
Plaid FolkArt acrylic paints: Black 479 (BK), Black Cherry 224 (BC), Camel 953 (CA), Coffee Bean 940 (CB), Olive Green 449 (OG), Forest Moss 527 (FM), Terra Cotta 433 (TC), and Burnt Umber 462 (BU)
Paintbrushes: long liner and assorted flats
Tracing paper
Graphite paper
Minwax Spray Wood Finish Special Walnut 224
Lint-free cotton cloth

How To Make It:

Place the plywood panel into the frame and secure with wood glue and brads. Sand the panel and frame assembly with fine-grit sandpaper. Wipe away the sanding dust.
Base-coat the plywood panel with BK. Base-coat the outside frame edges with BC. Base-coat the inside frame edges with CA. Sand the frame with medium-grit sandpaper to reveal some of the wood beneath. Wipe away the sanding dust.
Download the pattern and trace it on to tracing paper. Transfer the pattern to the framed panel using graphite paper.
Use a long liner brush to base-coat the tree trunks with CB. Use the liner brush to make long brushstrokes of OG and FM for greenery on the trees.
Use a flat brush that best fits each area and base-coat the snowman with CA. Base-coat the scarf with BC; let dry. Base-coat the scarf stripes OG; let dry. Use the tip of a brush handle to make BK dots for eyes. Thin BC with water to ink consistency and brush on the cheek. Use the liner brush to base-coat the nose TC. Thin BK with water to ink consistency and use a liner brush to paint the mouth.
Base-coat the snowman's buttons with BK. Thin BU to ink consistency and use a flat brush to make shading lines on the body, head, and green scarf stripes.
Use the tips of various-size brush handles to make randomly placed CA dots for snowflakes.
Spray the entire piece with finish and wipe off the excess with a lint-free cotton cloth.