Cover a wooden box with a whimsical bird full of bright, cheerful color with touches of glitter.

SUPPLIES

• water container
• palette or plastic plate
• paper towels
• tracing paper
• transfer paper
• #3 round brush
• fine-grit sandpaper
• 1" painter's tape
• stylus
• 1/2" angle brush
• #12 round fabric dye brush
• #14 round fabric dye brush
• tack cloth
• 8.375" x 8.125" x 1.75" unfinished cigar box
• foam edger brush
• #10/0 liner brush

INSTRUCTIONS

NOTES:

Preparation: Sand the box well and use a tack cloth to remove any dust. Apply Americana Primer & Sealer to the box. Allow to dry thoroughly. Lightly sand again; remove dust.

Let dry completely between painting steps.

1. Transfer the pattern to the top of the box with tracing and transfer papers and a stylus.
2. Basecoat the outside and inside of the box Blue Harbor.
3. Basecoat the bird Sea Glass.
4. Basecoat the eggshell Snow White.
5. Basecoat the nest Spicy Mustard.
6. Basecoat the leaves Sour Apple.
7. With Snow White, stipple and then dry-brush the head, wings, and body of the bird.
8. Double-load a fabric dye brush with Snow White and Spicy Mustard. Stipple and then dry-brush the center of the bird nest and sides of the eggshell.
9. Double-load the fabric dye brush with Snow White and Sour Apple. Dry-brush the center and tips of the leaves; float the tops of the leaves.
10. Basecoat the beak Spicy Mustard.
11. Float Snow White to highlight the straw in the nest, making the straw tops and ends the brightest; highlight the beak.
12. Float Honey Brown to shade the straw, shading underneath each piece of straw; shade the beak.
13. With Light Cinnamon, deepen the shading in the straw and one beak; outline the twigs.
14. Mix Sour Apple and Forest Green 1:1 and use mix to shade the leaves.
15. Deepen the shading on the leaves with Forest Green.
16. Shade the bird with a 1:1 mix of Sea Glass and Turquoise Blue.
17. Very lightly stipple the cheeks and the bird's tummy with Coral Blush. With very little paint on the brush, dry-brush the nest, leaves, wings, and very lightly on the sides of the eggshell.
18. Basecoat the heart Coral Blush.
19. Double-load the brush with Coral Blush and Light Cinnamon, and float to shade the heart.
20. Mix equal parts Light Cinnamon and Lamp Black. With the mix, outline everything; base the eyes; and stroke on the eyebrows.
21. Dot the eyes with Snow White.
22. Mask off 1" stripes around the sides of the box with painter's tape.
23. Base Spicy Mustard stripes around the sides of the box.
24. Mix Warm White and Spicy Mustard 80 percent to 20 percent and base stripes around the sides of the box with the mix.
25. Float Honey Brown to shade the bottom of the stripes.
26. Paint over the leaves with Limelight.
27. Paint over the heart with Sizzling Red.
28. Paint over the eggshell and Warm White/Spicy Mustard stripes with Ice Crystal.
29. Apply two coats of DuraClear Satin Varnish to the inside and outside of the box, allowing to dry thoroughly between applications.

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