Gingerbread Man Gift Basket

While this project features a gingerbread man painted onto a candle, Priscilla shows an entire basket full of gingerbread items, from soaps and plates to containers and towels, all done with this same basic painting technique.

Materials:

candle
Folk Art Artist’s Pigments:
- asphaltum #476
- napthol crimson #435
- pure black #479
- warm white #649
Folk Art Blending Gel Medium #867
Folk Art Glass & Tile Medium #869
Folk Art Dimensional Fabric Paint:
- white shiny #25301
- bright green shiny #25310
- bright red shiny #25308
Loew-Cornell series 7300 #8 flat brush
Loew-Cornell series 7350 #1 liner brush
scissors
tracing paper
gingerbread man cookie cutter
3/4" Scotch Brand 3M Magic Tape
pen or sharp pencil
1/4" Plaid dauber #50138
wax paper palette
soft paper towels or 100% cotton cloth
rubbing alcohol
piece of cheesecloth or old hosiery
white graphite paper or white chalk

Steps:

1. Wipe the candle with a piece of cheesecloth or old hosiery. Dampen a soft paper towel or piece of cotton cloth with alcohol and wipe the entire surface of the candle. Let dry.

4. Paint inside the pattern area only with the glass and tile medium using a #8 flat brush. Let dry for 48 hours.

5. Moisten the small dauber with blending gel. Blot on a paper towel.

7. Using a clean small dauber, dip into the warm white and then touch into the asphaltum paint. Work on the palette to blend the color. Lightly dab onto the center area of the gingerbread man and let dry.

8. Trace the face and bow pattern onto the painted surface using white graphite or outlining the reverse side of the pattern with white chalk.

9. Using a liner brush and warm white paint, paint the white part of the eye, hair and eyebrows. Note: When using the liner brush, be sure to thin the paint with water to an ink-like consistency.

11. Highlight the eye with a dot of warm white. Pick up a tiny touch of crimson on the dauber. Blot most of the color of the dauber before painting the cheeks.

12. The mouth and ribbon are painted with crimson using the liner brush. Darken the ribbon with a touch of black and crimson.

13. Paint the buttons with bright green shiny dimensional paint.

14. Detail the lines on the arms and legs with white shiny dimensional paint.

15. Place tape 3/4 inch up from the bottom of the candle for spacing. Pencil a wavy line above the tape. Use bright red shiny dimensional paint for the red band and bright green shiny dimensional paint for the dots.