Rowena’s Christmas Characters
Popular designs by Rowena Howell.
Penguin
Colours – black, white, red, yellow, yellow ochre and lavender
Brushes – ¼ Deerfoot, Round 2, Flat 10 and 4
1. Basecoat background with lavender or prussian blue. Trace pattern in white. All painting may
need 2 or 3 coats as the background is a dark colour. Make a medium grey with a small amount
of black and large amount of white – Paint the body and arms with a deerfoot. Paint snow white
with deerfoot and hat red with round brush.
2. With flat 10 brush shade around arms with black. With round brush paint beak, legs and feet
white.
3. With deerfoot paint fur on hat, and tummy white. With round brush paint beak and feet yellow.
Paint tassle on hat white.
4. With flat 4 shade left side of beak with yellow ochre and base of feet with yellow ochre. With flat
10 shade lower part of tummy and around feet with lavender. Paint eyes black.
Santa
Colours – red, white, hi-lite flesh, base flesh, black, lavender and burgundy (or napa red)
Brushes – ¼ Deerfoot, Round 2 and 4, Flat 10 and 4
1. Basecoat background with lavender or prussian blue. Trace pattern in white. All painting may
need 2 or 3 coats as the background is a dark colour. With round 2 paint face and hands with hi-
lite flesh. With round 4 paint hat red and coat red. With deerfoot paint beard and snow white.
2. With round 2 paint legs and feet grey (with a mix of white and black). With flat 10 and burgundy
shade under arms, around right cuff and right side of hat. Shade either side of face and top part of
hands with base flesh. Paint button black.
3. With flat 10 shade top of beard and under feet with lavender. With 4 flat shade top of button grey
and base of feet black. With deerfoot paint bobble on hat white.
4. Paint nose base flesh and shade with burgundy. Paint eyes black and highlight dot on nose white.
Reindeer
Colours – yellow ochre, white, raw sienna, black, red and lavender
Brushes – ¼ Deerfoot, Round 2 and 4, flat 10 and 4
1. Basecoat background with lavender or Prussian blue. Trace pattern in white. All painting may
need 2 or 3 coats as the background is a dark colour. With deerfoot paint body and tail with yellow
ochre, paint snow white. With round 4 paint antlers grey (with a mix of white and black).
2. With round 2 paint legs yellow ochre and hooves grey. With flat 4 shade antlers black. With
deerfoot shade around head, under tail and lower sides of ears in raw sienna.
3. With deerfoot paint head yellow ochre. With flat 4 shade hooves black. With round 4 paint nose
white.
4. With deerfoot mix white with yellow ochre - highlight around head, tops of ears and tail. Paint
nose red. With flat 4 shade with burgundy and highlight dot with white. Paint eyes black. With
flat 10 shade around feet with lavender.