To begin with, I get my patterns from a company called Winfield Collection (http://www.winfieldcollection.com). They have a very extensive collection of patterns you can get for just about anything you want and are always adding new ones. The patterns are all laid out on a big sheet of paper and are easy to follow. They also sell the transfer paper that is necessary to trace the pattern onto wood or whatever you wanna put it on. Once I find a pattern or two that catch my fancy and I think would be fun to do, then I order it. The patterns have all the necessary information as far as what you need and sizes of wood or whatever as well as paint colors and so forth. I use either 4 x 4 or 4 x 8 sheets of half-inch plywood. Occasions only a 2 x 4 sheet works too.
This particular pattern is of the turkeys and the pigs that I am using for Thanksgiving. Being that the pattern is all on one sheet for space saving, you some times have to cut and tape various pieces of the pattern together before tracing it. . In this case there were three patterns.
Then I lay out the transfer paper on the wood followed by the pattern. I use a tracing stylus (laying on the tracing paper) to trace the outline of the pattern on the wood. You can use a pencil, but I don’t want to mark up my patterns. You. Can also put primer in the wood first and the trace the entire pattern out, but I prefer to do the outline only to avoid accidentally following the wrong line while cutting and to save priming parts of the wood I might be able to use for something else or scraps that will be thrown out.
This is what the pattern looks like after it is traced on the board. Sometimes I will go over it with a pencil to darken the lines and just a little bit more.
Then it’s time to cut the outline out. I am using a handheld Craftsman Scrolling Sabre Saw. There is also a scroll saw which is table mounted type saw, but that can only be used for doing smaller pieces of wood. I don’t have one of those.
All three outlined patterns aew now cut. The next stage is to put a coat of primer on them. And then I lay the pattern back down and trace the rest of the pattern out on the primed surface. Once I do that, then I take a black paint marker and mark all the lines. This outlines the pattern in place for painting.
The patterns tell you what color paint to use where. Almost like a paint by number. You don’t have to use the colors that they suggest they’re just recommendations. I substitute sometimes because I might not have the particular color or I don’t care for the particular shade. Once I get finished painting the patterns, I go over the black lines one more time with the paint pen, then I coat them with a non yellowing varnish that will seal them and protect the paint. Acrylic craft paints do not hold up outdoors very long if you don’t put something over them. Then this out to display.
Needless to say, during these are very time-consuming projects but they are good way to pass the time especially during the winter months. Sometimes I can take three hours to trace and cut out a pattern and then a few more hours to do the painting because you want to that one area dry before you do another and then there is the second coat. And as is the case with life, we have other things to take up our time too
So you going to be messing with this for a few weeks sometimes.
