Who’s that knocking?

Wall decoration that really fits the bill!

You can spend ages pondering the perfect wall decoration. Hardly surprising given that, when all is said and done, a wall is probably the biggest blank space in any room - just waiting for you to unleash your creativity. But one thing’s for sure: a homemade decoration looks best. We’re going to show you how you can conjure up a woodpecker design in its familiar colours using edding acrylic markers.

copyright: MMOS

Category: How to paint with acrylics
Products: Acrylic range
Materials: Concrete and stone
Paper, carton and cardboard
Groups
Difficulty: A bit more challenging
Downloads: Images (ZIP)

Step-by-step

Step 1

For this design you’ll need the following acrylic products: medium edding 5100 acrylic markers in black (901) and yellow-green (927), a broad edding 5000 acrylic marker in mellow mint (928) and the acrylic 3D Double Liner in traffic white (922). The template can be accessed by clicking on the link next to “Downloads” above.

Step 2

Use the blue tracing paper or carbon paper to trace the outlines of the woodpecker onto the wall, positioned where you want it to be. It’s best to use a pencil for this.

Step 3

Before you start colouring in, you’ll need to activate your acrylic markers as follows: shake your marker with the cap still on until you can hear the mixing ball rattling inside. Next, carefully pump the nib up and down until ink appears in the tip. When you’re pumping the nib up and down, it’s very important to hold the marker at a slight angle to ensure you don’t damage the chisel nib. Try out your marker on a piece of scrap paper.

Step 4

Once you’ve activated your markers, start by taking the black marker and use it to make the outlines bolder. You can also use it to colour in the relevant sections of the wings and head. Leave the black ink to dry before continuing with the other colours.

Step 5

Gradually fill in all the woodpecker’s plumage, colour by colour. Use the thin tip of the Double Liner to add a textured effect to the woodpecker’s white breast, to create a subtle 3D appearance.