Christmas: stockings and snowman

Gifts play a prominent role at Christmas and usually stockings or pillow cases or linen bags are hung somewhere in the houses during Christmas, for Santa Claus to fill with gifts and toys for children.Christmas stockings are supposed to have only the gifts given by Santa Claus in them.

Children in many countries have traditionally hung Christmas stockings on December 24 believing that Santa will fill them with toys, sweets and little gifts for them.

I have shown here in B - Figure 1 the basic outline of a stocking, a very simple one. Initially draws a pencil sketch with a soft pencil. You may use HB or 2B pencils. Finally complete the drawing with pen and ink, using a fine nibbed pen.

Do not use ballpoint pens when sketching. When you apply colours on a drawing done with a ballpoint pen, water colours start spreading and the drawing will get blotched as the ballpoint ink is not compatible with watercolour paint.

Figure 2 shows a complete Christmas stocking done in colour. Figure 3 shows a Christmas stocking with different patterns on it. When colouring first apply a flat colour, usually red .Later you may draw decorative patterns on it with a fine pointed No. 1 brush or pen. Figure 3 shows the drawing of a stocking done using green, blue and red colours. There are different designs drawn on it. You can vary the length of the stocking as shown in Fig. 1 and 3, retaining the basic shape.

Drawing the snowman

Winter and snowfall are experienced in many parts of the world during Christmas. Snow is really crystals of ice-forming water vapour falling to Earth as light white flakes. Snow is found mainly in Western countries such as USA, Canada, England, France, Germany and Russia to name a few.

During Christmas children in these countries play with snowballs and take pleasure in making a lively and a cheerful snowman.

Frosty the Snowman is famous the world over and plays prominent role in the festive celebrations.

A - Figure 1 shows the outline drawing of a snowman. Notice the head being drawn like a tennis ball (frontal view) half way from the top to the bottom up to the chin is where the eye line is. Then, a few inches between the eye and the bottom of the chin is the nose, and halfway between the end of the nose and the chin is where the mouth line is. It is marked with dots. The neck is covered with a scarf and the body is round, in the shape. Similar to a pumpkin. The body is covered with a coat. Notice the five coat buttons I have marked. The snowman wears a hat with a ribbon around it.

Figure 2 shows a complete figure of the snowman in colour with his feet covered in snow. When using colour, apply red for the scarf around the neck, mouth and the hat and the ribbon in green or blue. I have used blue instead of the popular Christmas colour, green. To give the snow effect the sky is indicated in blue with huge white dots. Use a No. 5 or 6 paint brush with soft hair when applying colour and for drawing minor details a No. 2 brush.