Okay, so I wanted to make this cool “Bethlehem town backdrop” thing for our Christmas play. I’d never done anything like this before, so it was a bit of a learning curve, to say the least.
First, I gathered all my materials. I figured I’d need a big piece of something to paint on. I ended up using a large roll of brown kraft paper – you know, the kind you use to wrap packages? It was cheap and seemed sturdy enough.
The Prep Work
- Unrolled the paper across my garage floor. It was HUGE!
- Taped down the edges with painter’s tape so it wouldn’t move around while I was working.
Then came the scary part: actually drawing the town. I’m no artist, so I kept it super simple. I basically just drew a bunch of boxy shapes for the buildings. Some were tall, some were short, some had little pointy roofs – you get the idea. I just winged it, really. I used a big, thick marker so the lines would be visible from far away.
Painting Time
Next up: paint! I grabbed some acrylic paints in different shades of brown, gray, and a little bit of yellow for the windows. Nothing fancy, just basic craft paints.
- I started by painting the buildings with the different shades of brown and gray. I didn’t worry about being too precise – I wanted it to look kind of rustic, you know?
- Then I added some little yellow squares for the windows. I just dabbed the paint on with a small brush.
- For the sky,I do a very light * it is * I mixed a little dark blue with a white.
The Finishing Touches
After the paint dried, I added a few extra details. I used a black marker to outline some of the buildings and add some lines to make them look a little more… three-dimensional? I don’t know, I just messed around until it looked okay.
Finally, I stood back and looked at the whole thing. It wasn’t perfect, but it definitely looked like a town! And for a first attempt, I was pretty happy with it. It did the job, and that’s all that mattered!