This is a step by step tutorial for Christmas candle painting. This Christmas garland design is the perfect addition to your festive home decor. I have based my design on the branches of a Nordmann Fir Christmas tree.
If you love the look of the beautiful hand painted candles out there on Pinterest and Etsy and fancy having a go at candle painting, then you are in the right place.
Follow these simple steps and you’ll have your very own hand painted candles in no time. So grab yourself a warm drink, put on some Christmas music and let’s get painting!
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Gather your tools and materials
What you will need:
- Taper candles
- Non-toxic acrylic paint
- Thin tip paint brushes
- Plate or paint palette
- Glass jar or mug with a small amount of water in (to wet the brushes if they become dry)
- Surgical spirit / rubbing alcohol (optional)
I purchased this set of 10 Bolsius white taper candles from Amazon, which worked well for this project.
You could also paint your design on to these battery operated LED taper candles. The outer layer is coated in wax and they look great when they are lit.
This is a really good alternative if you don’t want to burn your candles. I have linked to the ivory colour ones that I have below, but they are also available in white.
I used my Daler Rowney set of acrylic paints for this project. This set doesn’t seem to be available in the US, so I have also linked to this set by Artecho, which has great reviews on Amazon.
This design looks great with some metallic gold acrylic paint added at the end. I have linked to my paint recommendations below.
Finally, you will want some very fine tip paint brushes, like the ones linked below. I mainly used the size 000 and 00000 for this project.
Wipe down the candle using surgical spirit
Before applying the acrylic paint you may want to wipe down the candle with surgical spirit (otherwise known as rubbing alcohol). This will help to take the shine off of the candle and helps the paint stick to the candle better.
I used surgical spirit on my first attempt at candle painting, but then I forgot to use it on the second one and I didn’t really notice any difference. So I would say this step is optional.
If you have some surgical spirit to hand and want to use it then do, but if you don’t have any then don’t worry about it. I just used a small ball of cotton wool to apply the surgical spirit to the candle on my first attempt.
Start Painting
I only used three main colours to paint my design on to my candles; brown, dark green and metallic gold. Squeeze a small amount of each colour on to your paint palette.
It’s a good idea to think about how you want to space out your design before you start painting. For this Christmas garland design I started painting at the bottom of the candle and worked my way up and around the candle, until I had three layers.
I decided to go only half way up the candle, in case I want to burn it at some point. Even though I’ve chosen to use non-toxic acrylic paint, I personally wouldn’t be comfortable burning the lower part of the candle with paint on it.
If you are not planning on burning your candle, or using an LED candle, then by all means continue the design all the way up to the top of the candle.
If you make a mistake at any point, don’t panic, just wipe off the paint using your finger or a damp cloth.
Step 1
Choose a paint brush with a thin tip (I used a size 000 brush) and start by applying the brown paint in an upwards diagonal line. This will form the main branch. Try to keep this line as thin as possible.
I’m right handed, so I held the top of the candle in my left hand and kept rotating the candle whilst painting in an upwards slanted line. I stopped when I got half way up, which gave me three layers of the branch wrapped around the candle.
Step 2
Using the same brown paint, add arms off of the main branch at regular intervals. Nordmann Fir branches usually sprout off in pairs, so this is what I have tried to replicate in my design.
The branches also have two or three little round nodes at the end. You can add these on by painting tiny circles at the end of each branch, or you can leave the end with a brush stroke flick. Either way looks nice.
Step 3
Once you have painted your branches it is time to add the needles. I used a dark green paint for the needles. Sap green also works well, but you can use whatever green paint colour you have on hand.
Again you will need a thin tip paint brush for these strokes. I used a 00000 size brush. Apply the green paint by gently flicking your brush from the branch outwards, in a short line, as shown below.
Keep applying these brush strokes all the way up the main branch and along each of the side branches.
Step 4
Once the green painted needles have dried, you can then apply some metallic gold paint. This gives a lovely depth to the garland and gives the design more of a festive feel. I added the gold at regular intervals in amongst the green needles.
I also added some gold dots at random intervals. I added the dots in clusters of 3 or 5.
Allow the paint to fully dry before placing it down on a surface. Or alternatively pop it into a candle stick holder.
Enjoy your painted candles
Place your candles on display to enjoy throughout the festive season. I personally choose not to light my painted candles and just use them as a decoration.
I’m not sure how safe it is to burn acrylic paint, even if it does state on the packaging that it is non-toxic. I prefer to err on the side of caution and would NOT recommend lighting these candles, once they have been painted.
I am planning on a creating a series of posts just like this one, showcasing hand painted candles with different seasonal designs.
Please check out my autumnal candle painting tutorial How To Hand Paint Pumpkins on to Taper Candles
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Please let me know in the comments below how you get on with this design and if there are any other painted candle designs you would like to see a tutorial for. Holly? Mistletoe? Candy canes?
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Thank you so much for stopping by!
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