The Third Wise Man is the third character of the Prim Nativity Series. Displayed together, the Three Wise Men make a beautiful arrangement, each showcasing a unique dress and adornments.
Have a look at the previous two Wise Man blog posts for more tips and tricks that are relevant to all three figures.
Consider Glitter or Metallic Felt for the Star
In this blog post and the YouTube Video, check out the alternative material for the star on the staff. The original version calls for a double layer of antique gold felt whipstitched around the top of the staff, but here I explore using glitter and metallic felts. I think my new favourite is the gold metallic felt, it glitters so nicely and really takes this figure up a notch!
Explore Skin Tones
The techniques used to paint the face and hand beads to a different skin tone can also be used in the other characters! You could explore a variety of skin tones through each character, really adding some variation to the scene.
Have a look at the system I use in the video to paint the beads. I use bamboo skewers and pipe cleaners to hold the beads securely while I'm painting, then leave them to dry in a floral block.
Paint Marker Versus Acrylic Paints
Oil-Based paint markers are pretty user friendly - you don't need a brush and you don't have to store a bottle of paint afterwards. I find the oil based paint markers give you more of a stained bead look with some of the grain of the bead still showing through. However there is very little variety in colour shades to choose from which is one of the reasons I've moved to using acrylics.
Working with acrylic paint, if you want just a lightly coloured bead, just use a single coat. If you'd like more solid, use multiple coats of paint to achieve an opaque look. I do tend to go for a darker brown on this head, but you can consider other shades as well, just remember to also paint the hand beads the same colours!
Working with Metallic Floss
I do go over this in previous blog posts but it can be so frustrating working with metallic floss, the tips bear repeating.
Keep in mind DMC Diamant is slightly less prone to issues than DMC Light Effects. My recommendation is to always work with a shorter strand of floss, use a #5 size embroidery needle to create a good size hole for the floss to go through, and unwind your twisting thread periodically so it doesn't start to knot up on you!
Shaping the Seemingly Tricky Skirt
If you’re having trouble shaping and forming the skirt onto the body, you can pin first before gluing. Pinning first will give you a great indication on if you're going to like how the skirt folds are looking before you commit to gluing, and gives you an opportunity to correct any folds you're not happy with.
What's With the Hat?
The Hat Top is purposely oversized to the Hat Lower to create a kind of three-dimensional shape - as you whip stitch around you will be taking up this extra felt a little bit at a time to create that shape.
What if you Tear a Piece when Peeling off the Sulky?
The little feather for his hat is so tiny, be very careful when peeling off the sulky! And the Hat Tail is very prone to stretching out of shape and even breaking if you are too rough pulling that sulky off. If you have trouble with either of those pieces, just stick your little sulky pattern piece onto another piece of felt - there should be enough adhesion still left on the piece that you can cut a second shape out fairly accurately, with the added bonus that the sulky won't be as sticky this time when you pull it off!
In Conclusion
When I was making this video, these points are the ones that had stood out to me to be important to reinforce. I really hope you have a chance to check out the video, especially if you are on the fence and unsure if you have the skills to make The Nativity Scene! Next up, Joseph!